A UPS, just like all electrical and electronic equipment, needs to have sufficient maintenance done to it in accordance with the guidelines from the manufacturer in order to ensure optimal dependability. However, a UPS that is located within harsh environmental conditions might still fail even when it is well-maintained.
As businesses become increasingly reliant on power supplies, when a power failure occurs it can be disastrous, not only due to the inconvenience that it causes but also the potentially substantial loss of money and time. A UPS maintenance programme will provide more peace of mind to ensure that the UPS will protect equipped as it is expected to.
1. Prevent Failure-Induced Downtime
Whether it is machinery on a production line or a bank of computers inside of an office, losing power to the critical infrastructure of a company can cause thousands of pounds in downtime costs. If the UPS system fails to switch over or goes offline, it may compromise the equipment that it was installed to protect. If the UPS is well-maintained it can help to alleviate this risk.
2. Prevent Loss of Data
Highly sensitive loads including confidential and personal data stored in records bureaus and data centres are subject to damaging sags or lags in the power supply. When regular maintenance is conducted it helps to ensure that the UPS will continue proving instant power and achieve an instantaneous switchover from the mains.
3. Ensure UPS Optimum Efficiency
In order to ensure the optimum efficiency of the UPS over its entire life span, the capacitors inside the UPS must be maintained at the cleanliness, humidity, and ambient temperature recommended by the manufacturer. The UPS should be kept in a well-lit, clean, tidy, and dry area. All alarms should be checked, and indicators should all be logged, recorded and reported properly to optimise efficiency.
A maintenance programme that is carefully structured will include servicing all of the major parts of the UPS installation, the actual UPS, and the generator and battery. During a maintenance appointment, a complete inspection of the critical instruments of the UPS should be conducted to check for proper operation. Meter readings should be checked as well, verified and recorded for accuracy, and remove and local monitoring panel, indicator lamps, and communications channels should be checked for the proper status indications.
4. Optimise Health of the Battery
When VRLA (Valve Regulated Lead Acid) batteries are used within a UPS system they work in ‘float mode,’ where the batteries trickle charge continuously so that they maintain a full charge. Whenever the battery backup power is needed by the UPS, in either infrequent long cycles or frequent short cycles, that result in the batteries being discharged. Numerous deep discharges of batteries shorten their life expectancy. They are designed to be standby batteries, and cycling them numerous times weakens them. There are both benefits and risk to using eco mode in an inverter.
Batteries should be inspected every 6 to 12 months to accurately predict when the end of the working life of the battery will occur. Load and impedance testing should be included in the inspection to provide a full report on the batteries’ health that is inside of the UPS.
5. Perform Emergency Repairs
It doesn’t matter how well you maintain UPS equipment, there can still be unforeseen failures that occur occasionally. That is why it is critical to have an emergency call-out service available. Various levels of emergency coverage are available at different prices to suit every level of cost and cover. The most often available are 24/7/365 telephone support. A guaranteed time for a service engineer to arrive on site after a call-out may be negotiated. Stock holding levels can be negotiated and discussed as well.
