As the heart of every UPS system, it is crucial to understand the different battery options available for UPS applications. A commonality among all batteries – they all require maintenance and they will all eventually fail. Each battery type differs on the amount of maintenance required, and how long it should last. The three main UPS battery types are: VRLA (Valve Regulated Lead Acid, Wet Cell (Flooded, VLA) and Lithium-Ion.

Valve Regulated Lead Acid (VRLA)

Commonly referred to as “maintenance-free”, the VRLA battery is the most common battery used in UPS applications today. VRLA batteries have a lower up-front cost when compared to other UPS battery options, however, they have a shorter lifespan – roughly 5 years. Calling them “maintenance-free” is also a bit of an overstatement – they do require regular maintenance visits to check for signs of aging, but they require much less maintenance than wet cell batteries. The optimal environment for these batteries is a dry, cool area (around 77 degrees F), as heat is detrimental to the health of these batteries.

Wet Cell

Also known as Flooded or VLA (Vented Lead Acid), wet cell batteries are a highly reliable form of UPS battery. Composed of thick lead-based plates placed into an electrolyte fluid, the batteries have a lifespan of roughly 20 years. They require regular maintenance and special care, as the fluid contained within the batteries is corrosive and poses safety concerns. While they are more expensive and require more maintenance than their VRLA counterparts, they are a highly reliable source of power for critical power applications.

Lithium-Ion

The lithium-ion battery has matured over the past few years and has noticeably grown in popularity for UPS applications. Industry leaders such as Eaton and APC are offering UPS applications developed specifically for use with Lithium batteries. They have the advantage of being both low-weight and small, and they offer a long lifespan (up to 15 years). Lithium-ion batteries also require less maintenance than their VRLA counterparts and can safely operate at higher ambient temperatures. While VRLA batteries are still often the product of choice for UPS applications, Lithium-ion has shown that it can compete with its many benefits.

With more than 35 years of field experience and leadership in power protection, SEPS is well qualified to perform all UPS battery services. SEPS offers a full suite of UPS services and all technicians are trained and certified to manufacturer standards, assuring a thorough job. For more information, please contact us, or speak with one of our Power Protection experts at 630-283-2399 or dmayo@seps-inc.com.

by Mike Howley

Blog

5 Reasons to Opt-in to UPS Maintenance

June 30, 2019

One of the most important steps you can take to maximize the life of your UPS is engaging in regular preventative maintenance. Here are 5 reasons to consider a maintenance plan for your UPS:

Simpler planning and budgeting

Regular preventive maintenance (PM) visits to service UPS systems will provide you with a wealth of data regarding the overall health of your equipment. Aggregated in a document known as a field service report (FSR), the data will identify areas of a system which require immediate and/or future attention. Several UPS components, including batteries and UPS capacitors, often require replacement before the UPS reaches its end of life. Regular UPS PM visits and the resulting FSR will allow you to plan and budget for future component replacements with a high degree of confidence.

Minimized risk of downtime

When a facility engages in regular UPS PM’s with a reputable service provider, there will be a service level agreement which provides a certain number of PM visits on an annual basis. These visits are often a mixture of major and minor UPS inspections. A major UPS inspection offers that the UPS be taken fully offline, so that all internal components can be checked for damage and wear. If/when an internal component needs replacement, the firm maintaining the UPS can work with you to get it replaced – protecting the UPS from failure in the case of an outage and protecting the facility from downtime. Another common test to protect critical equipment from failure is the load test. The load test ensures that a UPS’s battery bank can support its critical load during an outage.

Improved efficiency

UPS’s are often considered a huge offender regarding energy loss in power distribution systems. While there are several ways to attempt to increase a UPSs efficiency, including tweaking load levels, there is one sure way to maintain its efficiency: Regular PMs.

Reduced costs

Total cost of ownership (TCO) is a measurement often used to compare the true costs of a piece of equipment or technology. In the UPS world, TCO is a very important metric. Adding preventive maintenance to a TCO strategy is a guaranteed way of reducing the cost per year of a UPS over its lifetime. By engaging in preventive maintenance, a UPSs life can be maximized, meaning you should not have to worry about paying to replace the UPS before you are ready.

Peace of mind

Having a trusted UPS maintenance partner means that all your UPS technical questions can be answered, and, if need be, a technician can visit your site in case of an emergency. This results in fewer headaches and more peace of mind. Also, regular PM visits, by design, will make maintaining your system much simpler, because a technician will be on site with you on a regular basis to answer your questions and identify any signs of potential failure.

With more than 35 years of field experience and leadership in power protection, SEPS is well qualified to perform UPS preventive maintenance. SEPS offers a full suite of UPS services and all technicians are trained and certified to manufacturer standards, assuring a thorough job. For more information, please contact us, or speak with one of our Power Protection experts at 630-283-2399 or dmayo@seps-inc.com.

by Aaron Spencer

Blog

When is it time to replace your UPS?

May 30, 2019

Have you experienced an outage, and your UPS failed to protect critical equipment? Is your UPS showing an error or alarm? Is your UPS approaching or past its end-of-useful-life (EOL) recommendation from the manufacturer? Any of these may have you thinking about replacing your system. When you can no longer trust a device, you must consider replacing it.

Understanding the life of your UPS

A single-phase UPS can have a useful life of up to 10 years. While its possible to keep a UPS running up to or past its useful life, critical UPS components will require attention well before the unit reaches its EOL.

UPS components have individual lifespans which attribute to the overall lifespan of the UPS. Batteries are generally the first component to require attention. It is generally recommended to schedule battery replacements between the third and fifth year of normal operation. UPS capacitors and fans are typically rated between 7 and 10 years. Unless a PM states otherwise, schedule your first battery replacement at no later than 5 years and capacitor and fan replacement between 7 and 10 years.

If the component replacement conflicts with the EOL of your specific unit, consider replacing the system instead of the component.

Maintaining your UPS throughout its life

Maintaining your UPS and its components, through regular PM visits, can serve to avoid headaches and costly downtime. Knowledge of critical components within your UPS and some proactive planning can go a long way in extending the life of your UPS.

PM visits result in valuable information about the health of your UPS. Thanks to information stored in “Field Service Reports,” it becomes possible to make proactive decisions to ensure the longevity of your unit.

When it’s time to replace

Once your UPS has reached its EOL or if it has reached critical failure, partner with a firm you can trust to provide the best guidance on choosing a replacement system. At SEPS, with over 35 years of field experience and leadership in power protection, we are well equipped to provide you with any advice you need, and we can provide all preventive maintenance and replacement services to keep your UPSs healthy for the long haul. For more information, please contact us, or speak with one of our Power Protection experts at 630-283-2399 or dmayo@seps-inc.com.

by Dawn Kluchenek

Blog

4 Main Components of a UPS System

April 30, 2019

As we have discussed in a previous blog, there are several popular UPS topologies (designs) to choose from when seeking power protection for your facility. Each UPS design has its benefits and drawbacks. The standby UPS design is low cost, but it can result in disruption of operation of sensitive loads. The line-interactive UPS provides a more comprehensive level of protection from power anomalies (thanks to power conditioning), but it still has a transfer time to batteries in the case of an outage or disruption. Finally, the double-conversion (online) UPS design provides top level protection and efficiency, but it comes with a high price tag.

While an understanding of each UPS topology is important, it is equally important to have some understanding of components which make up the UPS. This blog will cover the main functional components found in UPSs: batteries, inverter, rectifier and static bypass.

Batteries

Batteries are the heart of every UPS. Additionally, batteries are the main source of UPS failure because they are the most likely component to fail. Batteries die for a variety of reasons – high or uneven temperatures, lack of maintenance, aging – and each battery type has its own recommendations for proper care.

The most common types of UPS battery are: Valve Regulated Lead Acid (VRLA), Flooded Wet Cell (also known as VLA) and Lithium-Ion. VRLA has long been the most popular UPS battery type, because it is readily available and therefore relatively inexpensive. VRLA UPS batteries generally last 3-7 years in the proper environment. VLA batteries can provide a longer lifespan – as much as 20 years – but they require more maintenance when compared to their VRLA counterparts. Lithium UPS batteries are the “new kid on the block,” and are just gaining popularity in the UPS battery market. UPSs built specifically to use lithium ion battery technology are in the market today.

No matter what battery type is used in your UPS, it is important to keep your UPS and its batteries in a viable environment to ensure longevity. UPS batteries should be maintained along with other components, and they should be replaced on a strict schedule to ensure that battery failure does not result in down time for your facility.

Inverter

The inverter, found in all UPS designs, converts DC power from batteries (or from the rectifier) back into AC power for load use. In double conversion UPS designs, during normal operation, the rectifier and inverter are used in tandem to convert AC to DC and DC to AC (i.e. double conversion) which protects IT loads from any power anomalies. In standby and line interactive UPS designs, the inverter is switched on immediately after utility power goes down, to deliver battery power to the load. The downside to these designs is the “transfer time” to batteries – meaning it takes time (milliseconds) for the UPS to switch from normal operation over to the inverter/batteries.

Rectifier

The rectifier, in double conversion UPS designs, coverts utility AC power in to DC power. The rectifier, coupled with the inverter, allows for protection from power anomalies and delivers clean power to the load. Standby and line-interactive UPSs will not contain a rectifier. This is because these designs deliver utility power to the load during normal operation. These designs will have a battery charger which allows the batteries to remain ready in case of power disruption.

Static Bypass

The static bypass switch allows utility AC power to flow directly through the UPS to the load, bypassing UPS components. Static bypass is a feature of double conversion UPS systems. When major preventive maintenance is needed on a UPS, normal operation will be halted, and a technician will switch the UPS into bypass (maintenance) mode. In this state, the load is vulnerable to a utility outage.

by Dawn Kluchenek

Blog

7 Tips for Single-Phase UPS Maintenance

March 31, 2019

When compared to a larger three-phase UPS system, a single-phase UPS can be pinned as a low-cost, minimal maintenance machine. While the cost to purchase is in fact much cheaper, not investing in the maintenance and care for a single-phase UPSs can lead to higher costs down the road; such as unplanned UPS replacements, UPS component failure, and costly downtime. Consider the following points as it relates to owning and maintaining single-phase UPSs:

Keep an eye on the batteries. The most common cause of UPS failure, batteries require regular check-ups and replacement. In a single-phase UPS, we recommend battery replacement every 3-5 years. Regular preventive maintenance visits will help to identify bad batteries and test for conditions which may lead to battery failure.
Environment is key. Without the proper environment, a UPS can be vulnerable to component failure, such as thermal runaway in its batteries, and a shorter lifespan. Especially in facilities with multiple single-phase UPSs, it can be easy to “set it and forget it.” Be sure to test the environment(s) where each of your UPS resides; this includes setting the proper temperature and humidity for good UPS operation. Consider adding a network card with environmental monitoring capabilities.
Establish a preventive maintenance schedule. To maintain the health and longevity of your single-phase UPS’s, it is recommended to schedule regular check-ups. A minimum of one preventive maintenance visit per year for the UPS is suggested. Additionally, consider scheduling battery replacements in advance, around the 4-year mark, in preparation for the 5th year. This will help to ensure that budgeting for replacement is squared away before an issue arises.
Identify the end-of-useful life of your UPSs. Every UPS has a manufacturer recommendation for useful life. Additionally, preventive maintenance visits can help indicate signs when your single-phase UPS is close to reaching the end of its useful life. At this point, start considering replacement of the UPS and/or an entire UPS audit.
Audit your facility’s fleet of single-phase UPSs. In many facilities, the dispersal of single-phase UPSs throughout a building can require an audit to ensure that all equipment stays up to date with service and useful life. We recommend a site audit to take an inventory of each UPS, their age, and the age of their components. This can be done alongside a preventative maintenance visit.
Planning for future purchases. As your single-phase UPSs reach the end of useful life, a helpful practice is to build out a plan to replace units as necessary. At the point of purchase, you can also determine whether a full replacement of your fleet of UPSs is in order, as this may be a more cost-effective decision. However, keeping your UPSs the same age will not impact a competent UPS maintenance company’s ability to service your equipment.
Consider a spare parts inventory. Component failure cannot be predicted or prevented. A good preparedness strategy includes keeping critical spare parts on hand or at a nearby supplier warehouse. SEPS carries an extensive inventory of parts and batteries and can assist with this strategy. If a battery failure or other component issue arises, the problem can then be swiftly resolved.

by Aaron Spencer

Understanding UPS Battery Types

5 Reasons to Opt-in to UPS Maintenance

When is it time to replace your UPS?

4 Main Components of a UPS System

7 Tips for Single-Phase UPS Maintenance

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