[OPLINTECH] Dirty Power

[Chad Neeper]

Is it that the UPS electronics are actually becoming damaged or is the
problem really the frequency with which you're needing to replace the
batteries? With such poor power, you're probably cycling the batteries
often, which will greatly reduce the lifespan of the batteries. There are a
few things you might be able to do to decrease the wear on the batteries.
For starters, you might be able to decrease the sensitivity of the UPS so
that it doesn't switch to battery quite as often. In the following short
White Paper, refer to the sections on Ambient Temperature and Cycling to
help maximize your battery life.

http://www.apcmedia.com/salestools/VAVR-9MNSWC/VAVR-9MNSWC_R0_EN.pdf

If it's so bad that you're destroying your equipment cabinet UPS's
electronics, I'd think you'd have cause to involve the power company. And
if it's so bad that you're destroying the electronics rather than just
degrading the batteries, are you not also having problems for all other
electronic equipment in the building? If not, then maybe why not?

If your UPS electronics are failing, then you're probably also
losing/degrading computers and other electronic equipment elsewhere in the
building. That sounds like maybe a whole-building solution might actually
be warranted. Or definitely an attempt to get the power company to clean up
their act, if you haven't already! If you're NOT having problems elsewhere,
then is there something with/on/near that circuit that's contributing to
the problem?

Anyway, if you're currently using a stand-by UPS, you might consider
looking into a line interactive UPS instead, which may do a better job. If
you're using a 1500VA UPS, there's probably a pretty good chance that it's
already a line interactive UPS, but worth double-checking the
manufacturer's specs. Here's another white paper about the various types of
UPSes:

http://www.apcmedia.com/salestools/SADE-5TNM3Y/SADE-5TNM3Y_R7_EN.pdf


If you're already using a line interactive UPS, maybe you need to bump up
to a double-conversion on-line UPS. It's more technical than the previous
one, but it's worth reading the comparison between the two technologies you
can choose from in the 750 to 5000VA range:

http://www.apcmedia.com/salestools/JSII-5YQSBR/JSII-5YQSBR_R1_EN.pdf

Can you tell I prefer Schneider Electric (APC) for power conditioning?  :-)



My final suggestion would be to visit your favorite UPS manufacturer's
website and find a list of their Ohio partners to see if you can contact a
professional installer that is willing to talk to you about the best
specific UPS model for your environment.


HTH and good luck!
Chad

______________________________
*Chad Neeper*
Senior Systems Engineer

*Level 9 Networks*
740-548-8070 (voice)
866-214-6607 (fax)

*Full IT/Computer consulting services -- Specialized in libraries and
schools*

On Wed, Aug 5, 2015 at 2:47 PM, Becky Schultz <b.schultz at yourppl.org> wrote:

> Hi!
>
> We have a branch that, due to extremely dirty power coming into the
> building, we keep having to replace the UPS in the network cabinet. Our
> electrician has also confirmed this is why the units are failing.  A 1500VA
> UPS is plenty big enough, but we apparently need a unit with more high end
> power conditioning.  A whole building solution isn't justified, so I'm just
> looking for feedback or suggestions on equipment to protect our relatively
> small rack of equipment.
>
> Thanks!
>
> --
> Becky Schultz
> Technology Coordinator | Portsmouth Public Library
> (740) 354-5688 ext.10518 | b.schultz at yourppl.org | http://www.yourppl.org
> http://www.twitter.com/portsmouthpl | http://www.facebook.com/yourppl
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>
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