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4 Reasons Why Your UPS Needs a Regular Checkup

There’s a reason you take your car in for periodic tune-ups; by changing the oil, rotating the tires and peeking under the hood on a regular basis, you significantly reduce the likelihood that your ride will unexpectedly leave you stranded.

In addition, routine maintenance extends the life of your vehicle and saves you money in the long run. Case in point: replacing the brake pads before they are completely worn costs a lot less than having to purchase new rotors. Or worse — just consider all the potential costs if the brakes fail and result in an accident.

Maintaining the parts within your uninterruptible power system (UPS) is no different. In fact, the most simple and cost-effective means of ensuring that your system continues to keep your equipment running at peak performance and without interruption is to monitor its ongoing health with regular checkups, also known as a proactive maintenance approach. Because parts wear out over time, wouldn’t it be nice to have a service company identify potential problems and help you budget for upcoming maintenance? Even more, simple measures such as cleaning out dust can improve efficiency and extend the lifespan of your equipment.

Why is it so critical to schedule regular appointments with a professionally trained UPS “mechanic?”

1. Because your UPS is an extremely hard worker.
Unlike most employees, your UPS doesn’t get sick days, vacation … or even a 10-minute break! Preventing your equipment from crashing during a blackout is only part of its job — your UPS must also regulate power from a constantly fluctuating grid 24/7. This perpetual adjustment takes a toll on UPS parts, coupled with the strain on components resulting from load demands.

2. Because a UPS failure can be devastating.
When a UPS doesn’t perform as expected, the results can be painful, especially to your pocketbook. A 2013 study by the Ponemon Institute found that on average, a single outage costs organizations more than $627,000. Even more, UPS failure ranked as the single biggest cause of data center outages, accounting for one-quarter of those assessed. Many of these outages could have been avoided if a proactive maintenance plan had been in place.

3. Because UPS infrastructure is complex.
A skilled field service technician is always the best choice to examine and repair a UPS. When an experienced and trained technician — who knows the UPS inside and out — oversees the service on your unit, he can perform a wide variety of tests to gauge overall performance of the unit, as well as replace necessary filters, monitor component wear, and ensure that parts have not been distorted.

4. Because preventive maintenance encompasses the entire UPS.
Consider preventive maintenance a complete checkup for your power system. From the batteries and semi-conductors to wiring, resistors, breakers, capacitors and fans, all UPS components require regular attention to ensure optimal performance and efficiency. Scheduled preventive maintenance helps to mitigate the possibility of part and component failures. Your PM schedule should encompass the following:

Quarterly

• Visually inspect equipment for loose connections, burned insulation or any other signs of wear

Semiannually

• Visually check for liquid contamination from batteries and capacitors
• Clean and vacuum UPS equipment enclosures
• Check HVAC equipment and performance related to temperature and humidity
• Test UPS transfer switches, circuit breakers and maintenance bypasses

Annually

• Provide a complete operational test of the system, including battery monitoring.

Tell us about your biggest UPS service challenges!