To UPS or not to UPS

Mine is nothing special, just a simple 750 watt ups with 4 outlets in the back to plug things into. I have one in my living room for the tv/satellite dish and one in the basement for my computer/monitor/cable modem/router/printer. They will last over an hour on the ups, so I guess for me, the tv eats more than the computer.

Unlike Wallthacker, I don't have mine set to shut down anything, don't know how to do that if I wanted to....they just run until the batteries fail. Hopefully by that time I either have power or am smart enough to say, "okay, time to shut'em down before I lose something..."

Rich

wow more than 1 hour?! i dont know why my 360W ups cant last more than 15 mins (estimated.. as i said i didnt test it), pc, monitor, router, modem.. thats all..

It all depends on your power draw and your battery storage. If you use a crt monitor then I'm sure it draws more than a lcd monitor. It all adds up....

Rich

it's a tft.. i guess my ups just isnt that powerful

Or your batteries have lost capacity.

I'm sorry I posted this thread, but not. After posting I decided to check the run time on all my UPSes by removing the AC and timing how long they lasted.

I discovered two of them have batteries nearly dead. They only lasted about 30 seconds with a minimal load when I pulled the AC. Two lasted long enough to shut down after 5 minutes with a normal load and two were still going strong after 15 minutes so I restored power to them figuring they were OK.

BTW, it's very bad practice to let lead acid batteries discharge to 0. That greatly reduces their life.

So I have to hunt around now for a pair of BP7-12 (12v 7Ah) batteries to fix things up. I'll source them locally because the shipping cost will likely be more than battery if they're coming from afar.

edit. After some checking I realized all but one (my newest UPS) batteries are 5-6 years old, way past their prime. I will replace all my batteries and be done with it.

Edited by wallythacker 2006-05-08 3:16 AM

that would be a defective battery, my UPS is 4 month old, i bought it brand new.
it was like this from the start.

edit: oh and it isn't rated for more than 15 mins anyway. i'm just amazed at the UPS'es there, they are so much more powerful. and i'm sure a lot less in price...

hmm, as for your batteries, you should replace them asap, you already told us a story about a ups catching fire because you forgot to replace the old battery and it shorted or something..

Edited by cmonex 2006-05-08 4:35 AM

Yep, good memory on your part! That UPS is parked until I send it back to the vendor for a once-over. Funny, or good actually, that UPS has a lifetime warranty, battery included. That's probably why I've dragged my feet on getting it serviced. I don't feel pressured without a warranty deadline. I just have to find the paperwork to send it back.

Edit: info for anyone comtemplating a UPS.

My oldest UPSes are APCs dating back to 1996. They work fine but I don't care much for the software. It doesn't tell me enough. I don't even know the state of the battery.

My Cyberpowers are from 2000 and their software is great. It tells me everything I need and then some. Battery level, load, in/out voltage, temperature, run-time, etc. I can specify my AC out V and other goodies.

My Amptek is from 2003 and it's sexy but the software is lacking. It tells me less than the APC software. I bought it simply because it was $20 shipped from TD and I planned to pinch the battery for use in my APC.

I can't comment on any newer models as I have no experience with them. But I think based on my experience I'd probably get another Cyberpower if I *had* to buy another UPS.

Edited by wallythacker 2006-05-08 5:11 AM

I have two UPS units and have bought my parents and girlfriend each one as well. From what I recall, which may be in err, UPSes are the only thing that will protect against lightning. However, that's not to say they are 100% effective. Generally speaking, however, they will fry before the current reaches your delicate component because... well... they aren't as delicate. This is why surge protectors (unless the package specifically states otherwise and you probably paid a bunch for it) will do nothing to stop the current from reaching your valuables. My parents can attest to this... which is why I bought them a UPS. They are in the middle of farmland and get frequent lightning strikes on their property.

As for my own UPS systems, I have an APC 1100VA for my desktop that I bought on sale at CompUSA several years ago for about $100. It is rated at 65 minutes, but running a 19" CRT and haveing upgraded my PS from 250W to 450W, I'm sure it won't last more than 20-30 minutes tops. I also have an Energizer 350VA UPS for my DSL modem and network router/switch. It was cheap, but it'll do the trick for brownouts and flickers. I'm not home most of the time, so I do like having a longer lead time on outages.

I know people who have nearly everything plugged into UPSes, including Tivo and small appliances. As mentioned earlier, laser printers and high-draw appliances (microwave ovens?) will kill your UPS. Note also that laser printers draw the most power at warm up, so it's not idle or normal use that will do the damage.

Also as wally and others noted, the batteries in a UPS have a life expectancy no more than 2-3 years. If your UPS is older than this, at least test it, *makes note to self* but be ready to replace it. I fear that my replacement will cost more than my UPS was new. I saw an ad recently for either a 1100VA or 1500VA unit that was only $150. Maybe I should get one. :+/

ah, you lucky americans, 1500VA for only 150$....
my 600VA / 360W UPS cost around 120$ ... and that was considered a "good price" here..

wally, my UPS is a MGE and it knows everything you mentioned about the cyberpowers. except maybe the temperature or what the hell you referred to there. i didn't buy an APC because i heard bad things about them... but my (cheap, 20$?) surge protector is APC

Edited by cmonex 2006-05-08 10:16 PM

It may have only been 1100VA, cmonex. I can't remember. It was an APC, too. The Cyberpower, Belkin, and other names are much less expensive. The Energizer I mentioned in my earlier post wasn't even made by Eveready. They just put the Energizer name on it.

What have you heard about APC? I've always heard they were the best. :+/

yeah that's what i used to hear about APC, that they were the best..

but friends told me they really had a lot of problems with APC at work...

ok this doesn't mean much but it certainly affected my choice when buying the ups...

At the time I bought my APC gear they were about the only outfit making enterprise solutions. You could buy a battery pack big enough to power a submarine.

Anyway, APC consumer models were good but for some reason APC used a variety of different interface cables. It was a pain matching the cable to the unit in a mid-sized company. IIRC at last count there were 4 or 5 cables and an interface board available for the various APC models.

I'm glad other players appeared. It's driven the price down and the features up over the years.

edit. I forgot to mention. Surge protectors are usually a one-shot deal. The protection circuit blows out at the first big surge leaving you with no protection and a false sense of security. The more expensive ones will light a LED to indicate the protective circuit is shot. The cheaper ones don't.

Edited by wallythacker 2006-05-09 3:03 PM