Network Communications News (NCN) June 2016 | Page 29

UPS & power management is just after the mains supply has failed and your IT system has lost irreplaceable data. But what could possibly go wrong? Provided that the UPS seems to be working correctly from day to day, it’s very tempting to think that servicing is an expensive waste of time. Not so. Batteries are the leading cause of failure in even the best UPS. The battery capacity starts to reduce after the first year, going down to 60 per cent in the following two to three years, which means that the UPS runtime will be proportionally reduced. In the routine This deterioration, the rate of which depends on factors such as the number and depth of discharge cycles and the ambient temperature in which the UPS is operating, will be picked up by routine servicing, allowing the batteries to be replaced before their poor condition creates a real problem. It’s worth noting that routine servicing can also save money on batteries. They’re often replaced as a matter of course after a fixed interval, but if a service visit shows that the batteries are still in good condition, their replacement can safely be delayed. The fault does