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