The lack of care and maintenance increases the risk of a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) failing at crucial moments, resulting in long downtimes and huge financial losses. This is especially true if your organisation heavily relies on power and connectivity. This is why professional UPS maintenance services play an integral part in ensuring a smooth, uninterrupted operation.
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Consequences of a Lack of Preventive Maintenance
Setting up measures to prevent problems is more cost-effective than any repairs and replacements. Failure to ensure that your UPS stays in optimal operational health comes with major risks.
- Power loss: When a UPS fails following a power outage, you could be flushing money down the drain and risking lives, especially if you’re in the healthcare sector
- Unexpected downtime: Loss of productivity can translate to big bucks vanishing into thin air. What could have been a thousand outputs can drop to nothing, resulting in one day or an hour wasted
- Increased operating costs: Lack of maintenance leads to a domino effect of problems—a damaged UPS battery is expensive to replace, when a UPS always fails, connected equipment may be damaged, and data loss can happen
- Lost revenue: When you need to replace the UPS, the battery, and damaged equipment, you’ll be spending more than you’re earning, taking into account the downtime you’re experiencing with system failure
When to Schedule UPS Maintenance
Given that prevention is best where a UPS matters, you should establish routine maintenance that ensures any tech used helps boost a business rather than cause headaches.
Every month
- Make sure a competent staff visually checks the UPS and the environments it’s installed in
- Check the room ventilation, the UPS battery, and the generator, if there’s one
- Test for leaks, flat charging current, and electrolytes
Every quarter
- Inspect for any signs of damage, such as burned or degraded insulation
- Check and record the voltage of the individual cell or battery block
- Test all, or at least 10% of the cells, for ambient and negative-post temperatures
Every 6–12 months
- Hire a professional to inspect the entire system
- Specialised tools might be needed to scan electrical connections and look for hot spots
- The system may have to be powered down to allow a thorough inspection of all parts
After heavy usage or outages
- Check the batteries and recharge when needed
- Replace if they show wear and tear or are nearing the end of their service life
- Don’t wait for the Replace Battery message to appear before doing so, since a UPS used at elevated temperatures causes a battery to deteriorate faster
Before peak weather seasons
- Make sure the UPS is ready for summer heatwaves and storms in Australia that cause summer blackouts and fluctuations
- Schedule servicing if you suspect that the system might fail due to extended power interruption, power surges, and added load and demand
UPS systems serve as your backup or safety net against power interruption, but a lack of preventative maintenance will render them completely useless when you need them the most. Considering the cost, data loss, and downtime of repair and replacement, it’s best to schedule regular maintenance. UPS Solutions has the maintenance plan you need to ensure UPS efficiency and reliability. Learn more about their regular and tailored maintenance plans.