A UPS system is your business’ primary defense against productivity losses during a power failure. To ensure equipment remains protected and operational, you should verify that your battery backup system is working properly. Below are three essential strategies to maximize your UPS performance and reliability.
UPS Setup Checklist
- Placement: Find a cool, ventilated spot.
- Runtime: Calculate runtime
- Monitor: Install management tools for monitoring, management, and automatic graceful shutdown.
Ensure Optimal Working Conditions
Whether it is under a desk, mounted to a wall, or placed inside a rack, make sure your UPS unit is in a cool and dry location with proper air flow and temperature control. The ventilation openings of the unit must not be blocked to ensure air circulation and avoid overheating. Do not place the UPS system near open windows or areas that contain high amounts of moisture and dust.
UPS systems and batteries should be stored and operated in a cool environment, ideally between 68 – 77° Fahrenheit. Storing UPS batteries outside of this temperature range may lead to a decline in battery life.
Periodically, inspect vents and the batteries for cleanliness and remove any dust, dirt, or debris.
Battery failures are the most common cause of UPS downtime. Be sure your batteries are always fully charged by keeping your UPS system plugged in. Perform regular runtime testing to ensure optimal operation.
Calculate Minimum Runtime
When power is lost, UPS backup batteries only work for a limited time. Therefore, you must determine how much time your backup battery will need to power connected devices. At minimum, you should have enough runtime to save important data and/or safely shut down your equipment. This length of time is known as the minimum runtime. For most office setups, 10 minutes is the standard requirement for a safe shutdown.
The first step is to find out if the cumulative wattage of connected equipment (e.g., computers, monitors, servers) is within the UPS system’s rated capacity. Your connected devices load level should not exceed 80% of the capacity of the UPS system. Be mindful of other devices that might get added to a UPS unit, especially in a shared workspace.
Most devices list their wattage either on the product or in the user manual. If wattage is not listed, you can calculate it:
Voltage x Amperage = Wattage
Voltage = Most equipment operates on 120V or 208V AC in the United States.
Amperage = This is the power that your device draws, which may be as small as one amp or less and is capped at the maximum amperage of the circuitry in your facility. Your device’s amperage may be found…
- printed directly on the device, often on the back or near an outlet or port
- printed on a specifications label on the back of your device
- printed in the user manual
Example of a wattage calculation:
Note: When calculating the wattage load, your load level should not exceed 80% of the capacity of the UPS system. To establish the overhead capacity, multiply the total load by 125% to calculate the minimum capacity needed for the UPS system.
Management, Monitoring, Shutdowns, and Reboots
A UPS system can be managed and monitored locally with both visible and audible alerts. Your UPS may be equipped with LED lights, LCD screens, and alarms which indicate changes in the UPS or battery status.
Visible alerts: LED lights and LCD panels show the status of the UPS system as well as alerts of potential problems.
Audible alerts: All CyberPower UPS Systems include audible alarms, which notify you of varying status conditions such as on-battery, low-battery, and overload.
Management and Monitoring Software
You can also manage or monitor your UPS via software remotely. CyberPower offers PowerPanel®, downloadable software that allows you to manage or monitor CyberPower equipment, schedule shutdowns, and restart your UPS system at specific time to manage the power usage.
PowerPanel software can be controlled locally via a PC connected to the UPS system or remotely through a monitoring or management card.
New cloud-based options allow UPS monitoring from anywhere there is an internet connection on a mobile device. PowerPanel Cloud Pro is completely scalable, expanding the available IoT connections to an unlimited number of CyberPower and third-party UPS systems—suited for service providers and businesses who need to monitor multiple locations or clients on the same platform.
By following these recommendations, you can maximize UPS system performance and productivity.
To assist you in finding the ideal battery backup solution, here are two links to CyberPower UPS system tools and resources:
Power Primer/How to choose a UPS system
UPS Product Selector Tool
Find the ideal power management or monitoring solution, visit
CyberPower Software
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