UPS BATTERIES

An Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) provides a continuous supply of electric power to connected equipment by supplying power from a separate source when utility power is not available. There are three distinct types of UPS: off-line, line-interactive and on-line.

When a power failure occurs, the off-line type of UPS effectively switches from utility power to its own power source, almost instantaneously. The online type of UPS, which is continuously connected to the protected load,
draws energy from its reserves, usually stored in lead-acid batteries, converting it to AC power.

In order to provide the desired protection, UPS units must be properly maintained. Sealed lead/acid batteries have a useful lifetime of 3–5 years. In determining when to replace batteries, it is important to remember that the batteries can be completely bad after 3–5 years and lose their ability to hold a charge gradually over that time. If a UPS started with 1 hour of runtime for the connected load, after 1 year, it may only provide 45 minutes of backup time.

Battery failure can also be caused by temperature. If the application requires the battery to operate properly at temperatures exceeding 25 °C, you may consider using GEL batteries that allow to work in temperatures up to -40 to +70 °C.

In order to best determine the battery that is right for your UPS, call the experts at your nearest Powerstride Battery location!