If you have installed, or are thinking of installing, an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) in your facility for efficient business continuity, you need to consider how you will manage your UPS maintenance.
The Health and Safety Executive put the responsibility on the end user to ensure that any UPS system is maintained in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. The maintainer should either be the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) or someone with full access to the manufacturer’s information, updates and guidance.
At Kohler Uninterruptible Power (KUP), generator maintenance, battery maintenance and monitoring, emergency lighting maintenance and UPS maintenance is offered as part of our wider service, so when you work with us, you know your system is in safe hands. Our unrivalled technical expertise in the power protection business has enabled us to build an extensive and reliable network of field engineers that have a strong reputation for 24/7 coverage and service excellence and delivery.
Why UPS system and battery maintenance is important
Your UPS system works to keep critical loads working in emergency situations. This helps you deliver emergency power to systems such as lighting, evacuation lifts and essential equipment. It also supports business continuity in the case of a mains power failure.
To do this, your system needs to be in good working order and monitored regularly to identify any faulty equipment or potential system hazards. This is particularly true for the batteries powering the unit. If they are poorly maintained, your system will not work when you need it. Crucially, when batteries or capacitors reach the end of their life because they haven’t been changed at the recommended intervals, there is a risk of fire.
For example, in 2018, a vessel supporting an offshore rig operation narrowly avoided a fire when a UPS with considerable wear and tear started smoking. The smoke triggered the vessel’s fire alarm, and the batteries were disconnected from the UPS. However, the vessel was then offshore with no back up power supply.
A good UPS maintenance contract will cover the whole working operation of your UPS. Batteries are certainly central to this, but you also need to be aware of general component wear and tear, whether the UPS is properly sized for the loads you are placing on it, whether the environment that the UPS is placed in is suitable, and whether previous maintenance has been up to standard.
Get UPS maintenance right from day one
If you are currently designing and specifying a UPS system, you should be considering the system environment and accessibility for ongoing maintenance as part of your process. Here are our top tips:
- Make sure you have a controlled environment – the space where your UPS is positioned should be dry, temperature controlled and have the appropriate fire protection measures.
- A clean, dust-free environment is also important. Dust clogs up the UPS ventilation and can cause overheating. To comply with British Standards EN62040, make sure you have a space that is clean, dry and dust-free.
- Consider putting the UPS batteries in a separate room. This can help to minimise cooling requirements. You should keep the batteries at no more than 20° for maximum lifespan.
- Allow spacing above and below the UPS for top entry and bottom entry cabling.
- Be aware that UPS doors may need to open fully to remove modules for servicing. Make sure this is factored into your environment design. Your UPS supplier can help with specifying how much access is required for both cooling and maintenance.
- Consider safe maintenance access for the batteries. They are often heavy and UPS service specialists will need to be able to lift and move them when they are being replaced.
Although your UPS is a back-up power source, you can’t simply install it and forget about it. You need it to be instantly available for power variations and you need to know it is performing as well as it can always be, so regular maintenance and monitoring is critical.
The easiest way to do this is take on a UPS maintenance contract. This will ensure that you have regular inspection, maintenance and service that is carried out and properly documented by specialists.
In between maintenance visits, we would also advise your own checks and safety approaches. This will help you to spot if there is a problem so that you can call your maintenance service out to check. Some ways to keep on top of this include:
- Installing a battery monitoring system that will alert you to any issues. You can also agree a plan for your maintenance partner to manage this on your behalf.
- Installing and monitoring a remote alarm. This may be part of your initial installation, or you may want to add a remote alarm to your current set up.
- Manually checking the UPS and battery system on a regular basis.
What happens at a UPS maintenance visit?
When you take on a maintenance contract, there will be an agreed schedule of site visits. Your contract should also include response times for call outs and other service issues. You should have a contact number so that you can get in touch with your maintenance team quickly and easily. This is particularly important if your UPS is supporting critical loads that require faster response times and more redundancy.
Ask about timescales for replacing parts. UPS fans and capacitors will wear out over time and will need to be replaced. Your service team should monitor this at each visit, and your report should tell you their condition and have a plan for replacement before faults occur.
Battery maintenance and monitoring can detect weak battery blocks early on so that you can get a plan in place to replace them before they fail.
Similarly, your firmware needs to be up to date. Your service provider should be able to manage the firmware used by the OEM and updating firmware should be part of the routine maintenance visit.
Making sure these essential parts of your UPS system is a critical part of the maintenance process.
Find a reliable UPS maintenance and commissioning partner
For the best results, it makes sense to use one service provider for all your critical power maintenance needs. You’ll have a single point of contact that can book the best engineer for the system you have in place, and they’ll have a thorough understanding of your system so that you get continuity of service. Whether your UPS is supporting critical business functions, mechanical operations or emergency lighting, maintenance is essential to ensure the system will work effectively and safely when you need it.
At Kohler Uninterruptible Power, we offer service contracts for a wide range of UPS brands and emergency lighting generators. We monitor and replace VRLA, lithium-ion and nickel-zinc batteries and can cover maintenance across any system – not just the ones we install!
You can talk to our Service Sales team today to find out more about our UPS maintenance contract support services or speak to our Sales team if you want to talk through your UPS design programme. Reach out to us at [email protected], [email protected] or call us on 0800 731 3269.
Sign up for our new webinar on maintenance of a UPS coming in 2025.
