A question for UPS Owners

Slayer88

Slayer88

Adept
Hi All!

Those of you who use a UPS, do y'all keep the power to the UPS on (i.e. Wall socket) on all the time even when the UPS is off? My UPS APC 2200VA has a sticker saying not to turn off utility power. But, Why is that? When my UPS is off and wall socket is on, it remains relatively warm (maybe 36-40C) Perhaps more warm than when the UPS is on!

Can you please suggest what you guys do in terms of the above, kindly also mention the brand and VA of your unit.

Thanks!
 
I have microtec UPS 2500W or 2200 VA 24V in my shop.
When you turn off the Switch in wall socket then the charging stops, and i think power output will be cut off too.
When you unplug the socket then all the points which are in with the inverter will loose any power untill you connect the earth socket in the inverter to the power socket in the board.
With such heavy UPS it some times gets heat but the internal fans is there to cooloff the board. so nothing happens. mine runs from 9 AM to 8 PM.
As for the socket being warm check if there is any gap between or if there is any loose wire both in socket and board. also do check what happens when the charging is 100% and no output is going on.
 
I always leave mine on, my ups also came with the sticker that said the same thing and i assumed thr manufacturer know more than me and it would be best to follow their advice.

I've had no problem leaving the wall socket on for 2+ years
 
sanjeevram said:
I have a APC1100 which is always connected to wall socket with switch switched on.
I turn it on only when using it (with battery saver always turned on).
I turn off battery saver only when power goes off.
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Does your unit get warm while its off but plugged into a live wall socket?
john1911 said:
I have a APC1100 which is always connected to wall socket with switch switched OFF.
I turn it ON only when using it (with battery saver always turned ON).

:p:p
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Same question as above to you, sir!
 
Slayer88 said:
Does your unit get warm while its off but plugged into a live wall socket?

Same question as above to you, sir!
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I only switch it ON from the wall switchboard when I turn on the PC. After shutting down the PC, I switch off the UPS from button (UPS power button), then from the wall also.
 
You should not turn off the UPS(The switch on the wall socket that powers the UPS). When you do the battery will start self discharging and when you turn on the UPS(Wall socket) then it will charge to capacity. This cycle of partial discharge and full charge will wear-out your battery sooner than leaving it on all the time. The warmness that you feel from your UPS is the continuous top-up charge on battery that is maintained due to battery self discharge + heat from the transformer that provides the top up charge. This way the UPS is at full capacity all the time and prevent battery degradation. Typical battery(self sealed ones in UPS) will last for up-to 4years(sometimes 5) but if you keep switching them off/on on a regular basis its capacity will degrade and also its lifespan.

Battery manufacturer/UPS manufacturer will generally provide a user manual stating the same, I would recommend reading them as they might provide more detailed information regarding voltage/wattage used during idle, number of charge discharge cycles that battery can handle, etc.
 
Slayer88 said:
Hi All!

Those of you who use a UPS, do y'all keep the power to the UPS on (i.e. Wall socket) on all the time even when the UPS is off? My UPS APC 2200VA has a sticker saying not to turn off utility power. But, Why is that? When my UPS is off and wall socket is on, it remains relatively warm (maybe 36-40C) Perhaps more warm than when the UPS is on!

Can you please suggest what you guys do in terms of the above, kindly also mention the brand and VA of your unit.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Keep it connected all time to the wall socket but only turn on the switch when in use and rest of the time better to keep the switch off!
This is to save the ups from any damages arising off any electrical/voltage fluctuations.
Some people or even the sellers suggest to keep the switch on all the time which is literally illogical as its just a ups and not an inverter!

Rest its a personal choice and people do come crying that the ups fuse got blown, battery issues, circuit damages etc. even on a new ups..
 
lockhrt999 said:
Yup I keep it ON always. APCs do like to keep their batteries warm and fresh.
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Thanks for confirming that. Mine does stay a bit warm.
nitin_g3 said:
I have APC 1100VA, it's always ON, at the wall socket as well as UPS switch.
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If possible, when your devices are not in use, can you turn off the UPS but keep the walk switch on and let me know if the unit stays warm?
b.life said:
You should not turn off the UPS(The switch on the wall socket that powers the UPS). When you do the battery will start self discharging and when you turn on the UPS(Wall socket) then it will charge to capacity. This cycle of partial discharge and full charge will wear-out your battery sooner than leaving it on all the time. The warmness that you feel from your UPS is the continuous top-up charge on battery that is maintained due to battery self discharge + heat from the transformer that provides the top up charge. This way the UPS is at full capacity all the time and prevent battery degradation. Typical battery(self sealed ones in UPS) will last for up-to 4years(sometimes 5) but if you keep switching them off/on on a regular basis its capacity will degrade and also its lifespan.

Battery manufacturer/UPS manufacturer will generally provide a user manual stating the same, I would recommend reading them as they might provide more detailed information regarding voltage/wattage used during idle, number of charge discharge cycles that battery can handle, etc.
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Yup, you are right. There's a sticker on the top of my unit saying don't turn off the wall socket. Thanks for confirming.
rsaeon said:
Probably for longterm health of the battery, just like how car batteries can go flat if the vehicle is not used for a while.

Personally, I haven't turned off my computer or UPS in decades, they're always plugged in and powered on.
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Thanks for confirming bro.
nRiTeCh said:
Keep it connected all time to the wall socket but only turn on the switch when in use and rest of the time better to keep the switch off!
This is to save the ups from any damages arising off any electrical/voltage fluctuations.
Some people or even the sellers suggest to keep the switch on all the time which is literally illogical as its just a ups and not an inverter!

Rest its a personal choice and people do come crying that the ups fuse got blown, battery issues, circuit damages etc. even on a new ups..
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Buddy, my ups has a sticker stating not to turn it off. Manufacturer surely won't be openly giving wrong advice, I'm sure (and hope?)
 
Slayer88 said:
Buddy, my ups has a sticker stating not to turn it off. Manufacturer surely won't be openly giving wrong advice, I'm sure (and hope?)
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Yes but its mostly applicable for western or otherwise countries where the current/voltage is pure. Here you know hows it...
Btw whatever I have mentioned is tried and tested per my own exp. and people around me.. As said its altogether a personal choice!
 
nRiTeCh said:
This is to save the ups from any damages arising off any electrical/voltage fluctuations.
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The voltage fluctuations are indeed a concern but UPS manufacturers take that into account when designing input voltage range. If you check the manual, you will find range mentioned and that is the operational range, there is also peak voltage that a UPS can handle which is generally around 260v+, many agricultural line here(In India) have poor voltage control and most of them operate around 250v(my house even though its in a well developed neighborhood is at 259v) which if you check, is outside the operational range but these(UPS,SMPS) continue to work as Indian manufacturer's know about the problems and have designed their products to withstand it. Do all the manufacturer do that, that I can't say but reputed brand do.

nRiTeCh said:
Some people or even the sellers suggest to keep the switch on all the time which is literally illogical as its just a ups and not an inverter!
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The sealed batteries have chemical properties that will degrade when you do partial discharge and full charge cycle and to prevent that it is advised to keep the power on. I don't think that is illogical as there is a requirement to keep the batteries in full charge all the time to prolong their life. There is an inverter inside every UPS as the battery is charged with 12v DC from 240v AC and the same 12v DC from battery is converted back to 240v AC to power your PC/etc.

Edit 1: AC/DC Added for clarification
 
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A related query, suppose I switched ON my system at 10 in the morning, and shut it down at around 7 in the evening and the UPS battery gets fully charged in these nine or ten hours. At 7pm today, the battery is fully charged, there had been no power cuts in this time. Now I switch everything off from the switchboard. By approx how much percentage does the UPS battery fall down in 15 hours? (the UPS is not giving output at this time)
 
A battery by itself will discharge 3-5% per month @ 30° Celsius with nothing connected to it, but as there are internal components within the UPS that are connected it is difficult to accurately measure the discharge rate, and each UPS is designed differently so I don't think there is a universal rate of discharge we can refer to unfortunately.
 
b.life said:
...but as there are internal components within the UPS that are connected it is difficult to accurately measure the discharge rate...
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This is the reason you don't disconnect the UPS from mains. The battery protection system will then be running off the battery power instead of mains, thereby discharging the battery a tiny bit every day.

Lead acid batteries have a very limited number of discharge cycles, so these small discharges add up over time and cause battery to degrade prematurely. So unless your disconnecting the batteries from the UPS, you do not turn the mains off.
 
n1r0 said:
This is the reason you don't disconnect the UPS from mains. The battery protection system will then be running off the battery power instead of mains, thereby discharging the battery a tiny bit every day.

Lead acid batteries have a very limited number of discharge cycles, so these small discharges add up over time and cause battery to degrade prematurely. So unless your disconnecting the batteries from the UPS, you do not turn the mains off.
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Buddy, the question was more around, why do you keep the power to the UPS on while the UPS itself is off (not powering any devices). But Thanks been answered above. Thanks anyway, cheers!
 
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