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Thread ID: 124859	2012-05-24 00:26:00	How long do your UPS batteries last, and what is your preferred/recommended brand?	Billy T (70)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
1277002	2012-05-24 10:55:00	Lol, I don't think I'm living all that dangerously, I've been here since august '99. the power has gone off 3 or 4 times. Damage resulting to PC = $0 UPS battery died and killed an 8 port switch, Damage resulting from using a cheap UPS = approx $300 (Not sure actually, price of UPS + Switch) Yeah those things you mentioned could happen, but I could get struck by lightning walking down the street too. I'm not going to worry about unlikely possibilities. Surge protectors are a big have in my opinion. I've read articles detailing what they protect you from and to my mind they are virtually useless. They don't protect you from lightning, if it hits close enough you're screwed. They don't help in power cuts, they don't help when the power sags, they only help when a power spike small enough for them to handle occurs, which is incredibly unlikely. Almost all power problems result in loss of power, very few cause surges strong enough to be a problem. The ATX standard itself allows for power fluctuations at the supply so your PSU can handle as much as a some cheapo surge protectors anyway. A quality UPS on the other hand is a very nice device and if your power is unreliable or you worry about it then sure it's worth it for peace of mind but unless you have critical data not backed and leave your PC on 24/7 the odds of needing one are small. In the unlikely event a power fault fries my PC I'll repair it or build a new one, life goes on. sorry, wrote a lot more than I meant to when I started :)	dugimodo (138)
1277003	2012-05-24 11:44:00	We have Liebert, seem ok. Was told battery life was 2 years but they are still going ok at 3 years now. That reminds me Billy, time for a test :) I can't see why a good quality SLA battery on a correct spec float-charge should not last a lot longer without sulphating. The SLAs in my alarm system backup and external alarm box lasted approximately six years before the most recent change, and although they were impaired by then, they were still adequate to run the alarm & siren loads. I guess the bottom line is whether or not they can supply the load current, however alarm loads are not as high as those for a UPS so I think I'd better check them again soon, just in case! Both my current UPS systems make battery condition checks at switch-on the same as my old APC did, so I expect I'll get the message when they want to be replaced, but it had better not be less than 3 years! Cheers Billy 8-{)	Billy T (70)
1277004	2012-05-24 12:09:00	Surge protectors are useless when dealing with computers and office equipment. If lightning hits then the amount of current going through the wires could given the right conditions probably arc accross a surge protector. And any thing small enough that it could handel would never happen and its going to turn everything off anyway. Ups's are actuly usefull.	Slankydudl (16687)
1277005	2012-05-24 23:59:00	Surge protectors were tested by Consumer Mag many years back. The only 2 worth having were in the $150+ mark . The cheap ones are useless. Surge protectors are often good for 1 hit only, after that they need repair, replacing. No way of knowing if they've had that 1 hit on most of them.	1101 (13337)
1277006	2012-05-25 00:32:00	Yeah I'd rather a UPS or not bother, personally.	Chilling_Silence (9)
1277007	2012-05-25 05:36:00	Surge protectors were tested by Consumer Mag many years back . The only 2 worth having were in the $150+ mark . The cheap ones are useless . Surge protectors are often good for 1 hit only, after that they need repair, replacing . No way of knowing if they've had that 1 hit on most of them . A surge is an extended duration event, which is unlikely to occur very often in NZ's electrical system, though I could tell you some horror stories about my test results in New Delhi a few years back . Everything from major frequency drops, to the voltage 'stability' wandering aimlessly though the tulips, massive spikes and dropouts taking place, and in a 24 hour period my logger recorded 4000 separate events, which filled the memory and then started overwriting from the beginning again, but once again, I digress . . . . . . . . . By definition, a surge is an over-voltage condition of some duration and there is no plug-in device that can clamp that sort of energy level . In my opinion, so-called surge protectors are nothing more than spike clippers; MOVs that break down above the specified voltage and bypass the current to ground, but they can't handle anything of long duration without blowing up . The equipment I sell to clients has a massive ferrite-cored choke to slow any current inrush, then two large capacitors to suck down the voltage, followed by 12 (count them, 12) heavy duty MOVs to mop up the dregs, and then it has an LED that extinguishes when the last protective element has given up the unequal battle, so you know when to call the Undertaker . What are commonly called surge protectors are in fact no more than spike protectors, able to deal only with transients, and not very well at that . Surges happen when major events occur on the network, when HV lines fall across LV lines or when issues occur at the generation facility . Spike protectors have their place, but their value is limited to the comfort offered by the little red light glowing cheerfully under your desk . Similarly, line interactive UPS units are OK for brief outages and do contain power filtering and conditioning to a level significantly more efficient and effective than a surge protector, so they give good protection against most transients, but not even a full-time online UPS can give you guaranteed protection against a lightning strike on any part of your local supply, but car/bus/truck VS pole will do you no harm unless there was 11kV above the 230 volt lines . So, the difference between a surge and a spike is duration and energy dissipation, where the spike is a mosquito bite and the surge is a pit bull latched onto your leg . :waughh: Cheers Billy 8-{)	Billy T (70)
1277008	2012-05-25 09:14:00	I can't see why a good quality SLA battery on a correct spec float-charge should not last a lot longer without sulphating. The SLAs in my alarm system backup and external alarm box lasted approximately six years before the most recent change, and although they were impaired by then, they were still adequate to run the alarm & siren loads. I guess the bottom line is whether or not they can supply the load current, however alarm loads are not as high as those for a UPS so I think I'd better check them again soon, just in case! Both my current UPS systems make battery condition checks at switch-on the same as my old APC did, so I expect I'll get the message when they want to be replaced, but it had better not be less than 3 years! Cheers Billy 8-{) A little bit later I will test it but I have had my UPS for about six years and as far as I know the batteries are still holding up.	mikebartnz (21)
1277009	2012-05-27 16:09:00	So there's absolutely zero chance of a lightning strike; truck or car VS pole; transformer failure; load transfer issue at the local switchyard; digger vs underground cable; tree vs power lines; or maybe just a tired pole fuse in your neck of the woods? A typical UPS does not even claim to protect from any of those anomalies. Except in advertising where subjective lies are legal. A UPS is made as cheap as possible. Car batteries in harsher environments last at least twice as long. Simply read UPS spec numbers. Near zero. Protection only from a surge so tiny as to not harm other appliances. A near zero number so that the naive will believe it does 100% protection. Even its output power (in battery backup mode) is some of the 'dirtiest' power in the house. Cleanest power is when a UPS connects appliances directly to AC mains. But again, a UPS is made a cheap as possible. Even degrades it batteries in only three years by doing almost nothing. That UPS has only once purpose. To provide temporary and 'dirtiest' power during a blackout. Why 'dirtiest'? Because protection already in electronic appliances is so good as to make 'dirtiest' power from a UPS irrelevant. However do not power a power strip protector or motorized appliance from a UPS. That 'dirty' power can be harmful to some non-electronic appliances. BTW, underground or overhead makes little difference. A risk to appliances remains same.	westom (16792)
1277010	2012-05-28 00:05:00	Many PC PSU have basic 'anti spike' built in anyway many years a go, a customers house was hit with a massive overvoltage Everything in the house blew, except the PC !!! Cheapo Laser Printer was fixed by replacing the MOV	1101 (13337)
1277011	2012-05-28 01:27:00	I'm finding this topic and thread fascinating. I guess like many a week or two back we had a couple of power outages only a second in duration, but sufficient to throw much of the households electronics. I'm concerned that like only a few years back our power supply will as the winter bites get all the more dodgy. Everything goes through the cheapo surge protectors talked about here, so I guess my printer (electronics) dying last week may or may not be coincidental. Anyway I've done a fair bit of reading including going back over my pcworld mag library and I still have some queries I'd be interested in hearing from anyone here. I'd really like some more opinions on brand & model numbers. Visited Jaycar which I agree is often a good outlet, but the bargain prices were not available. Seems APC is not sold through the good discount outlets nor some other brands that seem to find favour on this forum. Seems bundled software is as important as the hardware. I'm also real confused despite reading the latest ads as to the worth of the new APC ES energy efficient stuff and am always worried this might be expensive 'greenwash'. Looking forward to any continuing discussion.	PeteS (12500)
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