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The majority of electronic and electrical equipment, no matter how well-designed and built it is, will fail eventually unless it is maintained according to its manufacturer’s instructions. Failure-induced downtime is unsustainable for any commercially-used equipment, but it’s especially consequential for UPS systems and generators. If they go offline, they impact all of the equipment they have been installed to protect, with potentially devastating effects. Luckily, there are a number of things that you can do to minimise this impact, and maintenance is a key part of this.
UPS and generator maintenance should include three key components: regular testing and a preventative maintenance schedule; emergency call-out facilities with a guaranteed response time; and a policy for end-of-life component replacement.
The maintenance schedule should be designed to include all the UPS installation’s major parts, which are the UPS itself, the battery and the generator if present. The schedule will be based on a planned programme of visits in which service technicians perform inspection and maintenance as required. Regular preventative maintenance visits are the only way to spot early signs of degradation to vital components before they fail and to plan replacements before they cause downtime.
Environmental conditions should also always be taken into consideration, starting with removing any material and obstructions from around the equipment, and checking for any abnormal conditions. Equipment should always be checked for evidence of excessive heat, noise or vibration, as well as signs of damage to components or to power and control wiring and connections. This includes looking for swelling and leakage on AC and DC capacitors. Power supply voltages and waveforms, together with the overall UPS operation, should be checked, as should the airflow in and around installations.
Identifying any degradation of any critical components, repairs and replacements can be performed before a fault occurs, and spares can be sourced immediately.