In our most recent post we discussed the danger of power surges and how cautious and diligent you should be in protecting your electrical assets from their debilitating effects. Although surge protectors are a simplistic means of protection, a UPS or uninterruptible power supply, is a unit used to offer temporary power when the device’s input power source is interrupted or fails. These units are verily regarded because they are capable of protecting most any electrical device. Now, let’s compare this device to ones you may be more familiar with.
UPS vs. standby generator
UPS”S stand apart from generators in that they provide immediate or nearly instant protection. Standby generators are supposed to switch on at the first sign of an outage but can take some time before they become active and some need to be started manually resulting in the possible loss of imperative data. UPS’s protect against a power surge or outage for 5-30 minutes allowing you some time to save data and shut down systems before you lose anything or before someone gets hurt.
Types of UPS’s
A great component of the technology used by UPS”s is that it isn’t biased with regards to capability. There are offline or standby UPS’s that are very basic and offer easy to navigate features making them a qualified protector for items such as personal computers and for use in average homes. This form of UPS can come equipped to protect in ranges so that you can choose which option will best supply your needs with little to no evident reaction times. The standby UPS will run on a battery that has a limited power supply so be sure to “save” or “shutdown” as soon as you can.
Line Interactive UPS’s differ from standby ones in that they have an autotransformer along with a battery so it makes use of all of its components, in turn making it more versatile. The benefit of a line interactive UPS is that it can handle ongoing power surges and/or blowouts without consuming the battery’s power. By using its autotransformer and battery this UPS is more suitable for handling varying levels of outages and can be well suited for commercial and business environments.
For sensitive equipment an online/double-conversion UPS is ideal. They are beneficial because they provide a firewall of protection whereas line interactive and standby UPS’s can only filter. Although a more expensive alternative, its benefits can be the deciding factor.
There are a ton of online resources that can assist you in making a decision or try giving us a call to see how we can help.