Your Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) system is the first line of defense against power fluctuations (spikes, drops, etc.) in your data center. With thousands (or more) of dollars worth of IT equipment relying on a clean power source, you can’t afford to take action only after problems arise. Preventive maintenance is crucial for ensuring uptime and protecting sensitive electronic equipment before your UPS system has to take action.
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About two-thirds of downtime events are preventable, and inadequate maintenance is one of the main reasons for downtime. You may not be able to do much to combat malicious attacks, failures in service provider components, and unforeseen equipment failures, but you can take measures to ensure that many potential downtime events are avoided. Preventive maintenance spans across systems throughout the data center, and each system has its own requirements. In the case of UPS systems, here are a few tips (in no particular order) that can help ensure power fluctuations don’t threaten your IT equipment.
Tips for Preventive UPS Maintenance
- Put Safety First. Life and physical safety are paramount. When dealing with electrical issues, a small mistake can lead to serious injury or death. Therefore, when handling systems related to the UPS (or any electronic system in the data center), ensuring safety is a top priority, including following the manufacturer’s recommendations, paying attention to facility-specific implementation details, and adhering to standard safety guidelines. If you’re unsure how to maintain or repair your UPS system or certain aspects of it, consult a professional. Even if you know the internals and externals of your UPS system, getting external assistance is still a guarantee.
- Regular Maintenance, Stick to It. Preventive maintenance should be performed regularly, especially considering the potential downtime costs. For your UPS and other systems in the data center, you should schedule regular maintenance activities (annually, semi-annually, or any other time frame) and stick to the schedule. This includes maintaining a written (paper or electronic) record of upcoming maintenance activities and whether and when repairs were performed in the past.
- Keep Detailed Records. Besides regular maintenance, you should also keep records of what was maintained (e.g., cleaning, repairing, or replacing certain components) and the condition of the equipment during inspections. Cost tracking is also beneficial when you need to show that spending a few dollars on maintenance can avoid thousands or millions of dollars in downtime costs. A task list, such as checking for battery corrosion, excessive torque on connecting wires, etc., helps maintain an orderly approach. All documentation can help plan for equipment replacement or unscheduled UPS maintenance and troubleshooting. Besides keeping records, make sure they are always in a location known and accessible to staff.
- Perform Regular Checks. Many of the above methods can be applied to almost any part of the data center. Performing safe, regular maintenance and keeping good records are good practices regardless of the data center’s condition. However, UPS systems are special, and some tasks can and should be performed regularly by staff who are familiar with, at least, the basic operation of the UPS. UPS maintenance tasks include the following important items:
- Conduct a visual inspection of obstacles around the UPS and battery (or other energy storage) equipment and ensure proper cooling of the surrounding area.
- Ensure there are no operational abnormalities or warnings on the UPS panel, such as overload or batteries nearing over-discharge.
- Check for signs of battery corrosion or other defects.
- Refer to the manufacturer’s equipment guide and recommendations. You should perform maintenance (or hire a professional to do so) according to the manufacturer’s recommendations, often or at least in certain cases. Of course, the more frequent the checks, the better.
- Recognize that UPS components will fail. It seems obvious: anything with a probability of failure will eventually fail. Key UPS components such as batteries and capacitors wear down under normal use, so even if your utility provides perfect power, your UPS room is completely clean, and everything operates under ideal conditions at a stable temperature, components will still fail. Your UPS system still needs maintenance.
- Know who to call when you need service or unscheduled maintenance. During daily or weekly checks, issues may arise that can’t wait until the next scheduled maintenance. In this case, knowing who to call can greatly reduce stress. That is to say, you must identify a reliable service provider who can provide services when you need them. If you keep good maintenance records in the same place where the UPS is located, you will be able to provide useful information when the vendor arrives, potentially saving a lot of service time and costs.
- Assign tasks. “Shouldn’t you have checked it last week?” “No, I thought you were supposed to.” Avoid this mess: When it comes to UPS maintenance, ensure that the appropriate personnel know their responsibilities. Who checks the equipment weekly? Who summons the service provider and handles annual maintenance? Specific tasks may vary, but when it comes to your UPS system, ensure you know who is responsible for what.
Many details of UPS maintenance are best left to those who know about general UPS systems and, more importantly, the specific implementation details of your UPS. Similarly, safety is crucial: The voltages within a UPS system are significant, so it’s better to spend a few dollars hiring a professional rather than risking life (and secondly, downtime) by attempting repairs yourself. Preventive maintenance is crucial for all aspects of the data center, so many of the above tips can be broadly applicable, but UPS systems require special attention because they guarantee a clean power source for your IT equipment in the short term. Regular maintenance can easily prevent unexpected downtime events caused by battery or capacitor failures, clogged air filters, welded relay failures, or even outdated hardware. Take organized and planned steps now to implement preventive maintenance to avoid many future UPS headaches.
