Uninterruptible power supplies are essential devices protecting the power supply to mission-critical data centres. They play a crucial role in guaranteeing business continuity, as well as reducing the risk of possible damage to servers and other electronic equipment susceptible to voltage and frequency anomalies.

Data centres are prone to disturbances in the electrical energy that powers them, for example, voltage variations, waveform distortions, interruptions, and frequency variations. Such impurities, along with the most damaging complete power blackouts, are particularly dangerous and responsible for the majority of data centre downtime.

These disruptions could have very serious consequences such as data loss, equipment breakdowns, considerable increases in energy costs, and the worst-case scenario of a complete service interruption.

To avoid serious disasters and minimise the risk of downtime, it is essential to carry out scheduled and sometimes preventive maintenance of the UPS and its electronic components, which are subject to wear and tear.

UPS maintenance should always take the following aspects into consideration:

• It must be carried out by fully-trained and competent personnel
• It must be managed as part of a strategic vision for the whole facility, including its future evolution

Maintenance managers must also take into account the specific needs and characteristics of the system, which may require a combination of some (or all) of the following:

• On demand emergency repairs following a fault or failure
• Ongoing maintenance contract
• Preventive maintenance regime
• Remote control for remote monitoring of the UPS

Periodic Maintenance Or Remote Control? (Or Both?)

The main objective of any UPS maintenance regime is to ensure business continuity, as well as form part of an efficiency strategy that results in reduced energy costs thanks to increased levels of performance and overall safety.

Periodic maintenance involves carrying out careful checks throughout the year to asses whether the UPS is functioning correctly, to carry out routine cleaning, to potentially replace components and consumables like batteries or capacitors, and to install firmware updates.

On the other hand, remote control involves connecting the UPS to a network that enables it to be managed from a “remote” location, often physically distant from the unit. The UPS constantly collects data and runs tests on itself, with this information accessible by technicians from the UPS manufacturer based in the remote control centre, where they can initiate further diagnostics, where necessary.

In addition, the UPS itself can independently launch further tests and trigger emergency alerts to first responders.