proactive UPS maintenance is Essential for Business Continuity

The inclusion of a proactive UPS maintenance agreement is essential for business continuity. A bold statement but still very true. Consider the impact that any power disturbance or loss of power could have on an organisation, be it physical or commercial – it could amount to £thousands. Not having UPS maintenance is not a good idea.

That being said, it is surprising that businesses are still taking the risk of not adopting proactive UPS maintenance strategies. We appreciate that budgets are tight, that the UK is teetering in and out of recession and that the cost of living crises headlines continue to plague us, but we must remember that UPS maintenance is necessary requirement. It is not something to add to the ‘trimmed outgoings’ pile.

Still, not convinced? Let’s break it down.

A UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) solution is critical for providing uninterrupted backup power to essential equipment such as servers, data centres, telecoms, security systems, emergency lighting and medical devices. Regular UPS maintenance ensures that UPS systems operate as they should do when the called upon during a power disturbance or failure.

Avoid risk 

Without UPS maintenance, businesses risk their UPS systems failing. There are several key points of failure within a UPS unit that need to regular servicing and testing. The most critical component is the UPS batteries.

Batteries will, over time, degrade and loose their ability to stay charged. Should they be over or under charged this can also lead to premature battery failure. As the most vital part of a UPS system, UPS batteries need to be carefully stored in a healthy environment. Extreme high or low temperatures or excessive humidity can significantly degrade UPS batteries. Planned UPS maintenance will ensure that batteries are in good operating condition.

UPS maintenance schedules will also inspect other key components including UPS capacitors rectifiers and inverter, which are used to store energy, smooth out voltage fluctuations and convert AC to DC power and vice versa. Similar to UPS batteries, the lifespan of these can be impacted by overheating. It is important to note that high voltage spikes or surges can also cause damage – a UPS maintenance inspection will identify if any degradation has occurred.

An element which is often overlooked, are the UPS fans. Often take for granted, they are needed to keep all UPS components cool to avoid overheating. The fans require frequent UPS maintenance to remove any dust and dirt debris that may cause clogging and to inspect fan bearings for any unanticipated wear and tear.

It’s not worth it

Not having a UPS maintenance strategy is simply not worth it. If the organisation has already invested in a UPS solution then it has already identified the essential need for continuous power. Realising the impact of loss of power such as downtime, which often leads to significant financial losses, coupled with potential data loss, supply chain issues, disgruntled customers and the knock on effect of the power loss on organisational operations.

Choose an expert

 Unless you are a qualified UPS engineer, you cannot undertake routine UPS maintenance procedures yourself. Unfortunately, this is not something businesses can afford to skimp on. Adopting a proactive UPS maintenance schedule is critical to the optimal performance of UPS solutions and will ultimately ensure business continuity in the event of any power interferences, outages or failures.