|
|
|
|
Buying the Right Power Protection
With the financial crisis forcing everybody to make budget cuts wherever they can, it isn’t surprising that so many people continue to look for the cheapest possible version of whatever it is they are buying. When it comes to buying power protection (in the form of a Uninterruptible Power Supply System or UPS) however; going for the cheapest option isn’t always the best plan – especially given the range of uses of these units. Instead, it is wise to consider looking into exactly which kind of UPS will suit your need best; after all, you’re probably buying one to protect something of value to you – it’s not worth cutting corners!
When looking into which kind of UPS is most suitable for your needs, there are a few simple things you should look out for in the product details; type, capacity and battery life of the unit. Most UPS will be either of an online or standby type, though line interactive and hybrid types are also available – I will explain more about these later on. The capacity of the unit will be shown in Volt-Amperes (or kilo-Volt-amperes) and is the amount of voltage if can supply – clearly some types of equipment will require larger amounts of energy to continue running than others. The battery life, or run time of a UPS, is essentially how long the unit will be able to provide backup battery life based on the recommended capacity. However, the more capacity being used, the shorter the battery life will be – a battery that can provide 100VA for close to an hour may only provide 200VA for about 20 minutes!
Depending on what you will be using your UPS unit for, the different features will be of different importance. For the best possible protection, online UPS are highly advisable because there is no switchover time; by operating from an inverter, online UPS units are directly connected to your equipment at all times. If price is no object, then these units offer the most protection, though they do produce a fair amount of heat. Line-interactive UPS units make use of an inverter/converter, which charges the battery when there is line power, then provide AC power in the case of a power failure, brownouts and spikes. This allows for a faster response time than that offered by a standby UPS, but not quite the same protection as an online UPS.
If you require a UPS to power lots of equipment, a high capacity and battery life will be essential. However, what is worth bearing in mind when comparing the prices of various sizes of UPS units is that bigger units may be more expensive than smaller units, but it could well be cheaper to buy a big unit with a normal battery than a small unit with extended battery life. For example, if you need 200VA for an extended period of time, you might be better off buying a 500VA unit that can provide 200VA of power for hours, rather than a 200VA unit with an extended battery life. Another trick is to split the load across multiple units; it is sometimes cheaper to buy a couple of 300VA units and run them in parallel than it is to buy a single 600VA unit!
As a general rule, consider what you are going to use your Uninterruptible Power Supply System for before you look into buying one. Sometimes you have to pay a little more to protect your equipment, other times you can save some money by being smart about the way you use the units.
View more Free Content by sear at GetYourContent.com
Make some cash, Post your articles to our free Article Directory today!
Tags: General Business : Business
|
|
|
|
|
|
|