Need help choosing a UPS

[JNDATHP]

I need to replace my UPS for my rack and BI computer. I also have a Generac whole house generator which will switch to generator power in less than 5 seconds.

Here are my consumption numbers. I would appreciate comments on what size UPS I should purchase.

 

[looney2ns]

Stick with APC.
What is your goal for the UPS.
If it is simply for carrying over for the brief generator change over, if so, you don't need anything huge.

 

[JNDATHP]

Need just enough for the generator to kick in.

 

[BORIStheBLADE]

Most UPS I've read about are rated in VA or Watts. So are those the total amount it used? Eaton has a calculator.

https://upsselector.eaton.com/Load/Options

 

[97JeepXJ]

Page 10 has relevant information to consider when running a UPS off of a generator.

One of the main points to keep in mind is to limit the total loading to 15-20% of the generator capacity with passive and line-interactive UPS’s

 

[JNDATHP]

I have a 24 KW Generac. From what I’m reading, I should get a line interactive UPS?

 

[97JeepXJ]

I’m certainly no expert but I believe you “should” get a double-conversion although the price is probably not really worth it. My understanding is line-interactive would be a better choice than passive.

What model do you have now? Is it really bad or does it just need new batteries?

 

[JNDATHP]

Probably just need new batteries, but the UPS I have is fairly old:

APC Smart-UPS 1500VA RM 2U 120V USB & Serial SUA1500RM2U

 

[danweber1]

I have that same ups, yep its old and to replace the batteries last year was around $100. Not apc branded batteries though

 

[JNDATHP]

I have that same ups, yep its old and to replace the batteries last year was around $100. Not apc branded batteries though

What is the model number for the batteries? And, I need 4?

 

[97JeepXJ]

Looks like a good unit, I’d probably opt for replacing the batteries myself. Take them out and if you have a Batteries+ or other battery center nearby see if they can match them up. Otherwise check for a part number on an individual battery and order them online. Take a few pictures and make sure everything gets connected back up exactly the same.

 

[bp2008]

I hate buying traditional UPS. The lead acid batteries they use have very low capacity and don't last long in terms of years before they don't hold a charge anymore and your stuff shuts off instantly when the power goes out. And speaking specifically about Cyberpower, the electronics have had a horrible failure rate for me. If you want a traditional UPS, I'd suggest any other brand.

When I need a new UPS I buy Ecoflow batteries instead. Especially now that they have some newer models with 10ms switchover time meaning they can act as a UPS for desktop computers and stuff of that nature. They use lithium iron phosphate battery chemistry designed to last 10+ years, and have way more battery capacity than anything you'll find from the likes of APC at a comparable size or price. You do need to add your own power strip though. Ecoflow batteries don't have a lot of power outlets on them.

River 3 Plus is the cheapest model I'm aware of with 10ms switching time.

It will do up to 600 watts cleanly and run that for perhaps 20 minutes on its battery. Expect more like 40 minutes with a 300 watt load. Compare that to the roughly 1 to 8 minutes you would get from a traditional UPS costing a similar amount.

For a lot more battery capacity and watts, the next best deal I know of is Delta 3 Classic for around $400. It has a full kilowatt hour of battery capacity and can power pretty much anything, even an air conditioner. I'm using that to feed my very power hungry gaming PC that was too much for a mere 900 watt output 1500va UPS from Eaton.

 

[weigle2]

I hate buying traditional UPS. The lead acid batteries they use have very low capacity and don't last long in terms of years before they don't hold a charge anymore and your stuff shuts off instantly when the power goes out. And speaking specifically about Cyberpower, the electronics have had a horrible failure rate for me. If you want a traditional UPS, I'd suggest any other brand.

When I need a new UPS I buy Ecoflow batteries instead. Especially now that they have some newer models with 10ms switchover time meaning they can act as a UPS for desktop computers and stuff of that nature. They use lithium iron phosphate battery chemistry designed to last 10+ years, and have way more battery capacity than anything you'll find from the likes of APC at a comparable size or price. You do need to add your own power strip though. Ecoflow batteries don't have a lot of power outlets on them.

River 3 Plus is the cheapest model I'm aware of with 10ms switching time.

It will do up to 600 watts cleanly and run that for perhaps 20 minutes on its battery. Expect more like 40 minutes with a 300 watt load. Compare that to the roughly 1 to 8 minutes you would get from a traditional UPS costing a similar amount.

For a lot more battery capacity and watts, the next best deal I know of is Delta 3 Classic for around $400. It has a full kilowatt hour of battery capacity and can power pretty much anything, even an air conditioner. I'm using that to feed my very power hungry gaming PC that was too much for a mere 900 watt output 1500va UPS from Eaton.

I have the Ecoflow River 3 Plus and it does work well as a UPS. It supplies power to both my BI Server and an older Dahua NVR608-32. I paid $180 for it new, direct from Ecoflow. It has not failed me during any of the power blips and short outages in the last 2 years. What I like about it is the batteries should last much longer than the old lead-acid gel cells used in most UPS's. What I don't like is they never released a true PC or Mac based software package that would automatically shut down a computer after a specified time period like APC or Cyberpower does. Still, if there is an extended outage and the batteries get run down completely, at least I don't have to worry about having to replace batteries any time soon. If this occurs with a Gel cell UPS, it could easily ruin the batteries. Another nicety is the app Ecoflow has will notify me of an outage if I'm not home. With that I can VPN in and shut down my gear remotely if the outage is extensive. And, you can easily add additional capacity to the River 3 Plus with external batteries. Just a thought.

 

[TonyR]

I have a whole-house 26kW Kohler generator since June so my personal UPS needs have changed a little recently. That said, I have 3 APC UPSes in the house and have had great luck with them. I deviated once from my 25-year APC loyalty and tried a Cyberpower 8 years ago. An induced power surge from a nearby lightning strike went through it like a straight wire and took out a $2K Sony TV.

I have an APC model BE600M1 (600VA rating) on 2 PC's and 1 of the APC model BX1350M (1350VA rating) on the 65" Sony smart TV. They all gee-haw nicely when the Kohler runs on test, just a quick beep when the ATS switches during the weekly 20 minute scheduled generator test. On an actual power outage they will beep maybe twice until the generator kicks in. The UPSes can be set to not beep at all when they take over.

Since 2006 I've installed about 30 or so APC UPSes for clients and they have always worked well, no issues just typical sealed lead-acid battery life of about 3 years max. Many of those I replaced the battery with a non-APC equivalent (from Battery Mart). Battery replacement is about 30% to 50% of UPS replacement cost so I leave that choice up to the client. New APC units have a 3 year warranty and the non-OEM replacement batteries usually 1 year.

 

[SpacemanSpiff]

+1 on the line interactive spec. Also, invest in one that has pure sine wave output as well.

We've had much success replacing batteries in our APC hardware... because it is the workplace, we set a limit on how many times we replace the batteries before replacing the whole unit. Learned this the hard way after several failed to 'do their thing' during a loss of power.

I've always been an APC (now schneider) fan, although they seem to be heading the way of 'pay to play' regarding the functionality of their monitoring software. The last couple 'smaller' units (smart-ups C1500) purchased at work prompted for access to the cloud for registration . We were able to get around it... fearing one day that might not be the case.

 

[TonyR]

They use lithium iron phosphate battery chemistry designed to last 10+ years, and have way more battery capacity than anything you'll find from the likes of APC at a comparable size or price.

I'd LOVE to have longer battery life and more capacity than the SLA's (Sealed Lead Acid) used in the APC can provide. But I'm squeamish about any large battery or batteries in my house or placing same in a client's home or business with any Li or similar tech that hasn't an established track record of safety. I'm not personally aware of any but I have heard of a few overheating and malfunctions that produced smoke from UPSes that employed SLA tech....don't know about specific brands though.

@bp2008 , am I mistaken and is my fear unfounded because the lithium iron phosphate batteries have been around long enough to have some data that proves it's as safe and dependable as the SLA battery tech?

 

[Oneup]

LFP batteries have been proven safe for years. People with solar powered homes use 10's KW of LFP batteries in their home without issue. LFP do not have the fire risk as the other lithium batteries you hear about starting fires.

 

[weigle2]

LFP batteries have been proven safe for years. People with solar powered homes use 10's KW of LFP batteries in their home without issue. LFP do not have the fire risk as the other lithium batteries you hear about starting fires.

And they are designed to not catch fire, even if they are directly shorted. One of their many design advantages.

 

[pete_c]

Here have a Generac in place and have been using Cyberpower UPS's for years now with mostly no problems.
Also have a surge protector on my fuse panel. Been using Powersonic batteries for the last few years for UPS's and alarm panel (OmniPro 2)

I did have a lightning strike a few years back that took out the AC compressor. Melted it. Cont-actor shorted and sent 220VAC back in to the house and shorted out all of the Insteon switches I installed. It also melted the freon lines. I put a surge protector on new AC compressor. House insurance paid for new compressor and new automation switches.

The APC is very old and working fine. I did fix one old Cyberpower UPS. I documented the fix on Badcaps dot com with pictures and details on the fix.

CyberPower 1350AVR and 1500AVR - Repair - Badcaps

Both are older than years old now. Pooling info here from what I have read. Cyberpower 1500AVR takes 4-5 days to charge batteries after test depletion. Made an RPi Nutserver for the rack and using PFSense for the telco area with an APC. Using Nutserver with Home Assistant. Last week ordered...

www.badcaps.net

 

[danweber1]

What is the model number for the batteries? And, I need 4?

The replacement is rbc24 I believe, you'll want to cross reference to be sure if you want an all in one drop in module you'll pay more. If you are willing to replace them as individual batteries you can save some $$

https://www.amazon.com/PowerStar-WARRANTY-Replacement-SU1400RM2U-SUA1500RM2U/dp/B00FGVD0T6

Takes about 10 minutes to pry the double side tape off and swap them out as individuals.