The Effect of Weather on Grid Systems
This time last year the UK reported its sunniest calendar month on record, fast forward 12 months and May is one of the wettest and coldest the UK has experienced. The unpredictability of our climate presents many business challenges, not least how to safeguard critical power equipment such as UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) systems.
Notorious for requiring optimal environmental conditions, fluctuating temperatures and humidity levels can have a significant impact on the performance of back-up power solutions. The core of a UPS system – UPS batteries require regular preventative maintenance and UPS battery servicing to ensure they are in perfect operating condition. Poor environmental conditions, such as damp, severe cold weather or overheating will impact UPS battery performance where autonomy can be affected and skewed.
It is not just UPS batteries that need to be considered when safeguarding power protection systems against adverse weather, other UPS components need to be accounted for as well. UPS fans, rectifiers and capacitors all need regular checks as these degrade naturally and through the typical lifespan of a UPS system will need replacing at least once. Dust and other foreign air particulars are often cause for UPS components to fail, which reinforces the need for frequent UPS maintenance and servicing.
A word of warning: Even if your business has invested in achieving the ‘perfect’ environmental conditions for your UPS solution with the inclusion of air conditioning, atmospheric purifiers and other temperature control devices, UPS servicing is essential. This is because, whilst physical environmental conditions directly impact UPS system performance, so too do the indirect ones. In particular, torrential rain and high winds, which often cause national grid power anomalies, resulting in power spikes, surges, sags and outages. These unplanned power interruptions can happen at any time, and are more frequent than most realise. putting electrical equipment at regular risk. UPS systems will protect against these but are only effective if they have been properly maintained.
UPS systems are critical for business continuity. They deliver vital power protection against all power abnormalities, whilst also regulating power supplied. The latter is often forgotten but has a significant impact on the performance and lifetime of electrical equipment. Sensitive applications such as medical devices, audio networks and manufacturing appliances can be severely damaged by power surges and spikes. A UPS solution will help to preserve their operating life.
Finally, as we enter the summer months, we anticipate that it will eventually get warmer. Weather experts are even predicting the hottest months on record. With this in mind, it is important to have your UPS batteries checked. Overheating will cause UPS battery failure, swelling, erosion and where they have been neglected over time, UPS batteries can explode. This will not only be very costly to fix but will cause significant business disruption.
Our team of qualified and highly experienced engineers have all been factory trained by our core UPS manufacturing partners and are available 24/7 to carry out routine and emergency UPS servicing. With access to genuine UPS parts, Secure Power prides itself on its quality of service and will not only perform standard UPS maintenance checks but will also provide best solution advice. We look at the entire power protection plan from UPS system positioning and maintenance through to scalability and environment.
Secure Power has one of the largest certified UPS parts and UPS solution portfolios in the country. It has direct access to a wide range of stock from line interactive UPS systems to online double conversion, scalable modular UPS and containerised back-up power.
For more information about the UPS systems we offer or our wide range of UPS maintenance and UPS battery services please get in touch with our team 0800-080-3118. Contact us for expert UPS advice.