Why routine maintenance is so important for your UPS battery

UPS batteries are there to help you when the power goes down or when there’s a malfunction with your IT system. Downtime is avoided and productivity, data and documents are safer and more secure as a result. 

Because this tool is so vital to your server room’s health, you’ll want to make sure that it’s regularly being maintained. Just like anything in life, the more you take care of something, the more you’ll get out of it and in this case – we’re talking better and longer performance. 

Here are some of the reasons you should be making sure that your UPS system is being maintained regularly. Let’s jump right in!

Temperature

A primary worry for server room owners is the environmental conditions that your UPS battery lives in. Unfavorable environments can significantly reduce the lifespan of your battery . In addition – if a room is too hot or too cold – it can adversely affect your battery’s ability to both conduct and store energy. For every 10 degrees of temperature change – you’re looking at potentially decreasing your battery’s life by half. Inspectors will make sure that your server room has an optimal temperature for your UPS system to thrive. 

Load bank testing

Physical inspections are vital, but no UPS battery is complete without load bank testing to find out how well your system performs when you need it. Load bank tests simulate a power disruption by connecting your uninterruptible power supply to an electrical load that matches the load that is needed to knock your system offline. Basically it’s like a fire drill – except for UPS batteries. 

This test will quickly identify any potential flaws or failures with your battery and allow you to address them before they become a significant problem. 

Battery inspection

UPS systems only fail when something goes wrong with the battery. Although most batteries have a 4-5 year lifespan, there are several often unseen circumstances that can have a significant impact on how long your battery lives. Repeated cycling usage, improper float voltage – these are things that can cause batteries to wear out quicker than you’d expect. They’re also things you wouldn’t realize that you’re doing while you’re doing them – so it’s important that a professional inspects your batteries for you. Visual inspections, voltage testing and thermal scans are all used to make an accurate assessment of exactly what your battery’s overall health looks like. 

When it comes to preventing costly downtime, data centers depend on their UPS systems. Carrying out regular maintenance will help you keep out ahead of problems before they become major issues. That way – when you need them the most – they’ll be there to save the day.

If you are looking for a new UPS battery or are looking to have your system inspected, give us a call today and we’ll be happy to provide you with a free consultation. Until then – good luck!