9 Power Problems & How a UPS Can Solve Them

The role of an uninterruptible power supply is not just to provide back up power in an emergency, there are 9 different types of power problems that pose a threat to your critical equipment and any one of them could occur at any moment without warning.

Some of these problems aren’t immediately obvious as the damage caused is not always as instant as a sudden power failure. Here we try to explain a little more about all 9 types of power problems and how selecting the right UPS system can help prevent them all.

 9 Types of Power Problem:

1. A total loss of utility power

Can be caused by a number of events: lightning strikes, downed power lines, grid over-demands, accidents and natural disasters.  

2. Short-term low voltage

Triggered by the startup of large loads, utility switching, utility equipment failure, lightning, and power service being insufficient to meet demand. In addition to causing equipment crashes, power sags can also damage hardware. 

3. Short-term high voltage above 110 per cent of nominal

Can be caused by a lightning strike and can send line voltages to levels in excess of 6,000 volts. A spike almost always results in data loss or hardware damage. 

4. Reduced line voltage for periods ranging from a few minutes to a few days

Can be caused by an intentional utility voltage reduction to conserve power during peak demand periods or other heavy loads that exceed supply capacity 

5. Increased line voltage for periods ranging from a few minutes to a few days

Triggered by a rapid reduction in power loads, heavy equipment being turned off, or by utility switching. Can result in damage to hardware. 

6. High frequency waveform caused by EMI interference

Can be caused by either RFI or EMI interference generated by transmitters, welding devices, SCR driven printers, lightning, etc. 

7. A change in frequency stability

Resulting from generator or small co-generation sites being loaded and unloaded. Frequency variation can cause erratic operation, data loss, system crashes and equipment damage. 

8. Instantaneous under-voltage (notch)

Normal duration is shorter than a spike and generally falls in the range of nanoseconds. 

9. Distortion of the normal line waveform, generally transmitted by nonlinear loads

Switch mode power supplies, variable speed motors and drives, copiers
and fax machines are examples of non-linear loads. Can cause communication errors, overheating and hardware damage.

Which UPS is right for you?

To determine the level of protection you require from all of these threats and which UPS system is right for your application, consider the following:

• How critical is the application you need to protect?
• Do you need complete or partial protection?

Below is a simple way to help you choose which type of UPS matches the level of protection you need.

Off Line UPS – Protection against problems 1-3

Off Line UPSs primarily protect against three of the nine most common power problems. This basic, cost-effective protection is necessary in order to prevent damage such as data loss, file corruption, flickering lights, hardware damage, and equipment shutoff. For example, if your utility fails you could lose all of your work-in-progress. Off Line UPSs offer a degree of protection against the remaining power problems and are most commonly used to protect single workstations and point-of-sale (POS) equipment.

Line Interactive UPS – Protection against problems 1-5

Line Interactive UPSs are most effective against five of the nine most common power problems and offer a degree of protection against other power problems. Some of the damages you risk by not using a Line Interactive UPS include premature hardware failure, data loss and corruption, data error, keyboard lockup, storage loss, and system lockup. Series 5 UPSs are recommended for small network systems – all the way up to enterprise networking environments

On-Line UPS – Protection against problems 1-9

On Line UPSs protect against all nine of the most common power problems. Our comprehensive protection minimizes the opportunity for component stress, burned circuit boards, data crashes and pro- gram failures. On Line UPSs offer the highest level of power protection available and are always recommended for mission-critical applications like high-end servers, hospitals and voice over IP applications.

Hopefully this post helps you understand the differences between the types of uninterruptible power supplies and the different power problems that each can protect against. If you are still having trouble deciding which UPS system is right for your application contact our team today.

Call: 01252 692559 or email: info@sourceups.co.uk