UPS question

[Tullphan]

I'm in the market for a UPS.
Since i'm on a limited budget, i'll probably purchase a pre-owned unit.
I'm unsure as to what size of a unit i'll need as I have no kill-a-watt (or whatever it's called.
If a seller is selling a pre-owned model & states that it powers on & passes diagnostics, are the chances that it'll function properly good? The particular unit i'm looking at has no batteries included & when I questioned the seller, he stated that they keep "tester" batteries.
By looking at "My Rig" below, would a 1000W unit be sufficient?
Thanks.

 

[TemjinGold]

Are you looking for something with a certain runtime or do you just want to ride over power spikes?

 

[Tullphan]

Well, I'd like to have a little runtime...enough to do a proper shutdown.
The power company around here is iffy...quite a few surges, etc.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Look for one that has more than enough VA (1000VA will do) and get some decent AH batteries. You can probably even daisy chain them to increase how long it lasts. Check local electrical supply stores as that is probably the cheapest way. Buying online will hurt because of the shipping.

 

[nsafreak]

Key question to ask the seller, how old is the UPS/battery? It's typically recommended that you replace the UPS battery (or batteries) once every 5 years. Once it goes past that time period it typically holds less and less of a charge. It is possible for some UPSs to purchase the appropriate batteries online pretty cheaply as long as you have the battery harness. For my UPS a new set of batteries would run about $50 + shipping.

Insofar as Red Squirrel's suggestion goes I would not daisy chain them unless the UPS explicitly supports it. Most UPSs don't failover properly if they're daisy chained.

 

[toyota]

that pc of yours would not even use 350 watts so any good 500-600 watt UPS would have you more than covered. personally I would not touch a used UPS but what is your budget though? IMO you really need a UPS that is made to be used with PFC power supplies. here is the one I have and it has been excellent so far and much cheaper than the APC models I have seen that are for PFC power supplies. there is a 510 watt model too but I think its worth the extra money to cover another 90 watts and have plenty of room for upgrades down the road. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16842102132

 

[beginner99]

I'm gonna hijack this thread with another question:

i often here "enough time to shutdown". But that basically says, that I have to be physically close to the PC and actually realize that power is off?
So it does not seem very useful?

 

[Tullphan]

I'm gonna hijack this thread with another question:

i often here "enough time to shutdown". But that basically says, that I have to be physically close to the PC and actually realize that power is off?
So it does not seem very useful?

I may be wrong, but some UPS's come with software that'll automatically shut down the PC for you. The older UPS's hooked up via a RS-232 & the newer ones hook up via USB.

 

[bigsnyder]

Here is what I recently bought:

APC SmartUPS 1000VA (SUA1000)

Works great. I am running an overclocked Q9550 system with crossfired HD4850s. Check their Ebay listings for a possible price break.

 

[bruceb]

You can get a brand new APC unit for around $100 - $140 range depending on capacity. And if you check around, you can find some sales or coupons (sites like: retailmenot.com) and others with coupon codes. I also agree, never buy a used UPS unit. They have surge supressors in them (MOV's) and if they have taken a power spike, they might be bad. And if you do need to buy a new battery, you are looking at $40 - $60 just for typical battery. Cheaper and more reliable to buy a brand new unit. You want to hook your pc tower and your monitor to it, so if the power does go out, you can still see the display and have time to do a proper shutdown.

 

[Tullphan]

So if not used, how about refurbished?

 

[zuffy]

I would stay away from used or refurished considering a new one on sale is not that expensive. I have a couple of UPS that goes bad after a few year. I got this APC BR1500G for $110 but that was a BF sale. If you don't need the 1500, you can get this APC BR1000G

 

[Tullphan]

I would stay away from used or refurished considering a new one on sale is not that expensive. I have a couple of UPS that goes bad after a few year. I got this APC BR1500G for $110 but that was a BF sale. If you don't need the 1500, you can get this APC BR1000G

What's the difference between a "Back-UPS" & a "Smart-UPS"?
Does a home user need that "Sine wave" stuff?

 

[toyota]

What's the difference between a "Back-UPS" & a "Smart-UPS"?
Does a home user need that "Sine wave" stuff?

back ups are not really ideal to use with a PFC corrected psu which all high quality psus are. you really need the pure sine wave PFC compatible ups. honestly the one I linked to is great and brand new as opposed to that refurbished APC. I was not impressed with my APC. it was huge, got louder by the month and took a crap the month after the warranty went out. the Cyberpower one I linked to is small, does not make a sound and is not an eyesore like the APC.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Watch out with the newer generation home grade APCs. The battery inserts at the bottom like a cartridge and is held by the two terminals. A slight bump and the battery falls loose of the terminals. Very bad design. I inserted some small pieces of wood so the battery is forced up against the terminals and has no play and it fixed the issue. But still a bad design that I'd even need to do that.

 

[westom]

Does a home user need that "Sine wave" stuff?

Advertising promoted the pure sine wave. This 120 volt UPS is also a pure sine wave output. 200 volt square waves with a spike of up to 270 volts between the square waves. Power so dirty as to harm small electric motors or power strip protectors. And why a UPS must not be daisy chained.

But more than ideal power for all electronics. Because electronics are required to be so robust as to make all 'dirtiest' power from a UPS irrelevant.

The only 'pure sine wave' is one that says so with numbers such as %THD. If that spec numbers is not provided, well, the world's dirtiest UPS is also called a modified since wave, stepped sine wave, or pure sine wave. Because repeated waveforms are nothing more than sums of pure sine waves. They did not lie. They just got you to believe something completely different.

If any recommendation for 'pure' comes without spec numbers (such as %THD), then the recommendation is probably only hearsay from advertising or from computer techs without any electrical knowledge.

Computers even with 1000 watt supplies typically consume 200 watts or less. And never more than 350. Since a UPS degrades quickly (ie about three years), then a 500 watt UPS should still provide 350 watts in three years.

Appreciate how cheaply a typical UPS is made. My car batteries last seven years in harsh environments - used every day. Rarely used and inside a perfect environment, that UPS battery will degrade in three? These things are made as cheaply as possible.

 

[bigsnyder]

I based my decision on the multiple recommendations from this forum. My unit is refurbished with a brand new battery and appears nearly new. The same unit is around $450 or more brand new. Regardless of the Sine Wave issue, I personally would spend my money on a used higher grade component than on a new cheaper grade unit. I am not saying my unit will outlast all others, but it has established a proven track record, again based on feedback in the forum.

Here is what I recently bought:

APC SmartUPS 1000VA (SUA1000)

Works great. I am running an overclocked Q9550 system with crossfired HD4850s. Check their Ebay listings for a possible price break.

 

[westom]

I based my decision on the multiple recommendations from this forum.

And which anomalies were you trying to solve. There is no magic bullet for the many electrical anomalies - even though hearsay promotes a UPS to do just that. Always where a UPS selection starts. Which anomalies are to be address?

 

[alkemyst]

The SmartUPS products offer a lot of bang for buck in the resale market. My SmartUPS 1400 was about $75 without batteries and has been working fine 7+ years (edit: I forgot I had to replace the cooling fan two years ago when the bearing started making noise). It doesn't have USB, but I don't use the software anyway. I put in an SNMP card for network connectivity. With any UPS expect to replace the batteries every 3 years if not sooner.

Depending where you live your UPS will probably switching to battery power constantly to regulate the voltage. This kills the cells quickly...

If you don't keep up with it the battery could swell and in effect ruin your UPS.

If you do order used, verify it's a working unit and make sure you get pictures inside the battery comparent. Poorly maintained UPS's have had battery melt downs corroding the inner working terribly.