If I had only 1 UPS to take to a desert island

While not normally asked that way, I do get requests about the best UPS.  Here are some answers:

If I had to carry it:  SURT6000XLi - lightest per kva but at least for 12mins the island would be kicking.

If I was buying:  xSU2200RM3U - by far the most economical and who needs a cover plate on a desert island anyway?

Overall: SU2200rmxlt5u - offers 120v and 208v and I can hookup car batteries to it and run for days.

Mention this blog (coupon code: desertisland) and get 10% off anyone of these systems.    Photo credit: Me, island off Rio's coast... 

FAQ? - Why do you charge more for black UPS units.

Classic question... Classic answer from the Chef in the movie The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover 

[Georgina] "When you make out a menu, how do you price each dish?

   
[Richard Borst, "The Cook"]  I charge a lot for anything black... Grapes, olives, blackcurrants.
People like to remind themselves of death,  eating black food is like consuming death, like saying, "Death, I'm eating you."      
Black truffles are the most expensive. And caviar.   Death and birth.  The end and the beginning.
   
[Richard Borst, "The Cook"]  We also charge for vanity. 

The Power of U

UPS units have a power handling and battery module.  In rackmount units, they combine these 2 modules into a various form factor or rackspace thickness, called U.
Most manufacturers make a 3000va unit in a 2U, 3U or 5U format.
While there is no difference* in a the power handling capacities of each form factor, there are big differences in the battery capacity.
A 3000va 2U UPS unit using 1500va like the SUA3000RM2U has a runtime of 10min.  A 3000va 5U UPS unit using 1500va like the SU3000RMNET has a runtime of 19min.
This difference is because of the size of battery capacity.
Remember, while we express POWER capacity in VAs, we express BATTERY capacity in VAhs.   And this battery capacity is limited by physical space of the form factor.
Notice the battery capacity of the various 3000 units.

• SUA3000RM2U - 480VAh  (10min)
• SU3000RM3U - 672VAh (15min)
• SU3000RMNET - 864VAh (19min)

So remember, while all 3000va units have the same power (in VAs), the battery capacity of each form factor varies.

Let the Ye Olde Tower Fall

UPSes come in a few formats, tower mount and rack mount. However, most UPS can be mounted in whatever direction you want. Some rack mounts work great turned sideways as small workstation UPS.
The only direction you cant mount is upside down.
But surprising, according to NASA, your UPS's lead acid batteries will work will in space.

Oh, I could have had a VA

VA, or volt-ampere is the unit of measurement used to describe UPSes. Wikipedia has a great definition for it.

"While the volt-ampere (abbreviated VA) and the watt are dimensionally equivalent one may find products rated in both VAs and watts with different numbers. This is common practice on UPSs (Uninterrupted Power Supplies). The VA rating is the apparent power that a UPS is capable of producing, while the watt rating is the real power (or true power) it is capable of producing, as opposed to reactive power"

Remember, VA is not the amount of runtime for the UPS.
VA is the capacity of the transformers for the UPS.
More VA means more things you can plug into the unit.

In other words, given the standard 3U 120volt UPS and a 500watt light bulb…
A 3000va UPS will not last any longer than the 2200va UPS.

First Post

Let the record show that being asked to write a blog about used battery backup systems sounded very boring. But since there are several blogs about dryer lint, I guess I cant complain.

In the beginning, I'll just reformat many of the emails I have had with people about their UPS issues. Hopefully my posts wont be as dry as my dryer lint.