May 1, 2009

UPSes and Generators

This week, we have had lots of discussions with people needing a UPS in combination with a generator.

Many large companies used to buy very large UPS systems to survive power outages.  However, with the high costs and limtations of these room UPSes many are now looking for a more affordable way.

Now the thinking is have a UPS that offers just enough runtime, until the generator can be activated.

If you are thinking of this design, remember generators provide "dirty power" so be sure to have:

Other nice tidbits for our experience wtith generators for Hurricane Wilma:

  • keep surge strips & extension cables handy... to reconfigure loads or reroute UPSes as needed.
  • buy a led strip light for your server room... every watt is precious during generator runs
  • keep several small desktop upses around... as replacements or casual offline use
  • triage your loads as "important" and bare bones "essential" and make sure PDUs and UPSes contain only those loads.
  • install an blue colored outlet that is connected to generator system, but not to the UPS for things like box fans and charging station.