U P aSked: Can I use a SUA3000RMT2U on a regular home 240VAC without damaging the UPS

Danger Will Robinson.. Danger !

High voltage is often causally described as 208, 220, 230, 240 and even 250volt.  But as previously mentioned, high voltage in the US only comes in two nominal flavors:  208v and 240v.  

Recap on Voltages
208volt is derived from commercial 3phase power (though it actually single phase).
240volt is derived from some commercial 3phase power, smaller commercial locations AND more commonly found in people's home.

Recap on UPS Voltage Signatures
Nearly every manufacturer (EXCEPT APC) make units that are good for all types of US and in many cases international power.
UPS will output what the input power is (eg 208v in > 208v out).  And will go to protect mode if the input power is off or the voltage is out of range.
For this to work, you must make sure your UPS can output the voltage you want.  Either automatically or pre-set in the configuration

THE APC EXCEPTION
Most SmartUPS units just output 208volt.   So when you give it 240volt, it will think you are getting a surge and trim the voltage down back to 208v.  Or as APC says...
if you will use it on a much more higher voltage the unit will run online but will be on AVR Trim state which in the long run would damage the mechanism that corrects voltages.

Bottomline... if you need 240volt for a home server UPS... look for our listings with the 200v+, 240, or 208/240v icons.  Sadly that SUA3000RMT2U is not one of them.

U. P. aSked (You people asked): Big Box UPSes dont work on servers

A frequent question from customers is... I bought a 1500 UPS from a big box store, but its not able to handle my two servers each with 500watt power supplies.

• First off, nearly every big box retailer only sells APC backUPS or SmartUPS SC units, which are junk.  
• Second, those junky units use a technology that causes them to shut off during overload conditions.
• Third, your server probably uses a PFC type power supply which tend to have a high inrush current, which these junky UPSes think are overloads.
• Fourth, those junky UPSes require you to size your UPS at 125% of the rated Power supply wattage.  (meaning a two servers with 500watts power supplies need at least 1250watts or a 1700va UPS)

The good news, is that real Smart UPS units from us can handle your server's power supplies at the actual load, without any necessary upsizing.   So two servers with 500 watt power supplies probably can use a 1000va SmartUPS (100b), since the actual max load of the servers is about 300watts and the 100b is rated for 670watts.

Bottomline, all the units we sell are rated for the PFC type power supplies and need only be sized based on their true load.  Of course call us or visit APC's site for actual loads.

Read more about PFC from APC's white paper

U. P. aSked (You people asked): Most Important Specs

Hello,

I visited your site and am overwhelmed on what type of UPS to choose.  My IT adviser recommended me getting an APC SUA3000RM2U, but there seems to many other choices that look better?   Why is so special about the SUA3000RM2U unit?

-RW

Rich,

I am glad to help demystify choosing a UPS.  Essentially your IT tech is recommending a 3kva line interactive UPS. The SUA3000RM2U (302b) is very popular unit, but has some drawbacks. 

1. The SUA unit does NOT offer extended runtimes.  If you want more than 15mins of backup time in the future, this unit is not for you.  You will need to upgrade to the SUA3000RMXL3U (313b) to have this feature.
2. The SUA is over $500, but the older 3U version SU3000RM3U (303) is about $100 less and offers more runtime.
3. The SUA does not include a Network management card.  You'll need to spend another $75 for your IT tech to control the unit.   Consider the Liebert 3000va 2U (lp312) unit which has the network card included.  Look at my blog for a good in depth comparison.

Sincerely,

Bob

U. P. Asked (You people asked)

You asked:
[Bob] once told me that the one I had [3rd Gen Smart UPS 315 ] was better than the newer ones [4th Gen SUA 3000 - 310b]. Is that still the case?

I responded
The 3rd generation units like yours were built in the US.  APC was small and performance driven product.  Costs of UPSes were minor in the IT world and they could afford to use the best labor and components.  Around the time the 4th generation units were released in 2004, cost consciousness in IT had arrived.  Outsourcing to the 3rd world, pricing pressures and many up starts forced APC to make cost concessions.  Therefore these units were lower quality.  Most people think after Schneider bought them in 07, did they go back to making better equipment.
Bottomline an unused 2003 SmartUPS like the one you have is a better product than today's 2011 SmartUPS.   But, after 10 or so years of use that older 3rd gen unit cant be as good as even a poor quality newer one.