UPS Technology Raleigh-Durham, NC
Which UPS Is Right For Your Application?
The approach to power protection revolves around the nine most common power problems present in any work environment. You can choose from a variety of power protection devices with varying levels of effectiveness and price that will shield critical data and equipment from some or all of the 9 power problems.
In general there are three types of UPS's: level 3, level 5 and level 9. To choose the UPS that is right for you, first determine the level of power protection that is needed. It is obvious that the ideal is to provide the full protection from all power problems afforded by a level 9 UPS. But there may be applications where the power quality is known to be high, or where the load is not considered critical, or where budget considerations force a compromise.
Which UPS is right for you?
To determine the level of protection you require from a UPS consider the following criteria:
- How critical is the application you need to protect?
- Do you need complete or partial protection?
- What size UPS do you require? VA, watts, sizing calculations?
- Battery run time required in minutes? In hours?
- What software and network considerations do you have? Platforms, SNMP, remote monitoring etc.?
Level 3 UPS technology
Level 3 UPSs are standby or offline designs that are intended to provide a low price solution for power failures, power sags and power surges.
Level 3 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. Level 3 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.
Utility power is provided during normal operation. Utility voltage and frequency changes are not regulated by the level 3 UPS and pass through to the equipment. When voltage or frequency changes become too severe, the level 3 UPS inverter converts DC battery power to AC power to run the equipment.
Level 3 UPSs provide protection from simple power problems as described in items 1,2 & 3 under 9 power problems.
Note: Level 3 does not provide protection from items numbered 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 & 9 listed under 9 power problems.
How do you know if you have a level 3 UPS?
The most common terminology used to descried a level 3 UPS is "Stand-By UPS" or Back-up UPS" (Back-UPS). Most models do not provide a "pure sinewave", it is a "stepped approximation to a sinewave". Runtime is typically limited to the internal batteries (in most cases 3-8 minutes runtime at full load). In most cases there is a 3-5 millisecond delay to transfer to battery. Price will typically range from $50.00 - $300.00 depending on the brand. VA ratings will typically range from 350va - 1500va.
What is the typical application of a level 3 UPS?
The most common uses are home PC's, workstations and other non-critical equipment. Call us at 919-422-2607 for the right UPS for your application.
What brands does Petronella Computer Consultants, Inc. Offer in a level 3 Product?
Liebert, APC, Tripp Lite, Powerware and many others. Our sales staff can help you find the best value for your application.
Level 5 UPS technology
Level 5 UPSs offer line-interactive technology and provide basic power protection at mid-range prices. In addition to protection against power failures, power sags and power surges, level 5 UPS's protect against undervottage and overvoltage. This design offers low-grade voltage regulation by 'bumping" the utility voltage up or down before passing it through to your electronic system. During the UPS voltage changes, the level 5 uses the battery for regulation.
Level 5 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 Level 5 UPS include premature hardware failure, data loss and corruption, data error, keyboard lockup, storage loss, and system lockup. Level 5 UPSs are recommended for small network systems – all the way up to enterprise networking environments.
Although level 5 UPS's provide more voltage regulation than level 3, battery life is often sacrificed. The number of transfers to and from the battery by the level 5 design exceeds that of the level 9 by as much as 10 to 1 during brownouts and power surges.
Note: Level 5 does not provide protection from items 6, 7, 8 or 9 listed under 9 power problems.
How do you know if you have a level 5 UPS?
The most common terminology used to descried a level 5 UPS is "Line interactive" or "Smart-UPS". Some manufacturers such a APC may use the term "Smart-UPS" for both their line-interactive (level 5) and on-line (level 9) UPS's. Most models do provide "pure sinewave" output. Some models may offer extended runtime by using additional battery packs. In most cases there is a 3-5 millisecond delay to transfer to battery. Price will typically range from $150.00 - $5000.00 depending on the brand and runtime. VA ratings will typically range from 500va - 5000va.
What is the typical application of a level 5 UPS?
The most common uses are home PC's and workstations that are in a poor power environment, some servers in a good power environment, non-critical servers and equipment. Call us at 919-422-2607 for the right UPS for your application.
What brands does Petronella Computer Consultants, Inc. Offer in a level 5 Product? Liebert, APC, Tripp Lite, Powerware, GE Industrial and many others. Our sales staff can help you find the best value for your application.
Level 9 UPS technology
Level 9 UPSs are designed to provide complete power protection. These Online UPSs protect against all types of power problems by continuously using the inverter to create 100% new, clean, regulated AC power for your systems. Equipment is isolated from all types of power problems when supplied by an Online double conversion UPS.
Level 9 UPS's 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 program failures. Level 9 UPS's 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.
Level 9 UPS's isolate equipment from harmonic distortion and are strongly recommended for critical applications that must meet the 5% maximum harmonic requirement stated in major computer manufacturer specifications and installation guides.
Battery conservation is an essential factor in your decision to purchase a level 9 UPS. Level 9 UPS's use the battery less than any other UPS technology, increasing the life of your UPS battery.
Note: Level 9 provides protection from all 9 power problems listed under 9 power problems.
How do you know if you have a level 9 UPS?
The most common terminology used to descried a level 9 UPS is "On-Line", "Double Conversion" or "Smart-UPS". Some manufacturers such a APC may use the term Smart-UPS for both their line-interactive and on-line UPS's. Most models do provide "pure sinewave" output. Most models offer extended runtime by using additional battery packs. In all cases there is no break in power.
Price will typically range from $500.00 - $30,000.00 for a single phase UPS depending on the brand and runtime. VA ratings will typically range from 500va - 20Kva for single phase UPS's. Three phase UPS's Typically range from $20,000 - UP and Kva ratings from 10Kva - 500Kva.
What is the typical application of a level 9 UPS?
The most common uses are for critical applications such a servers and other expensive equipment. Call us at 919-422-2607 for the right UPS for your application.
What brands does Petronella Computer Consultants, Inc. Offer in a level 9 Product?
Liebert, APC, Tripp Lite, Powerware, GE Industrial, LPC and many others. Our sales staff can help you find the best value for your application.
The Bottom Line!
You understand how important and expensive the equipment you have is, and we understand how to protect it. We are here to help and guide you to the right UPS for your application. Get rid of those headaches and improve your up time by calling the experts. Petronella Computer Consultants, Inc. 919-422-2607
