An uninterrupted power supply (UPS) is a must for all desktop computers as it provides all sorts of power protections for your computer. A good UPS can protect your PC from power surges, from high or low voltages and it also provides power backup whenever there is a brownout.
Usually UPS comes with a lead acid battery inside it that stores charge when you have normal power supply. In the case of power outage, this battery is used with the help of an inverter to supply power backup through the UPS output to the PC.
In order to avoid your UPS last longer you can follow these five simple tips:
1. First time charging
When you first buy a new UPS unit, you should connect this unit to the wall power socket and leave it for charging for as many as eight hours. While the unit is charging, do not connect any devices to its outlet and do not power it on. This ensures a healthy start for the charging and discharging cycles for the lead-acid battery.
2. Discharge regularly
Many people buy a UPS for power backup for their desktop computers in the event of power failure or brownouts. But sometimes many months pass before there is actually a brownout. This means that the lead-acid battery inside the UPS stays fully charged for many months which can damage it. Even if there are no brownouts, you should regularly turn off the power input to the UPS so that it can run on backup. This should be done every 2 weeks and ensure that battery is discharge 40-50% before you turn on the power input to the UPS again.
3. Placement away from other objects
Some people place the UPS just about anywhere, even in a tiny corner or touching the walls. This is not good for the health of your UPS. You should make sure that other objects are at least 20cm away from the UPS. This will ensure good ventilation which is a must for all lead-acid battery based UPS devices.
4. Avoid humid environment
Too much humidity ruins all the electronics devices but this is specially true for the UPS. Do not use your UPS when there is high levels of humidity for any reason – raining outside, running water or something else. If you must use the UPS under these situations, you should use a dehumidifier in your room first.
5. Do no connect laser printers
One mistake that some people make is that they try to connect their laser printers with the UPS output, thinking that it will provide power backup to the printer. But it actually damages the UPS. The roller inside the laser printer draws a very high current and the UPS units cannot supply so much current. This results either in the burning of the fuse (if you are lucky) or in burning of the internal transformer winding.