Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 19

Thread: UPS is going crazy since yesterday

  1. 10-26-2012, 09:02 AM #1
    N2CHX
    N2CHX is offline
    Banned
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Posts
    9,698

    UPS is going crazy since yesterday

    No, not the brown kind... The UPS that keeps all my equipment online and protected. Since yesterday afternoon, it's been kicking on randomly several times an hour. No visible fluctuations but for a few days we were having really short brownouts visible in the lights flickering. Frequency seems to be right on at 60.0 Hz.

    I threw a voltmeter on an outlet and get 121.5 volts. Normal, but a bit higher than it usually is by about 6 volts. Guessing something blew up somewhere and they have us on an alternate path and the voltage is high, close to the UPS' threshold. Either that or the UPS is losing its marbles. Either way, it's bugging me. A UPS doesn't usually do this sort of thing unless some bad shit is about to go down.
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote
  2. 10-26-2012, 09:03 AM #2
    KC2UGV
    KC2UGV is offline
    Orca Whisperer
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    Buffalo, NY
    Posts
    22,593
    It's the October Surprise of 2012 :)
    Big Giant Meteor 2020 - We need to make Earth Great Again

    http://www.coreyreichle.com
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote
  3. 10-26-2012, 09:06 AM #3
    N2CHX
    N2CHX is offline
    Banned
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Posts
    9,698
    Quote Originally Posted by KC2UGV View Post
    It's the October Surprise of 2012 :)
    Yeah, and after that NOM rally last year, I will never again keep a cop's lights on with my generator during another power outage.
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote
  4. 10-26-2012, 09:08 AM #4
    N2NH
    N2NH is offline
    Istanbul Expert N2NH's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    The Catskills
    Posts
    22,361
    Quote Originally Posted by KC2UGV View Post
    It's the October Surprise of 2012 :)
    Mitt Romney's using his hairdrier.
    “The basic tool for the manipulation of reality is the manipulation of words. If you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use the words."
    --Philip K. Dick
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote
  5. 10-26-2012, 09:10 AM #5
    N2CHX
    N2CHX is offline
    Banned
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Posts
    9,698
    Quote Originally Posted by N2NH View Post
    Mitt Romney's using his hairdrier.
    :rofl:

    And his tanning lights?
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote
  6. 10-26-2012, 09:18 AM #6
    KJ3N
    KJ3N is offline
    Conch Master KJ3N's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    A secret cave in northern Delaware.
    Posts
    9,127
    Quote Originally Posted by N2KKM View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by N2NH View Post
    Mitt Romney's using his hairdrier.
    :rofl:

    And his tanning lights?
    "People Who Don't Want Their Beliefs Laughed at Shouldn't Have Such Funny Beliefs" -AD5MB

    "If someone tells you he believes in and talks to an invisible bunny named Harvey, you put him on medication and a regimen of therapy. If someone tells you he believes in and talks to God, well, that's perfectly acceptable. Why that's the case is impossible for me to fathom." - WP2XX



    Latest ClubLog entries.
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote
  7. 10-26-2012, 11:18 AM #7
    n2ize
    n2ize is offline
    Orca Whisperer n2ize's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Crestwood, New York
    Posts
    33,899
    Quote Originally Posted by N2KKM View Post
    No, not the brown kind... The UPS that keeps all my equipment online and protected. Since yesterday afternoon, it's been kicking on randomly several times an hour. No visible fluctuations but for a few days we were having really short brownouts visible in the lights flickering. Frequency seems to be right on at 60.0 Hz.

    I threw a voltmeter on an outlet and get 121.5 volts. Normal, but a bit higher than it usually is by about 6 volts. Guessing something blew up somewhere and they have us on an alternate path and the voltage is high, close to the UPS' threshold. Either that or the UPS is losing its marbles. Either way, it's bugging me. A UPS doesn't usually do this sort of thing unless some bad shit is about to go down.
    What are the high/low thresholds set at on your UPS's. ? I tend to run mine at 130 V at the high end and 90 V at the low end. Round here Con Edison seems to deliver 121-122V. You may want to weak the settings a bit. If course that also depends on the tolerances of the equipment you are protecting.
    Last edited by n2ize; 10-26-2012 at 11:23 AM.
    I keep my 2 feet on the ground, and my head in the twilight zone.
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote
  8. 10-26-2012, 11:22 AM #8
    N2CHX
    N2CHX is offline
    Banned
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Posts
    9,698
    Quote Originally Posted by n2ize View Post
    What are the high/low thresholds set at on your UPS's. ? I tend to run mine at 130 V at the high end and 90 V at the low end.
    No clue. It has a programming port but I've never bothered with it. The only time I've ever heard it kick in was during an actual outage or once a week when it self-tests.
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote
  9. 10-26-2012, 11:37 AM #9
    n2ize
    n2ize is offline
    Orca Whisperer n2ize's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Crestwood, New York
    Posts
    33,899
    Quote Originally Posted by N2KKM View Post
    No clue. It has a programming port but I've never bothered with it. The only time I've ever heard it kick in was during an actual outage or once a week when it self-tests.
    Sometimes they can get finicky if they are near the end of their battery life. Lead Acid batteries don;t last too long. I get on average about 2 years on mine before replacement give or take a year. Or, it could be that its just doing its job. They will jump to battery if the voltage goes above/below threshold, frequency drifts, .etc. If we get any heavy rain and wind this weekend or early next week I expect I'll see my UPS's switching over quite a bit. The joys of having an overhead distribution system + trees.
    Last edited by n2ize; 10-26-2012 at 11:39 AM.
    I keep my 2 feet on the ground, and my head in the twilight zone.
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote
  10. 10-26-2012, 11:41 AM #10
    W8XLR
    W8XLR is offline
    Banned
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    Here, There, and Everywhere
    Posts
    387
    Perhaps distribution to the grid is being re-arranged in anticipation of the "Frankenstorm"?:chin:
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote
« Previous Thread | Next Thread »

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

Forum Rules