UPS MAINTENANCE GUIDELINES

General

The UPS is designed for unattended operation, but does require some general maintenance.
A) Keep good records.
Troubleshooting is easier if you have historical background.

B) Keep it clean.
Maintain the UPS free of dust and any moisture.

C) Keep it cool.
Battery systems must be kept in the range of 22-26°C in order to meet design specifications
for capacity and longevity.
The UPS will reliably meet all performance specifications and design life at temperatures up
to 40°C and can be slightly derated for operation at even higher temperatures or higher
altitudes. However, performance and longevity will be optimized when the UPS is operated
at the same temperature as the batteries.

D) Keep connections tight.

Tighten all connections at installation and at least annually thereafter. Please refer torque
requirement.

E) Periodically inspect external upstream and downstream circuit breakers to assure that the
trip current settings are correct.

F) Periodically inspect surroundings and ancillary equipment.

Become familiar with typical ambient conditions surrounding equipment so that abnormal
conditions may be more quickly recognized. Know what typical meter readings are and
where adjustable settings should be.

Record Log

Set up a maintenance log to record scheduled checks and any abnormal conditions.

The log should have space for all metered parameter indications including phase readings, alarm
messages, UPS mode of operation, air filter replacement date and observation notes.

A second log should be maintained for the battery module as directed by the battery manufacturer.

A periodic walk-through inspection of the UPS and battery rooms is advised to check for visible and
audible indications of problems. Log the inspection, metered parameter indications and any
discrepancies.
Limited Life Components

UPS has a design life well in excess of 10 years. Well-maintained units can continue to provide
economic benefits for 20 years or more. Long-life components are used in your UPS wherever
practical and cost-effective. However, due to current component material and manufacturing
technology limitations, a few components in UPS will wear out and require replacement in less than
10 years.
The following limited-life components are utilized in your UPS system. To prevent a wear-out failure
of one of these components affecting your critical load operations, Emerson recommends these
components be periodically inspected and replaced before their expected wear-out life. Individual
users may have site-specific requirements that differ from these typical life expectations.
COMPONENT EXPECTED LIFE REPLACE IN
Power AC filter capacitors >7 years (~62,000 hrs) 5-6 yrs
Power DC filter capacitors >7 years (~62,000 hrs) 5-6 yrs
Cooling Fans 5 Yrs

Power capacitors are considered “failed” when their measured capacitance is -5% below their
nameplate rating. During preventive maintenance check AC filter capacitor bank current measured
and its healthiness can be judged.

Typically, storage batteries are “worn out” when their full-load reserve time is -20% below rated.
Site-specific battery plants may have different end-of-life requirements.
Fans and blowers typically will stop rotating or rotate slower than expected.

DC Capacitors

Issues with improper visual inspection and incorrectly installing DC capacitors which could lead to
system malfunction and damaged components.

It is recommended that DC capacitors be replaced every 5-7 years or when a DC capacitor shows
signs of premature failure (leakage, vent plug extruding more than etc). Some additional signs of a
DC capacitor failure are:

A) High AC Ripple Current across the battery string. Determine if the AC Ripple is higher than
normal by comparing values from previous PMs.
B) DC capacitor temperature is higher than normal.
C) Unstable AC Ripple Voltage on the DC Bus or battery string.
D) Premature battery failures.
When DC capacitors are replaced, it is crucial that the following steps are followed prior to installing
the new capacitors:
a) Verify the new DC capacitors are of the same type and rating.
b) Check the Date Codes and ensure the new capacitors are not older than 2 years at the time
of installation. Manufactures use different methods to display the date codes.
c) Measure the DC capacitors to ensure the capacitance is within the listed tolerance range
(typically +50% to -10%). Refer to the capacitor label for acceptable tolerance range. If
measure capacitance exceeds these limits, DO NOT install the capacitor.
Conduct a thorough visual inspection of the DC capacitor. DO NOT install the DC capacitor if:
a) The protective outer coating is cut, scratched, dented, or cracked.
 b) The inner metal casing can be seen through the protective outer casing (read the DC
capacitor write-up under Symptom below).
c) Evidence of leakage present on the DC capacitor terminals, vent plug, or outer
casing.
d) DC capacitor screw terminals threads are striped.

In order to conduct a DC capacitor replacement without any issues and in the most safe manner the
following steps should be taken:
1) Ensure the new capacitors do not have any exterior damage especially if the protective
outer casing is cut, nicked or peeled away exposing the metallic inner casing.
2) All DC capacitors should be of the same manufacturer and Date Code. Refer to the Capacitor
Identification Guide.
3) Measure the capacitor capacitance to ensure all are within the specifications printed on the
manufacturer labeling.
4) When installing the capacitors that contain a holding strap, ensure the strap is fully
loosened. DO NOT force the capacitor into place. Forcing the capacitor into place can cut
into the protective outer casing, resulting in a short circuit to ground.
5) Ensure the polarity of the DC capacitor is correct when installing the capacitors into the
power pole.
6) When attaching the bolts/screws to the capacitors negative and positive terminals, ensure
they go in smoothly with no resistance to avoid striping the terminal threads.
7) Ensure the correct screw length is used; otherwise the screw will bottom out, causing a loose
connection.
8) Once all DC capacitors are installed, conduct a resistance check from Negative DC Bus to
ground and Positive DC Bus to ground. If resistance (short circuit) is measured, DO NOT
attempt to restart the UPS. Disconnect each DC Capacitor Assembly in order to isolate the
short circuit. Removal of the capacitors might be necessary to clear the short circuit.
9) It is good practice to open-loop the UPS during the initial startup after a capacitor
replacement. Open-Loop the UPS in 50V increments every 10 minutes in order to slowly
walk-in the rectifier to ensure the DC capacitors are installed correctly and to form the DC
capacitors.
10) After the open-loop test has been performed, remove the open loop and restart the UPS
normally.
11) Run the UPS on Inverter for 30 minutes then conduct a check for AC Ripple Current and
temperature to ensure the new capacitors are fully functional

Battery

Although the individual battery cells are sealed (valve-regulated) and require only minimal
maintenance, the Battery Cabinets should be given a periodic inspection and electrical check. Checks
should be performed at least annually to ensure years of trouble-free service.

Voltage Records: With the Battery Cabinet DC circuit breaker closed and the connected UPS
operating, measure and record battery float voltage. With the DC circuit breaker open, measure and
record the nominal (open circuit) voltage. Both these measurements should be made across the final
positive and negative terminal lugs. Compare these values with those shown below. The recorded
nominal voltage should be no less than the value shown, while the recorded float voltage should be
within the range shown. If a discrepancy is found, necessary corrective should be taken.
 Battery Voltage (VDC)
Number of Cells
Nominal Float
204 408 459 - 469

Power Connections: Check for corrosion and connection integrity. Visually inspect wiring for
discoloured or cracked insulation. Clean and/or retighten as required.

Battery Cell Terminals: Check for discoloration, corrosion and connection integrity. Clean and
tighten if necessary.

Detection of Trouble

It is important that the operator check the instrument readings if abnormal equipment performance
is suspected. Any metered value that differs appreciably from normal could mean an impending
malfunction and should be investigated.

Items to check include:

A) Output voltage of all phases should be within 2% of normal voltage. Output currents on each
phase should not normally differ by more than 20%. If a greater difference is noted, the load
is unbalanced and corrective action should be taken to redistribute the load, if possible.

B) If the UPS has not operated on battery power during the last 10 hours, the batteries should
require little charging current. Battery mimic should indicate normal DC voltage with the
battery charge current no more than 1% of maximum discharge current.

C) Input current on each phase should be within 10% of the average input current.

D) Alarm messages indicate malfunction or impending malfunction. A daily check of the

Operator Control Panel will help to provide an early detection of problems. Refer to UPS
Alarm messages.

E) Tracing a problem to a particular section is facilitated by alarm messages and the metered
parameter indications. These are stored in the Status Reports and can be displayed at the
Operator Control Panel or at an optional terminal.

Upstream Feeder Circuit Breaker Setting Inspections

During normal UPS operations, short-term overload current demand from the bypass source may
reach 10 times the UPS output current rating. This overload current demand may be caused by the
magnetizing inrush current of one or more downstream transformers (i.e., PDUs. Power Distribution
Units) or faults on downstream branch circuits. The instantaneous trip point(s) of the upstream
bypass feeder breaker(s) must be set to support these temporary overloads. The magnitude of
short-term overload bypass current demand is typically six to eight times the UPS current rating, but
must be determined by analysis on a per-site basis. This analysis, generally known as an End-to-End
Fault Coordination Study, must be done by a Registered Professional Engineer experienced in this
activity and familiar with local codes and related requirements.
It is recommended for periodic inspections of the bypass feeder breaker instantaneous trip settings,
as well as the module input (rectifier) feeder breaker trip settings, to ensure that they are correct.
For a variety of reasons, although typically during circuit breaker maintenance procedures by others,
trip settings have been known to be inadvertently left improperly set. Correct trip setting of these
circuit breakers is most important to achieving high-availability from UPS system.

The instantaneous trip setting of the breaker feeding the UPS bypass input should be high enough to
accommodate short-duration overloads. The bypass static switch power path inside the UPS can
draw up to 10 times the system’s rated current for up to three cycles.