A typical UPS lifetime is generally around ten years, as manufacturers are obliged to supply replacement parts for up to ten years after cessation of manufacture. Therefore, the purchasing of equipment five years before this end date may extend the product’s apparent life to 14 years – after which, capacitors and/or batteries usually require replacing for a second or third time thereby making further investment in aging technology prohibitive.

Surprisingly, replacement batteries can cost 30 to 40% of a brand-new UPS system. The standard five or ten-year design life VRLA type battery will generally require replacing at four or eight years.

Replacing individual faulty battery blocks in strings is not recommended due to the different impedances between old and new and equalisation becomes a problem. Rapid chemical build-up within the new blocks will seriously affect their performance and within weeks they can become significantly ‘aged’; best practice is to replace all batteries at the same time.

Replacement of capacitors, AC and DC, is also a costly exercise and although prices vary depending on the UPS system, can amount to around 5-10% of the cost of a new UPS. Recommended replacement times vary between manufacturer with some advocating changing both at five years. Confirm this with your UPS supplier!

For the reasons above, if your UPS is approaching a point where both batteries and capacitors need replacing, it is worth considering the potential commercial advantages of replacement versus repair. A new system will have a 2-year warranty, advances in technology mean it will be more efficient, making significant savings on running costs on both electricity and reduced cooling requirements.

Over time, your load profile will undoubtedly have changed so it is worth investigating Modular UPS systems which can be right-sized more easily to your actual load: why pay for a large UPS when you don’t need it!? The Modular option can therefore reduce CAPEX as well as OPEX. In addition, the latest generation of Modular systems offer the highest availability and continuity of critical power delivery. For example: CENTIEL’s 4th generation modular UPS CumulusPower has 99.9999999% availability.

In some situations, a brand-new system could offer a far better technical solution at a similar cost to replacement parts. For a mid-range UPS system, say 60 to 200KVA, the remedial battery works may cost around £5-15K plus the cost of the capacitors. Suddenly, the cost of a similar sized replacement becomes attractive. Plus, a new UPS will come with that warranty and lower running costs.

However, often in business, OPEX and CAPEX lie in different cost centres. It might be easier to push through a purchase order for replacement batteries than invest in a new UPS which would offer long-term savings on running costs and provide higher availability. Here a total cost of ownership (TCO) calculation is helpful to assess the savings over the long term following a capital investment.

For example, a legacy 200kVA standalone UPS only using 100kVA of power could be replaced with a 200-kVA frame with two x 50KVA Modules. This right-sizing using UPS modules reduces CAPEX and lowers ongoing maintenance costs too.

In a recent TCO calculation: the energy saved by replacing an oversized, inefficient, UPS paid for a new Modular system within three years! The calculated savings over ten years made the decision a ‘no-brainer’.

Advances in UPS technology can also reduce the cost of future replacement parts. Legacy UPS systems have capacitors soldered on to pcb’s, where in contrast, the latest modular UPSs facilitate simple swapping capability via components mounted on screw in sub-assemblies. CENTIEL has designed CumulusPower so the DC capacitors only require replacement every ten years and AC capacitors every five-six years so can be changed separately to save costs.

When considering this repair/replacement conundrum, consider also how your business may change in the future. Will it grow? Will it always run at its current capacity? A new, truly modular configuration offers “pay as you grow” flexibility. Right-sizing the system initially, minimises CAPEX, while providing the capability to upgrade your system’s capacity with additional Modules.

CENTIEL work at the forefront of UPS technological development and are trusted advisors to some of the world’s leading institutions in this field. For more information about our 4th generation truly modular UPS CumulusPower please see: www.centiel.co.uk

Shortlisted for this year's PCR Components Vendor Award, Ortial is a star amongst the smart solutions Techbuyer offers its customers. Server and laptop memory, solid-state-drives (SSD), high performance transceiver modules and compatible cables are available with around a 90% saving on the branded alternative without compromise on functionality or quality. 

AVK will be premiering to the DCW London 2018 Audience a free to attend technical speaker session Entitled 'The Modular UPS Advantage'.

To be held within the Facilities and Critical Equipment Theatre, we will be presenting the advantages of large scale modular UPS systems for use within major Data Centre installations.

Luna Logistics collaboration with Black Box Network Services brought together over 30 years’ experience to successfully manage the complete decommissioning and recommissioning of servers for a leading London University. 

In the spring of 2018, Pentair is presenting its complete portfolio supporting data center infrastructure and network technology at various events in Europe. Pentair products ensure the highest availability and uptime with minimal operating costs.

DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGY - FIT FOR THE DIGITAL INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

Native digital Masterys UPS from Socomec converges with the latest smart-tech

The future of power monitoring- ground breaking technologies for greater simplicity and performance

The latest developments from Socomec are delivering smarter buildings and facilities – with sustainable and intelligent energy solutions.

Daxten presents on stand D540: the ultimate doorman for data centres

When it is necessary to protect sensitive corporate data, attention should be turned not only to external cyber-threats, but also to internal threats. In order to protect the physical integrity of the data centre a strong defense system must be implemented that allows administrators to monitor who has access to the racks, servers, and network devices. A key role in the security of data centres is ensuring that racks are only accessed by authorised users. A silver bullet to protect data from unauthorised access, manipulation, theft, and vandalism is the TZ SlideHandle; a retrofittable locking system for rack doors that is compatible with all major server cabinets. This solution will be demonstrated on the Daxten stand (D540) at Data Centre World 2018, which is being held at ExCeL London on the 21st and 22nd March.

Tripp Lite, a world-leading manufacturer of power protection and connectivity solutions, welcomes Bryn Morgan as the Vice President of International Business.

New at Data Centre World, stand D79, are the recently LPCB (Loss Prevention Certification Board) accredited Server Fortress range. Tested and approved to LPS 1175, Security Rating 2. These 19" server racks come safes have been designed and tested to protect all types of IT assets from malicious attack and theft. 

As a global supplier of solutions critical to supporting data centre operations, Tripp Lite intends to highlight a number of new and innovative products in the categories of cabinets and enclosures, critical power and uninterrupted power supplies.

JAEGGI has been awarded accreditation from Alcumus SafeContractor for achieving excellence in health and safety in the workplace, covering their on-site commissioning and service/maintenance activities in support of their range of hybrid dry coolers/condensers and adiabatic dry coolers.

Refurbished data storage equipment heavy-weight Techbuyer is spreading the word with a 20% welcome discount to stand visitors at the world’s most influential industry gathering: Data Centre World London 2018. Small, medium and multi-national organisations from all sectors are switching on to the benefits of trade-ins and cost reductions with the next big thing in IT procurement.

EcoCooling has announced a new range of evaporative cooling products with the new CloudCooler® range Designed for large scale data centers with rapid deployment strategies. The CloudCooler® is also available in a Nordic grade material allowing it to operate in very cold climates including areas within the Nordics and Arctic Circle.