UPS needed - which ones?

2 years ago

Where I live, I get a lot of power interruptions, usually quite short. I would like to get one or more battery-backup UPSs for my router, home theater, etc. Every time one of these happens, even if it's for only a couple of seconds, many of my devices need to be reset. My primary computer is a laptop, so it already has its own battery, but my TV, my cable box, my router, etc. get reset upon restarting, and that's an annoyance. Also, a problem for higher-powered kitchen appliances which are "smart", such as the refrigerator, microwave and electric oven, but these are not possible to protect. Would a simple APC or Tripp-Lite one be adequate? What happens if the outage is long enough that the battery discharges - other than power ceases? Would the quality of the AC power (sine-wave vs square wave) be significant for this application?

Featured Answer

jrb451

2 years ago

You could get a wall battery to protect everything but man, they're expensive. All of our plug in electronics are on APC UPS. Our TVs and satellite service are on one of their higher end ”power scrubbers” but I think they discontinued those.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (9)

dadoes
2 years ago
I've used APC for years on computer equipment. The installers of equipment at work used both APC and CyberPower. I inherited three APCs and one CyberPower from there when the business shut down. All brands need battery replacements as they age. They're sealed lead-acid batteries so bad/replaced batteries require proper disposal. The inverter (which charges the battery) can also fail, which may present as an aged battery but the replacement then also won't maintain charge.

I've had a Panamax power conditioner on my A/V equipment for upwards of 20 years. It doesn't function as a battery backup but interrupts power to the connected equipment on voltage surges and dips, has several seconds protective delay on a power restore.
Related Professionals
Baton Rouge Interior Designers & Decorators · Gulfport Interior Designers & Decorators · Saint Cloud Interior Designers & Decorators · Montréal Interior Designers & Decorators · Newark Carpenters · San Marcos General Contractors · Jackson General Contractors · Torrington General Contractors · San Jose General Contractors · Longview General Contractors · Jackson General Contractors · Rolla Home Remodeling · Waco Home Remodeling · Lancaster Home Remodeling · Huntington Bathroom Remodelers
HU-867564120
2 years ago
I've had an APC UPS on my cable box and DVR, not the TV, for years. Power outages here are very infrequent and I'm only interested in keeping the DVR recording shows without a hiccup. Has worked great. Yes, every few years the battery needs to be replaced, but the UPS tells you so I just order a generic replacement when needed.
mtvhike
Original Author
2 years ago
Dadoes, you bring up another point I failed to mention - a UPS which also conditions the power.
A Mat
2 years ago
I have 2 APC Pro 1500S. I get frequent 3+/year outages, some last 2-3 hrs, some last days.

The UPS does not keep my Satellite running for more than an hour or two, the other UPS is able to keep my wireless running. for 2-3 hrs. 900 Watts of power. Must be minites pf watts, a 750 watt electric heater ran for about 10 minutes. The UPS has a time remaining display. I keep the phone plugged in, unplug everything else. I let the TV run dry…I have direct satellite.

I think they were the large size on Amazon, cost about $200 each.

A 7kw generac is $16k installed, but there are supply and labor availibity issues.
Elmer J Fudd
2 years ago
It seems like needless cost and effort for me, if all you're concerned with is a minute or two of devices rebooting after a short outage.
A Mat
2 years ago
The APC I have has two columns of outlets: Surge and Surge/Battery.
dadoes
2 years ago
Most UPS units of more than lower-end function have two banks of outlets, one for only surge protection and the other for surge with power backup. Non-crucial devices such as speakers and printers don't need power backup, which extends the battery time for the devices that do need it. Devices of high power draw that are are more amperage/wattage than the battery may be able to supply shouldn't be connected to power backup outlets. The UPS can also be connected to the computer via USB so either the operating system or an available/included UPS utility monitors the battery level during an outage and shuts down the computer gracefully before the battery abruptly goes dead.
mtvhike
Original Author
2 years ago
Dadoes: You say printers don't need a backup. My Canon doesn't like losing power - if I use it after a power dip, it complains that it wasn't properly shut down, so I have to shut it down and restart it which takes a couple of minutes.

A Mat: I think the APC Pro 1500S looks good.