Ben_Stanton Posted October 27, 2014 Posted October 27, 2014 Hi guys, Late call from the power company saying they need to come in and cut the power to building for up to a 8 hours. The UPS will not last that long. Long story short, we cannot let one of the oldest servers go down (in fear of it not coming back up again...). So, I was wondering if anybody here has previously (and successfully) run the Smart-UPS 5000VA rack mount on a genie? If so, what did you get and where from? Ta in advance... Ben
Geoff Posted October 27, 2014 Posted October 27, 2014 A 6kW generator will cost you around £1,300. Make sure you ventilate well, or protect it from the weather if outside. SDMO SH 6000-2 UK 6kW Generator 115/230V | Screwfix.com The '8 hour' run time listed is because you (technically) have to turn it off to refuel the 20 litre tank. Obviously the UPS can handle the load while you do this. Alternatively you could hire a generator. You'll get more bang for your buck this way unless you need it for an extended period of time. Diesel Generator (10kva Silenced) Hire | HSS Hire Also check you are insured the handle heavy plant. If you aren't your site supervisor might be.
Ben_Stanton Posted October 27, 2014 Author Posted October 27, 2014 Excrement, thank you Geoff. I think we'll just hire this time round (with a view to buy as we are very rural). I was worried about it being dirty power, but reading the interweb now I can see the Smart-UPS should be able to deal with the fluctuations better than a non-Smart. Fingers crossed... Ta
plexer Posted October 27, 2014 Posted October 27, 2014 Excrement, thank you Geoff. Ta @Ben_Stanton I think you mean excellent? Ben
Ben_Stanton Posted October 27, 2014 Author Posted October 27, 2014 So I did, damn autocorrect.... Ben
Geoff Posted October 27, 2014 Posted October 27, 2014 If you are going to buy a generator practice the switch over procedure ahead of time, keep a decent supply of fuel on site, and test the generator regularly.
MatthewL Posted October 27, 2014 Posted October 27, 2014 Have a chat with Borri, they did the install at my last place, generator and UPS too. I ended up over specifying it all and it was enough power to power the whole site for 2 or 3 days!!
Ben_Stanton Posted October 28, 2014 Author Posted October 28, 2014 @Geoff Would this spec work? It's the only thing I can get in time? I'm just worried about the frequency?!?
Geoff Posted October 28, 2014 Posted October 28, 2014 Looks ok to me. The UPS will sync to the 50Hz 'mains' (The generator) so make sure your equipment is ok with a 50Hz feed.
Andrew_C Posted October 28, 2014 Posted October 28, 2014 WATCH OUT!! If you don't load a generator sufficiently, you can upset the voltage regulator and get a very poor output. Hanging a single bar heater on it would do. 50Hz is UK standard, but this will suffer if the VR isn't working.
Ben_Stanton Posted October 28, 2014 Author Posted October 28, 2014 The UPS max is 4000w so i've gone with this generator (1.5 - 2 times more)?!?
Andrew_C Posted October 28, 2014 Posted October 28, 2014 No. The UPS is rated to deliver UP TO 4kW. With only one server hanging on it, I'd guess you would be pulling a few 10s / low 100s of watts. Talk to your suppliers, and explain what you are doing. They should be able to advise.
Geoff Posted October 28, 2014 Posted October 28, 2014 Yes the best way to do this is to run on UPS for a few minutes to drain the UPS batteries a little (10-25% depending on capacity). You then want to start up the generator. DO NOT have everything plugged in at start-up, you don't want to load the generator straight away. Simpy plug in the UPS once the generator is running and has settled down. If in doubt read the manual.
Geoff Posted October 28, 2014 Posted October 28, 2014 Found an article that should help explain things better than I can. A Guide to Standby Power Pt 6 - Matching a generator to your UPS.
Ben_Stanton Posted October 28, 2014 Author Posted October 28, 2014 Maybe i've got this wrong then. I spoke to APC and they said the generator needs to provide 1.5 to 2 times the FLC. The FLC for that UPS is 4000w. The UPS is saying the current Load Power is 35.7 %Watts and the Apparent Load Power is 33.8 %VA. This is with 10 servers running plus some network gear.
Ben_Stanton Posted October 28, 2014 Author Posted October 28, 2014 Yes the best way to do this is to run on UPS for a few minutes to drain the UPS batteries a little (10-25% depending on capacity). You then want to start up the generator. DO NOT have everything plugged in at start-up, you don't want to load the generator straight away. Simpy plug in the UPS once the generator is running and has settled down. If in doubt read the manual. Ok right, well this is exactly what I was going to do. Phew, I was doubting myself there (not unusual).
Andrew_C Posted October 28, 2014 Posted October 28, 2014 Sorry. I'd read it as "I'm only going to keep one server up", rather than "I can't let one of them stop". In that case, yes, generator bigger than your UPS.
Ben_Stanton Posted October 28, 2014 Author Posted October 28, 2014 Sorry. I'd read it as "I'm only going to keep one server up", rather than "I can't let one of them stop". In that case, yes, generator bigger than your UPS. Sorry, I should have made that clearer. Just ordered for delivery tomorrow, £100 per week (big saving on HSS) from a local firm MJHire - Home
Ben_Stanton Posted October 29, 2014 Author Posted October 29, 2014 (edited) Just an update. The test run was successful. Generator on for 5 minutes to warm up UPS unplugged from the mains supply for 5 minutes to deplete a bit. Email received from UPS to say no longer on mains power. UPS plugged in to generator. Email received to say UPS is back on mains power and LED on unit indicate as such Bingo bango. Fingers crossed it carries on over a prolonged period (extra fuel on hand just in case) Edited October 29, 2014 by Ben_Stanton
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