Some time ago I noticed my APC smartups 1000 started making a short (2 or 3 seconds) and intermittent noise - sort of like a transformer hum (hard to describe). Sometimes it can happen just once or twice or 1/2 dz times in a given day and sometimes I don't hear it for days. Doesn't seem to be getting any worse at this point. I'm wondering if it's dirty power (I'm rural) or perhaps 3rd party batteries or maybe my UPS has a fault. Has anyone else noticed this with their UPS?
I've been a user and strong proponent of using a "good" UPS with AVR on computers for over 25 years and I never, as in NEVER EVER buy replacement batteries from the UPS maker. They are expensive rip-offs, IMO. I always buy 3rd party batteries. In fact, several years ago after replacing the batteries on my APC SmartUPS with 3rd party cells, I pealed off the labels from the APC batteries. Guess what? They were the exact same as the 3rd party batteries. FTR, while I have also used CyberPower and Tripp Lite UPS, my preferred brand is APC. I have several, including one on my big screen TV and home theater equipment and on my garage door opener too! It certainly could be transformer noise but transformers can be noisy for years and still work fine. Some UPS have internal fans so I agree with Krusty and it would be a good idea to make sure it is clean of heat trapping dust. Are you using PowerChute? If so, throw the UPS into a self-test (or just pull the plug from the wall). Does it hum them? Also, note you should NEVER plug any UPS into a surge and spike protector and you should NEVER plug a surge and spike protector into a UPS. The UPS monitoring circuits can see the output of a surge and spike protector as "dirty" causing it to cycle over to battery more than it needs to. And the UPS monitoring circuits can see the load from a connected surge and spike protector as unstable. So use a basic heavy duty extension cord if your UPS is too far from the wall outlet. And if you need more outlets on the battery side, I recommend these. At only 18" long, they don't contribute too much to the rat's nest of cables. And being of the splitter or "spider" type, there's no problem with space connecting multiple bulky AC-DC power adapters. Last, check your wall outlets. Every home and every computer user should have access to a AC Outlet Tester to ensure your outlet is properly wired and grounded. I recommend one with a GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupt) indicator as it can be used to test bathroom and kitchen outlets too. These testers can be found for your type and voltage outlet, foreign or domestic, (like this one for the UK) at most home improvement stores, or even the electrical department at Wal-Mart. Use it to test all the outlets in the house and if a fault is shown, have it fixed by a qualified electrician.
Check you APC software it will tell you if its electrical noise. It sounds like electrical noise to me based on my APC. I have 2 such events in the last 24 weeks according to the software. Original genuine battery in mine.
Thanks guys for your responses! Way back when I researched which UPS I should get, I remember seeing horror stories of fires - For that reason I put more effort into finding a reputable brand. Hopefully those fires were from cheap and nasty brands only. @Krusty - yes. Dust should never be ignored and is likely the first thing one should look at - Mine is real clean going by the vents on either side, but still, inside may have some buildup - so good point. @Bill_Bright thanks for the comprehensive input and quality answers. Your last option I'll also leave to last. Meanwhile, I agree about the ripoff. It wouldn't surprise me at all what you found when you peeled off those labels. APC being a quality brand should have no need to go that route. Shame on them. I'm pretty sure my model doesn't have a fan. I don't remember coming across anything in my documentation. Never done the surge and spike protector thing, but good advice for those who haven't read their manuals or otherwise don't know. My UPS is very close to its wall outlet. The "spaghetti junction" of sorts comes from the 7 devices plugged in but some needing to be physically more distant from the UPS - the longest cord would be 3-4 meters. The more distant devices are not always used but remain plugged in. Powerchute - a long time ago I did actually install this but my computer at the time found the software quite "weighty" so I uninstalled it. Also I am one of those who doesn't leave my computer on if I'm too far away, so in an event I just shut things down myself. However the computer I'm on now should be more than adequate to cope with powerchute. As soon as I get time I'm going to install it again. Can't remember if I got an updated version online or just used the disk which I still have. @trott3r I wonder what they meant exactly by "electrical noise" - do you still have access to the log in your software and would you be able to post it? Also did you actually hear the noise? The next time it happens I'm going to try and record it. If Wilders allows it I'll post a short recording. Just to mention, sometimes this noise can be louder than other times. It's got me curious.
Please don't misunderstand. APC is not a battery company. It makes sense they would source their batteries from an OEM supplier. This is how all UPS makers are and is normal. I did not mean to imply this was unique to APC, or that it is something shameful. It is neither. I note this is similar to how car dealers are with many parts. Ford and Chevy are not oil filter makers. But you can buy replacement oil filters from them, but will pay more too. I've been using PowerChute (APC's software) for years. I am not aware of any capability to tell users if there's electrical noise or not. Just checked it again and I see nothing like that. Please elaborate.
Yes Bill I get that they are not a battery co, but like you I'm buying 3rd party and I take it, for the same reason as you - they're a heap cheaper. Now whether that's on-sellers putting a huge markup or not I don't know. If it is then I let APC off the hook. In my country you would pick your jaw up off the ground at the cost of APC replacement batteries.
They are expensive here too. That's my point. But they also are more convenient. For example, if they use 2 cells, replacements will come already wrapped and strapped (jumpered). Same with 4 cell batteries. Perhaps I should not have said "rip-off" because that implies, to me, intentional deceit, or something inferior for the money. If you buy replacements from the UPS maker, you can be sure the quality is good, and the unit is compatible and to the right specs.
Bill, where I am I'm not sure there's a lot of choice as far as 3rd party offerings go. Do you have a lot of third party brands in the US? In any case, I think I've mentioned it before somewhere here that one of the 2 cells I get, only lasted 1/2 what it should have for some reason. Someone tested them for me and said one cell was fine and to just replace the other. I did that but of course now they're out of step with each other. Maybe that has something to do with the noise. IDK.
There's always Amazon. But I usually buy my UPS batteries from Apex, BatteryWholesale, Battery Mart, or Batteryplex, depending on who has the best price that day. Note these retailers have sales all the time with prices fluctuating significantly from day to day. Just be sure to factor in shipping because these sellers may have high battery prices but free shipping today, then low prices and significant shipping charges tomorrow.
No real log only this screenshot unfortunately. I am relying on the UPs to correctly identify electrical noise.
I usually buy my batters at Batteries Plus Bulbs. Prices are reasonable and they are all over my area. The seem like good quality too. https://www.batteriesplus.com/ https://www.batteriesplus.com/battery/ups/advanced-power-systems
What I meant was brands (for quality) not so much the retailer aspect. The reason being we probably import them here. Thanks for that screenshot. Since I posted last I've had 2 very brief occasions of that "noise" neither of which I was quick enough to record.
Well, I feel silly now. After seeing your screenshot, I opened PowerChute and sure enough, there is "Electrical noise" listed right there under "Power problem" right in front of my face. I have "1" listed in the last 12 weeks - which probably happened after a big storm we had a couple months ago took out power for 6 hours and the lights flickered a couple times before stabilizing. The point is, you are absolutely correct. PowerChute does show it. Sorry about that. But it is good to know the APC UPS does monitor line noise and, we can assume, protect our connected devices from it. It should be noted most AC power line noise is caused by some arcing somewhere. Arcing, if not from lightning, is typically caused by a higher voltage conductor coming too close (physically) to a lower voltage (or ground) conductor and a spark jumps (arcs) across the gap. Arcing can also be caused by a loose connection, or poor grounding. If this arcing is occurring somewhere in or on your side of your service panel (where power enters your home), it can be a serious fire hazard. So again I point out that every one should have access to a AC outlet tester as noted above in post #3.
OK so I located my Powerchute disk and I can't find any updates on that SW from backups. Should I have the USB cable plugged in while installing it? I can't remember whether I did or not all those years ago and I can't find anything clear in the documentation about that. Again Bill, thanks for your explanation. I'm going to get a friends recommendation on a suitable outlet tester as I'm far from comfortable about any potential dodgy power issues . I did manage to get a small audio sample, but the volume is not very loud.
You could have downloaded it from here and no, it has not been updated in several years because there's been no need to. It works fine on the latest versions of Windows. Install instructions are available here, but basically you just connect the USB cable to the UPS and directly to your computer (not through a USB hub), then install PowerChute.
That software from your link under the compatibility heading says : "Compatible with Back-UPS models Back-UPS ES, Back-UPS CS, Back-UPS LS, Back-UPS RS" Mine is a Smartups 1000I (I = interactive) . My documentation says the software is "PowerChute Business Edition for windows NT/2000/XP"
That appears to be for the documentation. As far as I know the PowerChute software (first link) still works.
Bill, neither of those links pertain to my Model UPS, which is, as I said, a Smartups. Those are Back-UPS. The PowerChute for that model is "PowerChute Personal Edition v3.0.2" whereas mine is "PowerChute Business Edition"
I understand but I think it would still work and if not, it could easily be uninstall. But it does not matter because it took two seconds to find this: https://www.apc.com/id/en/tools/download/software_comp.cfm?sw_sku=SFPCBE911&id=125&swfam=125
