Reply by Colin Thompson from TechBrain on Friday, 2 March, 2012 - 12:54

Hi There Marty. I can not help with the UPS repair except to say that it might well be just a battery that needs replacing as that does happen periodically. If it is a good brand (HP, APC, Dell) then look at that option. If it is a cheap UPS, then my advice is to toss it out and invest in something worth replacing batteries for. For your UPS requirements, you can actually get APC to come out to assist you with requirements like this. My advise is to use a good reputable brand (Like APC) and they will help ensure you have the right solution. Being in the country might pose a bit more of a problem but they will certainly assist over the phone. You will definately need to provide them with the make and model of every piece of equipment you need supported by the UPS. Next you need to be clear about what you want to happen in the event of a power outage. For most server environments it is a matter of shutting down to avoid the risk of damage. If they are required to run the station.....and you want that to happen then i would suggest that you get a UPS that is big enough to support your equipment for 15-30 minutes BUT, ensure that it will work with a standard petrol or diesel generator (Not all of them do). In the event of a power outage, you get the generator stared as soon as possible and run the UPS off that. The reason this would be your best solution is that if you try to size a UPS to run your gear for 2 or 3 hrs or more, you will probably be paying 10's of thousands of dollars for UPS gear and switching equipment. So consider the size of the UPS including power draw (10A, 15A or more) as well as the cost of a generator as part of the same solution. Cheers.