We’ve written before about our use of thermal cameras to improve the level of faults we can diagnose during a UPS maintenance visit. A recent maintenance uncovered problems with poor crimping on the battery interlink cable lugs.
Continue reading UPS maintenance detects faulty battery links
Not so long ago the practice of thermography was limited to scientific applications primarily due to the cost and difficulty in setting up and using the equipment. These days the cost of thermal cameras has come down sufficiently for them to be a standard part of the service technician’s toolkit.
A single bad battery in a UPS battery string creates a risk of downtime for datacenter and critical power applications, and the biggest killer of batteries is excessive temperature.
Continue reading UPS battery temperature logging – just part of the service
I mentioned in my previous post about the generator control system upgrade, the process of carefully documenting the existing installation due to a lack of any drawings or information about how the current system works.
Here I thought I’d provide some insight into the process as it moves from not really knowing how the control system operates to having a fully developed schematic. When you’re faced with a mess of wires, a bunch of unlabelled contactors, relays and fuses, all you can really do is pick a point to start work your way through until you have identified how every component comes together.
This job started out as a fairly routine call to our Sydney office, the customer indicated they were having issues with their standby diesel generator not operating correctly. They had a weekend test scheduled and wanted us along to see how the system was performing and advise what could be done to improve its reliability.
One quick look at the generator controller and anyone could tell this wasn’t going to be a simple fix but apparently those that came before us were not so quick to put forward a solution. The test run was completed which allowed us to see the full operation (and failure) of the generator, controller, and transfer switch. Without a doubt the only fix for this was a re-wire of the control system.
Power Protect have been a member of the ACTSmart Business Recycling Program since 2011. The program encourages and recognises businesses for their efforts in recycling and waste minimisation. At the 2016 Business Sustainability Awards Power Protect received a Highly Commended Corporate Award for our ongoing commitment to waste minimisation.
Continue reading Power Protect awarded for our commitment to recycling