Can SUA5000RMT5U run properly with 240V input?

[Anonymous user]

I have some SUA5000RMT5U Smart-UPS 5000VA UPSes. They have been in service ranging from one to three years. They have worked fine. I'm in the USA and the UPSes were connected to the room's 208V electrical supply.

Now somebody decides to "upgrade" the room power, and the result is that now the supply is 240V. When I plug in the UPSes, the AVR Trim alarm goes off. I have learned that some APC UPSes would let me select the output voltage (208V or 240V) but the models I have only seem to be designed to output 208V. Is this this true?

Other messages in this forum say I really should have the input and output voltages be the same, but that it won't be a disaster if the AVR Trim is on all the time. But, others say it will reduce the life expectancy of the UPSes due to extra heat generated by the transformer. Can anybody give me a definitive answer?

Thanks

[Anonymous user]

Hi Doug,

SUA5000RMT5U is meant for 208V which will also provide a 208 output voltage. If you will be using the SUA5000RMT5U with 240 input voltage you might get an AVR TRIM ON(since it's sensing a high input voltage) all the time and could result for its relay to get fried.

Yes, it's true that we have units where you can select 204 or 240V output voltage. Since your room is utilizing 240V now, one of the best option for you is to use the Smart UPS RTs. You may want to check one of the part numbers that we have SURTD5000XLT. On this unit, you may configure input and output to either 208V or 240V via serial cable or thru the network management card.

I hope this helps!

[BillP · Accepted solution]

the SUA5000RMT5U is designed for 208v nominal input only and you're right - when fed 240v, it will constantly trim which is not recommended for any UPS. constantly trimming will cause extra heat and as you mentioned, effect the life expectancy of the UPS. more heat means the battery will most likely die earlier than it should since it would be experiencing less than ideal conditions.

the UPSs that APC offers that are allow for 208 OR 240v include the [Smart UPS RT|http://www.apc.com/products/family/index.cfm?id=163], [Symmetra RM or Symmetra LX|http://www.apc.com/products/family/index.cfm?id=189] (for single phase). these are configurable to accept either voltage and output the same voltage, meaning if you change it for a 240 input, it will output 240v to your load.

and also, yes, general practice is to have your input voltage the same as your output voltage or else you might experience issues, especially when it comes to units that have a bypass on them. when you go to bypass, utility power is fed straight through to the load. you'll see people that do it and have equipment that doesnt care, but generally it is not recommended and very well could cause damage to connected equipment.

hope that helps.