How to resolve shady site wiring in Ecuador, contractor circular saw tripping

[Anonymous user]

edit: check out the attached photos for a good scare! 

Hi, just looking for some educated advice on what to do with a crumby wiring situation and hope to find out if what I'm experiencing is going to damage hardware.

I'm using an APC Smart-UPS 1500 for a small network cabinet in Ecuador where wiring in houses is questionable.  In our first office after plugging the UPS into the wall outlet I saw the display said, "Warning State: Site Wiring".  After reading the UPS documentation, I suggested to the boss we need to get an electrician in to check the wiring and he said there's not likely anything that can be done, this is par for the course in Ecuador. Before I got a chance to set up the network we moved to a new office in another really nice big residential house, but again it appears to have sub-par wiring.   Plugging in the UPS shows the same 'Site Wiring' error.   

So today I'm on day two of my setup and some contractors showed up with their big old circular saw to build a deck out in the back yard.  As soon as they trigger the saw to cut a piece of wood the UPS inside the house trips, the green light on the UPS flicks goes out and the orange comes on... and after about 10 pieces of wood I see the battery level has dropped from 100% to 91%...  although it recharges pretty quick when they take a break.  Also the UPS makes a humming noise under the load of their saw.   They are also using a corded drill that also causes the hum but doesn't trip the UPS.  

My ignorant assumption is that it is easier for their power hungry devices to somehow get juice from my UPS than from the grid. 

I have to work off the assumption this is how the wiring is and I have to find a way to deal with it.  I thought having a UPS would be the first step towards protecting my gear but didn't expect the UPS to be hammered like this.  I really don't think management would be up for paying an electrician to rewire this landlords entire house.   I realize running the UPS and devices with a constant "Warning Site Wiring" is not ideal, but don't think I'll be able to fix the wiring. 

Does anyone have input to indicate if this is a major problem that is a catastrophe waiting to happen... or is this just what the UPS was designed for and at worst will require frequent battery replacement.  I'm just not sure if this is literally a no-go situation that needs resolution or as the boss says, par for the course and something the UPS is designed to handle. 

Any advice is appreciated!  

ps. I'm going to get an electrician in for an assessment just so I can rest better knowing exactly what the problem is even though I can't fix it, but do have to manage. 

pss.  I wrote this before going out to look at what the contractors are doing... oh... my... god... lol!  Check out these photos... 

[BillP]

What is happening is that the power tools are using a lot of power and likely causing an undervoltage situation. This causes the UPS to switch to battery or to enable voltage regulation to compensate. I would suggest adjust the sensitivity and voltage transfer points on the UPS to allow it to better cope with poor input power. If you can get the exact model of the UPS (it would be on a small white sticker with a bar code and a serial number either under the front bezel or on the rear of the unit...) I can walk you through adjusting the UPS.

PS: That wiring for the power tools is terrifying 

Liam

[Anonymous user]

Haha terrifying is an understatement... as I was taking pics they were looking at me like, "que es su problema?" lol.... 

The UPS model is "SMT1500RM2UNC"

https://www.apc.com/shop/us/en/products/APC-Smart-UPS-1500VA-LCD-RM-2U-120V-with-Network-Card/P-SMT1...

I should mention that after I posted here I went to the APC support technical chat and the fella said this is not an ideal situation but it is normal behaviour for the UPS under the conditions, and I should be aware this will decrease lifespan of batteries/UPS.  He recommended I get the electrician to provide a separate dedicated circuit just for my network cabinet/UPS.  Unfortunately the walls here are literally made of plaster/cement and where my IT cabinet is and not anywhere near either of the two ratty breaker boxes I could find (see attached photos)... which makes a dedicated circuit look like a hefty job for both electrician and carpenters.   Also, although a separate circuit would be great I am suspicious the electrician would install in a way that didn't continue to trip the site wiring fault. It seems whichever of the three given causes for SWF warning is just the way they do it here.   

1. Missing ground wire on the circuit?
2. Reversed electrical polarity at the outlet?
3. Overloaded neutral, where there is greater than 5v AC?

I'm not sure which of the above is the issue.... but if you have a possible solution via UPS configuration I'm all ears.  I really appreciate the help! Thanks!

[BillP]

That info on the SWF light is correct, and there's nothing we can do about it with configuration, however we can hopefully minimize your transfers to battery.

On the LCD screen go to "Configuration"  and scroll to "Local Power Quality". If the unit is at defaults it will be set to "Good". 

Hit Enter to update the field, then scroll to "Poor" and press enter again.

This will allow your unit to stay online with the broadest range of acceptable power. 

Good luck with that wiring and your contractors!

Liam

[Anonymous user]

Done.  

The brave men have gone for lunch, we'll see what happens this afternoon.  Thanks for the advice and steps.

Cheers!

[Anonymous user · Accepted solution]

Well, so far so good... the UPS hasn't been triggering as much so thanks a lot for the tip.  The electrician is going to ground a singe outlet with by popping a hole in the concrete and driving a spike into the ground.... at least my IT cabinet will have the benefit of that discharge path.  The rest of the house is going to have to do with surge protection power bars.  

Thanks again for all the help.