ES 350s constantly switching between battery

Anonymous user · ‎2021-06-28

Pretty much all of the computers here are using an ES 350. This Monday I came in and literally everyone came to me saying they either didn't have power, their UPS was clicking nonstop, or beeping.

Obviously, something is causing the backups to switch over to battery power for a short time, which for many of the users has drained their battery. I brought one into my office to test it and between yesterday afternoon and this morning it has switched 58 times (recorded as a blackout in the PowerChute app) and used 30 minutes of the battery.

We're having the electric company come out to check the building, but I also wanted to follow up on the backups and make sure this wasn't a known issue or if there was a quick fix available. Has anyone seen this before?

Anonymous user · ‎2021-06-28

Pretty much all of the computers here are using an ES 350. This Monday I came in and literally everyone came to me saying they either didn't have power, their UPS was clicking nonstop, or beeping.

Obviously, something is causing the backups to switch over to battery power for a short time, which for many of the users has drained their battery. I brought one into my office to test it and between yesterday afternoon and this morning it has switched 58 times (recorded as a blackout in the PowerChute app) and used 30 minutes of the battery.

We're having the electric company come out to check the building, but I also wanted to follow up on the backups and make sure this wasn't a known issue or if there was a quick fix available. Has anyone seen this before?

See Answer In Context

Anonymous user · ‎2021-06-28

It couldn't really hurt. Is there a Sensitivity option?

Anonymous user · ‎2021-06-28

Yes there is. Do the backups need to stay connected to the computer for those changes to remain in effect?

I don't think we have all the cables for each UPS

Anonymous user · ‎2021-06-28

Hello,

We have seen this before and 99% of the time it is because the input power is distorted, or dirty. Something on the circuit could be altering the AC sine wave, which the UPS will see as unacceptable to run online. This causes the units to switch back and forth from online to on battery status. Since all of the units are experiencing this, that is more than likely the scenario. Getting the electric company out there to check the line is a great step.

Something you can also do is lower the sensitivity of the units. You would need to install the PowerChute Personal Edition software to do this. The RJ45 to USB cable would need to run from the UPS to the CPU to establish communication to install the software. As long as the ES units are newer, they should have the option to lower sensitivity. This allows the unit to accept a wider range of input voltage. This could be the quick fix before the electric company comes out to check the line.

Thanks.

Anonymous user · ‎2021-06-28

Yes, I saw the option to broaden the range of acceptable voltage, but it only seems to offer a single volt in either direction. Will this be sufficient?

Anonymous user · ‎2021-06-28

Pretty much all of the computers here are using an ES 350. This Monday I came in and literally everyone came to me saying they either didn't have power, their UPS was clicking nonstop, or beeping.

Obviously, something is causing the backups to switch over to battery power for a short time, which for many of the users has drained their battery. I brought one into my office to test it and between yesterday afternoon and this morning it has switched 58 times (recorded as a blackout in the PowerChute app) and used 30 minutes of the battery.

We're having the electric company come out to check the building, but I also wanted to follow up on the backups and make sure this wasn't a known issue or if there was a quick fix available. Has anyone seen this before?