Help
  • Explore Community
  • Get Started
  • Ask the Community
  • How-To & Best Practices
  • Contact Support
Notifications
Login / Register
Community
Community
Notifications
close
  • Forums
  • Knowledge Center
  • Events & Webinars
  • Ideas
  • Blogs
Help
Help
  • Explore Community
  • Get Started
  • Ask the Community
  • How-To & Best Practices
  • Contact Support
Login / Register
Sustainability
Sustainability

Join our "Ask Me About" community webinar on May 20th at 9 AM CET and 5 PM CET to explore cybersecurity and monitoring for Data Center and edge IT. Learn about market trends, cutting-edge technologies, and best practices from industry experts.
Register and secure your Critical IT infrastructure

Exceeding the number of Watts an APC UPS can provide

APC UPS for Home and Office Forum

Support forum to share knowledge about installation and configuration of APC offers including Home Office UPS, Surge Protectors, UTS, software and services.

cancel
Turn on suggestions
Auto-suggest helps you quickly narrow down your search results by suggesting possible matches as you type.
Showing results for 
Show  only  | Search instead for 
Did you mean: 
  • Home
  • Schneider Electric Community
  • APC UPS, Critical Power, Cooling and Racks
  • APC UPS for Home and Office Forum
  • Exceeding the number of Watts an APC UPS can provide
Options
  • Subscribe to RSS Feed
  • Mark Topic as New
  • Mark Topic as Read
  • Float this Topic for Current User
  • Bookmark
  • Subscribe
  • Mute
  • Printer Friendly Page
Invite a Co-worker
Send a co-worker an invite to the portal.Just enter their email address and we'll connect them to register. After joining, they will belong to the same company.
You have entered an invalid email address. Please re-enter the email address.
This co-worker has already been invited to the Exchange portal. Please invite another co-worker.
Please enter email address
Send Invite Cancel
Invitation Sent
Your invitation was sent.Thanks for sharing Exchange with your co-worker.
Send New Invite Close
Top Experts
User Count
BillP
Administrator BillP Administrator
2151
Teken
Janeway Teken
99
voidstar_apc
Janeway voidstar_apc
83
View All

Invite a Colleague

Found this content useful? Share it with a Colleague!

Invite a Colleague Invite
Solved Go to Solution
Back to APC UPS for Home and Office Forum
Solved
Anonymous user
Not applicable

Posted: ‎2021-06-29 08:41 PM . Last Modified: ‎2024-03-21 12:41 AM

0 Likes
6
6572
  • Mark as New
  • Bookmark
  • Subscribe
  • Mute
  • Subscribe to RSS Feed
  • Permalink
  • Print
  • Email to a Friend
  • Report Inappropriate Content

Link copied. Please paste this link to share this article on your social media post.

Posted: ‎2021-06-29 08:41 PM . Last Modified: ‎2024-03-21 12:41 AM

Exceeding the number of Watts an APC UPS can provide

Has any of you ever exceeded the number of watts the equipment is supposed to provide? And if so, by how much and how did it perform?

My situation is as follow. I bought a house last year and during thunderstorms, I may lose power for less than 2 seconds. Unfortunately, it is messing up the furnace as the time without electricity is so short that the furnace doesn't have time to reset.

I took measurements of the power drawn by the furnace when working at full speed (the furnace is a Lennox G60V variable speed gas furnace). At full speed, I'm drawing a maximum of 1160 VA and 918 Watts. I was wondering if a ups that can deliver 1500 VA but only 865 Watts might do the trick for the no more than 2 seconds I need power from the APC UPS?

Thanks for your help and assistance.

Toni

Labels
  • Labels:
  • Universal Transfer Switch
Reply

Link copied. Please paste this link to share this article on your social media post.

  • All forum topics
  • Previous Topic
  • Next Topic

Accepted Solutions
upsguy_apc
Commander upsguy_apc
Commander

Posted: ‎2021-06-29 08:42 PM . Last Modified: ‎2024-03-21 12:41 AM

0 Likes
0
6570
  • Mark as New
  • Bookmark
  • Subscribe
  • Mute
  • Subscribe to RSS Feed
  • Permalink
  • Print
  • Email to a Friend
  • Report Inappropriate Content

Link copied. Please paste this link to share this article on your social media post.

Posted: ‎2021-06-29 08:42 PM . Last Modified: ‎2024-03-21 12:41 AM

UPSs are designed to handle slight overloads without shedding the load for short durations along an algorithm for overload%/time overloaded. Some of APC's large 3 phase UPS can handle overloads to the order of 125% 10 mins, 150% 1 mins and 1000% for 1 full cycle.

See Answer In Context

Reply

Link copied. Please paste this link to share this article on your social media post.

Replies 6
Erasmus_apc
Sisko Erasmus_apc
Sisko

Posted: ‎2021-06-29 08:41 PM . Last Modified: ‎2024-03-21 12:41 AM

0 Likes
0
6570
  • Mark as New
  • Bookmark
  • Subscribe
  • Mute
  • Subscribe to RSS Feed
  • Permalink
  • Print
  • Email to a Friend
  • Report Inappropriate Content

Link copied. Please paste this link to share this article on your social media post.

Posted: ‎2021-06-29 08:41 PM . Last Modified: ‎2024-03-21 12:41 AM

There is generally a very small amount of leniency for slight overloads if it is not a sudden spike of draw (i.e if the load creeps 5-10w over the limit over a course of 5 seconds and goes down) on most UPS systems...but in any over-current situation you run a risk of triggering an overload fault and dropping the load. APC can never suggest an undersized UPS out of concern for providing reliable power to the end user.

Reply

Link copied. Please paste this link to share this article on your social media post.

Anonymous user
Not applicable

Posted: ‎2021-06-29 08:41 PM . Last Modified: ‎2024-03-21 12:41 AM

0 Likes
0
6570
  • Mark as New
  • Bookmark
  • Subscribe
  • Mute
  • Subscribe to RSS Feed
  • Permalink
  • Print
  • Email to a Friend
  • Report Inappropriate Content

Link copied. Please paste this link to share this article on your social media post.

Posted: ‎2021-06-29 08:41 PM . Last Modified: ‎2024-03-21 12:41 AM

For those interested, I used a small UPS I have, a ES 550 rated at 550VA and 330Watts to do some tests. Using lamps, I was able to determine that the UPS was capable of providing 377 Watts for at least 2 seconds prior to shutting down.

IOW, I was 47 watts, or 14% over the watt rating of the unit. What I don't know is if APC UPS units have a tolerance of about 50 watts or 14% over their limits? If anyone out there could test a UPC more powerful than mine, I would greatly appreciate.

Btw, in order to properly measure the watts (as well as VA) consumptions, I used a Kill-A-Watt. For those interested, when I switched between a 40 watts light bult to a 60 watts, the consumption only increased by 12 watts to 389 and was enough to prevent the 330 watts UPS to handle it.

Thanks for reading.

Reply

Link copied. Please paste this link to share this article on your social media post.

Anonymous user
Not applicable

Posted: ‎2021-06-29 08:41 PM . Last Modified: ‎2024-03-21 12:41 AM

0 Likes
0
6570
  • Mark as New
  • Bookmark
  • Subscribe
  • Mute
  • Subscribe to RSS Feed
  • Permalink
  • Print
  • Email to a Friend
  • Report Inappropriate Content

Link copied. Please paste this link to share this article on your social media post.

Posted: ‎2021-06-29 08:41 PM . Last Modified: ‎2024-03-21 12:41 AM

Listen up boys and girls, I have the answer. But first, let me give you some background info; I came here and asked a question because an APC UPS that can deliver at least 918 Watts and at least 1160 VA would set me back close to $600. While an APC UPS that can deliver 865 W and 1500 VA would only cost me ~ $200.

I was at Costco last Friday and they had received a shipment of APC UPS 780Watts and 1300 VA, the XS serie.

So I decided to take my chance and bought one. To my great surprise, the APC was capable of providing the 850 Watts I needed. Earlier, I used a Kill-A-Watt to measure the VA and Watts needed by the furnace and got a reading of 918W, but on the LCD of the APC unit, it said that it only needed ~ 850 Watts.

I was greatly surprise that a box rated for 780W was capable of providing 850W. Power lasted for about 2 minutes. The only problem was that the unit was bitching because it was in overload (even with power from electrical outlet). The overload icon was lit and there was the alarm sound.

Since I'm not sure if it could cause any harm being in overload and since I actually needed 850 W and not the 918 W I got from the Kill-A-Watt, I decided to return the APC and buy another APC UPS rated at 1500VA and 865 Watts.

Reply

Link copied. Please paste this link to share this article on your social media post.

upsguy_apc
Commander upsguy_apc
Commander

Posted: ‎2021-06-29 08:42 PM . Last Modified: ‎2024-03-21 12:41 AM

0 Likes
0
6570
  • Mark as New
  • Bookmark
  • Subscribe
  • Mute
  • Subscribe to RSS Feed
  • Permalink
  • Print
  • Email to a Friend
  • Report Inappropriate Content

Link copied. Please paste this link to share this article on your social media post.

Posted: ‎2021-06-29 08:42 PM . Last Modified: ‎2024-03-21 12:41 AM

In my opinion your asking for trouble using a UPS rated at 865w for a planned 850 watt load. I think you would but your self at risk of occasional overload as well as shortening your battery life. Plus the UPS will probably not last as long as a larger unit would, exp..1000W or so at your 850w load level would be better. What are you using that is taking up 850W?

A suggestion would be to make sure things like printers, speakers, and maybe even your monitor are plugged into the surge outlets and not the UPS outlets to lower the load on the protected outlets.

Reply

Link copied. Please paste this link to share this article on your social media post.

Anonymous user
Not applicable

Posted: ‎2021-06-29 08:42 PM . Last Modified: ‎2024-03-21 12:41 AM

0 Likes
0
6570
  • Mark as New
  • Bookmark
  • Subscribe
  • Mute
  • Subscribe to RSS Feed
  • Permalink
  • Print
  • Email to a Friend
  • Report Inappropriate Content

Link copied. Please paste this link to share this article on your social media post.

Posted: ‎2021-06-29 08:42 PM . Last Modified: ‎2024-03-21 12:41 AM

Like I wrote in my first post of this thread, I only need to bridge a less than 5 seconds power loss. During summer months, when there is a thunderstorm, we might lose power, but it is usually for something like a fraction of a second to 2 seconds.

What will be connected to the UPS is a furnace. And btw, this is a special furnace. When the electric motor starts to run, there is NO surge in power consumption. The Lennox G60MPV has a $1500 eletric motor/control which makes the motor starts very gently. There is no such thing as a ON/OFF stage. The motor starts from 0 W to about 87 W, then ramp up to 200 W and then 450 W and then 850 W. The whole process takes about 3-4 minutes and apparently, is very energy efficient. Same thing when it turns off, it is very gradual.

To me, what is the most fascinating is the fact that a UPS rated at 780 W is capable of handling an 850 W load for very short period of time. I'm aware that completely discharging the battery is really bad. But for all the < 5 seconds power failure, I'll be fine with no harm to the APC and its battery.

Reply

Link copied. Please paste this link to share this article on your social media post.

upsguy_apc
Commander upsguy_apc
Commander

Posted: ‎2021-06-29 08:42 PM . Last Modified: ‎2024-03-21 12:41 AM

0 Likes
0
6571
  • Mark as New
  • Bookmark
  • Subscribe
  • Mute
  • Subscribe to RSS Feed
  • Permalink
  • Print
  • Email to a Friend
  • Report Inappropriate Content

Link copied. Please paste this link to share this article on your social media post.

Posted: ‎2021-06-29 08:42 PM . Last Modified: ‎2024-03-21 12:41 AM

UPSs are designed to handle slight overloads without shedding the load for short durations along an algorithm for overload%/time overloaded. Some of APC's large 3 phase UPS can handle overloads to the order of 125% 10 mins, 150% 1 mins and 1000% for 1 full cycle.

Reply

Link copied. Please paste this link to share this article on your social media post.

Preview Exit Preview

never-displayed

You must be signed in to add attachments

never-displayed

 
To The Top!

Forums

  • APC UPS Data Center Backup Solutions
  • EcoStruxure IT
  • EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert
  • Metering & Power Quality
  • Schneider Electric Wiser

Knowledge Center

Events & webinars

Ideas

Blogs

Get Started

  • Ask the Community
  • Community Guidelines
  • Community User Guide
  • How-To & Best Practice
  • Experts Leaderboard
  • Contact Support
Brand-Logo
Subscribing is a smart move!
You can subscribe to this board after you log in or create your free account.
Forum-Icon

Create your free account or log in to subscribe to the board - and gain access to more than 10,000+ support articles along with insights from experts and peers.

Register today for FREE

Register Now

Already have an account? Login

Terms & Conditions Privacy Notice Change your Cookie Settings © 2025 Schneider Electric

This is a heading

With achievable small steps, users progress and continually feel satisfaction in task accomplishment.

Usetiful Onboarding Checklist remembers the progress of every user, allowing them to take bite-sized journeys and continue where they left.

of