Generator Power doesn't work

[Anonymous user]

I have a 650 ES, and when I lose power the battery back comes on and works fine.

However, when the generator kicks on, the computer stays on battery back-up and drains the battery.
The back-up does not seem to recognize the generator power source. All the other power functions in the house, TV, AC, etc. work fine with the generator.

When I came in after a power failure of about an hour, the generator was on, and power was on in the house, but the computer had gone off, and the back up was clicking about every 5 seconds, but no other sounds. The green power light was on.

I have two computers in the house, each on a 650 ES, and the same thing happened to both.

Do I need a different back up?

Anybody have any explanations.

[Anonymous user]

bobcat923 wrote:
I have a 650 ES, and when I lose power the battery back comes on and works fine.

However, when the generator kicks on, the computer stays on battery back-up and drains the battery.
The back-up does not seem to recognize the generator power source. All the other power functions in the house, TV, AC, etc. work fine with the generator.

When I came in after a power failure of about an hour, the generator was on, and power was on in the house, but the computer had gone off, and the back up was clicking about every 5 seconds, but no other sounds. The green power light was on.

I have two computers in the house, each on a 650 ES, and the same thing happened to both.

Do I need a different back up?

Anybody have any explanations.

The output of the generator is either not close enough to 50.00 or 60.00 Hz, or it's not sinusoidal enough. BackUPS has higher expectation for input quality than it will ever put out.

If you were to connect a BackUPS to another BackUPS running on the battery, it won't accept the output as clean enough. Generator's output is dirty, but cleaner than the BackUPS's modified squarewave, but the BackUPS won't accept the input power and provides even dirtier power derived from the battery.

3 choices:
Double conversion UPS
Honda EU series sinewave inverter generator
Big generator with clean enough output and heavy enough flywheel to keep frequency swing within BackUPS' liking

[Anonymous user]

I am stuck with my generator.
Would the new SMART UPS help, or the other alternative would be to stay with the 650ES and install the software to shutdown the computer in my absence before battery power ran out.

Then, I could plug the computer directly into an outlet (under generator power) to restart the computer and work during power outage conditions.

What would you suggest?

[TheNotoriousKMP_apc · Accepted solution]

First, definitely install the software to get monitoring.
Second, adjust the sensitivity of the UPS to LOW and run a Gen Test.

If the UPS does not stay online, chances are, the output from the Generator is too noisy and no APC UPS is going to stay online.

[Anonymous user]

Even if you pass the test, it might malfunction when other loads cycles on causing a frequency drift. Such loads are refrigerators and air conditioners.

Getting the Smart-UPS won't allow you to change frequency drift sensitivity either