Is is OK to use your UPS as a power switch to turn your gear off and on each day?

[SteveGarman_apc]

This was originally posted on APC forums on 7/17/2014

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Is it OK to use your UPS as a power switch to turn your gear off and on each day?

I assume that even though the UPS is turned off, it is still connected to the power and therefore is still charging itself. Is this a correct assumption?  If it isn't correct, then what do you recommend doing?

I have a BR1500G unit.

I don't like the rubber switches. Sometimes the rubber gets stuck under the plastic edge and it won't release.  I think that's what happened to the unit I just replaced. I turned it on and the button stuck in the ON position. While I tried to unlodge it from the plastic edge it was captured under, there was a loud pop in the back of the unit. I couldn't turn it off with the stuck button so there was another loud pop and then smoke started coming out of the back vent.  I went for the outlet this time and got it unplugged.  That was the end of that unit. Now have a new one with the rubber buttons again and I imagine it's just a matter of time before it's on button gets stuck and here we go again.  This seems like poor design to me.

[SteveGarman_apc]

This was originally posted on APC forums on 7/17/2014

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Is it OK to use your UPS as a power switch to turn your gear off and on each day?

I assume that even though the UPS is turned off, it is still connected to the power and therefore is still charging itself. Is this a correct assumption?  If it isn't correct, then what do you recommend doing?

I have a BR1500G unit.

I don't like the rubber switches. Sometimes the rubber gets stuck under the plastic edge and it won't release.  I think that's what happened to the unit I just replaced. I turned it on and the button stuck in the ON position. While I tried to unlodge it from the plastic edge it was captured under, there was a loud pop in the back of the unit. I couldn't turn it off with the stuck button so there was another loud pop and then smoke started coming out of the back vent.  I went for the outlet this time and got it unplugged.  That was the end of that unit. Now have a new one with the rubber buttons again and I imagine it's just a matter of time before it's on button gets stuck and here we go again.  This seems like poor design to me.

[BillP]

This reply was originally posted by Angela on APC forums on 7/18/2014

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Hello,

This is not something we often suggest or likely even test I imagine (constant button pressing and cycling it on/off once a day over the course of its lifetime). The UPS is designed to be on all of the time for most applications of your type of UPS all the way up to the large data center type UPSs. And, every time you turn it on, it typically does a self test. Doing this every day also puts stress on the battery over time when it'd normally only do the self test every two weeks.

If you do turn the UPS off though, the UPS does charge itself as long as AC power is present. Surge protection would also still be active.

I see no issue turning it off periodically, like if you are leaving the location for an extended period of time but I cannot think of a benefit of turning it on and off every day. I imagine you may be a concern in areas with many power outages, especially at night when it begins beeping while it is on battery but if that is not a concern, I'd just leave it on majority of the time...

Hope that helps.

[SteveGarman_apc · Accepted solution]

This was originally posted on APC forums on 7/18/2014

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Since I have about 5 devices being powered up by the UPS I would have to get yet another power strip to plug all of them into and then plug the power strip into the UPS. That way I would use the power strip to turn everything off at night. If that's what they had in mind (leaving the UPS on constantly) then why are all there so many outlets on the UPS? Or are you suggesting leaving everything on all the time-night and day.  My engineer says the only thing that eventually ruins electronic gear is heat. If you can cut down the heat in any form or fashion then you can lengthen the life of your gear.  The old wive's tale that turning things off and on is hard on them, went out with the circuits of the 1960s.

Also, the UPS is bound to use more power if it is on rather than when it is off. Kind of like standby appliances that they say waste a lot of power in this country.