How to Develop an Effective Data Center Management Services Plan

Any organization that uses UPS power supplies hopes to provide power protection for key data center equipment by providing uninterrupted power supply around the clock. There is a good motivation behind this expectation, because the average loss for each minute of data center downtime is £4,800. A typical downtime event lasts about 86 minutes, and the average cost of each downtime event is £412,800.

A UPS can provide safe and reliable operation for more than 15 years if well maintained. Yet, often businesses spend more time and effort on what UPS to buy than on choosing the right maintenance service plan. Yet both considerations are important. So, with businesses facing increasing risks to their revenue and reputation, it’s clear that an investment in a professional service plan could pay off many times over.

To successfully fulfill this critical role, service plans must be designed and implemented to match the user's environmental conditions while also taking into account the actual conditions of UPS component vulnerabilities.

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Why it failed

Battery failures typically account for 20% of UPS failures. If users have been relying on the manufacturer's estimate of battery life, premature failures may be unexpected. Batteries usually need to operate at a stable temperature of 20°C. However, in fact, battery packs are cycled at high temperatures in many cases. And for every 10°C increase in operating temperature, battery life will be shortened by 50%.

While limited battery life is inevitable, adopting the right service and maintenance procedures can prevent UPS failures caused by batteries. Battery pack self-tests should be performed every 30 to 60 days, and more specialized tests (such as impedance tests) should be performed every six months. After the battery pack reaches 80% of its working life, the battery pack should be replaced as a whole, and a monitoring system should be deployed to detect unexpected problems as early as possible.

UPS power supplies usually contain 12 or more electrolytic capacitors, and the aging time of these electrolytic capacitors is affected by electrical and thermal stress. As for batteries, their service life rating is only a guideline and cannot be used for precise planning, and capacitor failure usually puts the UPS power supply into bypass mode. During preventive maintenance, staff can prevent problems by checking and replacing capacitors every 5-9 years.

An effective service plan should include annual scheduled preventive maintenance visits

If the fan fails and causes overheating, it will also cause the UPS power supply to switch to unnecessary bypass operation. Its life depends on the electrical quality and mechanical specifications. The staff can perform visual inspections and perform preventive maintenance and replacement after 3-4 years, and replace it again when the working life of the UPS reaches 7-9 years, ensuring a higher mean time between failures.

Other causes of failure include lightning, vibration, overheating due to clogged air filters, overheating of cables and reactors due to input power filters, and contact failure due to accumulation of deposits such as dust. Upgrading the firmware can help optimize performance.

Effective service plan

An effective service plan should include annual planned preventive maintenance visits for the UPS and its batteries and the deployment of on-demand emergency call facilities. Trained engineers and technicians should provide services 24/7 and need to ensure that they arrive on-site within the contractually agreed response time. These personnel should immediately receive comprehensive local spare parts inventory support and provide more in-depth technical support when needed.

Good management depends on analyzing the service contract based on the specific circumstances of each device. Professionals should be able to prevent UPS power failures through battery monitoring and impedance testing, remote monitoring with monthly trend reports, and 24/7 alarm notifications.

Service programs must be managed properly to ensure their effectiveness while maintaining accurate budget control. Tasks include keeping accurate monthly service records and replacement schedules that take time and budget into account. Once agreed upon, achieving recommended parts replacement cycles is very important.

Good management also depends on analyzing the service contract for each installation's specific environment; the type and size of the load, and the criticality to the business. Businesses need to consider questions such as: Is 24/7 service required, 365 days a year? Also, should parts and labor be included, or considered an additional expense? In practice, this typically does not include battery and capacitor parts and labor costs.

The number of preventive maintenance visits planned per year depends on the power system topology. Single-phase installations can be safely supported with one annual preventive maintenance visit, while three-phase systems require two visits per year. Preventive maintenance visit times are usually during normal working hours or on weekends, which should be stated by the company, while ensuring the response time frame.