Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) systems are often the unsung heroes of modern infrastructure. They silently stand guard, ensuring crucial systems stay powered during outages, without ever drawing attention to themselves, until something goes wrong. Without a properly maintained UPS system in place, the consequences can be severe, from downtime and lost productivity to costly repairs and data breaches. That’s why maintaining your UPS isn’t just a best practice, it’s an absolute necessity.
In this blog, we’ll dive into the crucial role SFG20 plays in UPS maintenance, why specialist expertise is vital, and how adhering to this framework helps ensure both optimal system performance and full compliance.
Why Battery Maintenance is Essential for UPS Systems
UPS systems rely on functional batteries to maintain operations during power outages. Regular maintenance minimises risks such as UPS failure, non-compliance, and costly service disruptions.
UPS systems are critical to maintaining power continuity in environments where uptime is essential, such as data centres, hospitals, industrial facilities, airports and offices. These systems rely on functional batteries to provide backup power during electrical outages, ensuring that operations and equipment remain uninterrupted until the primary power source is restored.
SFG20 and Battery Maintenance
SFG20 is a widely recognised maintenance standard developed by the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA). It provides customisable schedules for Planned Preventive Maintenance (PPM), helping ensure system efficiency, longevity, and compliance. When applied to battery maintenance, integrating SFG20 guidelines with manufacturer recommendations creates a comprehensive maintenance strategy that ensures every aspect of the UPS system, including its batteries, is regularly and thoroughly checked, tested, and maintained.
Key Areas of SFG20 Battery Maintenance
So, we know why UPS battery maintenance is so important, but what checks need to be performed to ensure peak performance when it’s needed most?
Visual Inspection: Physical damage (cracks, dents, or bulging cases), corrosion around terminals, leaks (especially from lead-acid batteries), and swelling (indicating overcharging or thermal issues) can compromise battery integrity, performance, and safety.
Voltage and Performance Testing: Voltage testing (to check for faulty cells), load testing (to ensure it can supply power under load), internal resistance testing (to detect ageing or damage), and capacity testing (to verify it holds charge and performs at expected levels).
Electrolyte Levels: For wet-cell or flooded batteries, maintaining the correct electrolyte level is essential to prevent internal damage, overheating, corrosion, sulfation, and reduced battery life. If levels are low, they should be topped up with distilled water (never tap water) to avoid further damage.
Temperature Monitoring: Temperature significantly impacts battery performance and lifespan, with excessive heat causing overheating, thermal runaway (especially in lithium-ion batteries), capacity loss, and degradation. Temperature sensors should be used to monitor and maintain the battery within the recommended range, and cooling systems may be needed in high-demand or enclosed environments.
Cleaning: Regular cleaning of the battery and its components is essential to prevent dust, dirt, and corrosion buildup.
Calibration: Proper calibration of the charging system and Battery Management System (BMS) ensures they function correctly, with the charging rate and voltage aligned to battery specifications to prevent overcharging or undercharging.
Replacement and Disposal: Proper calibration of the charging systems and Battery Management System (BMS) is crucial for efficient operation and optimal battery life. This includes verifying the charging system delivers the correct voltage and current, ensuring the BMS monitors key parameters like voltage, temperature, and state of charge, and periodically resetting or reprogramming the BMS if needed after maintenance or correcting discrepancies.
These are just some of the key elements of UPS battery maintenance. Given the intricacies involved, only those with specialist UPS skills must perform these checks. While SFG20 guidance suggests electricians can handle UPS maintenance, a general electrician may not have the training or experience to perform precise diagnostics or identify specific issues, so the UPS might not perform at the optimum level required when it’s needed most.
How BCL Power Supports SFG20 Compliance
At BCL Power, we specialise in UPS battery testing and maintenance, ensuring your systems remain safe, efficient, and compliant with SFG20 standards. Our tailored recommendations after each service visit to ensure optimal performance and compliance. By taking out a UPS maintenance package with BCL Power, you can take advantage of our dedicated support team all year round.
Battery maintenance isn’t just about following guidelines, it’s about safeguarding your operations. Contact BCL Power to learn how our SFG20-aligned solutions can keep your systems running smoothly.