[NMLUG] OT: UPS Questions

[Ed Heron]

From: Tim Emerick

>Hey Gang.  Sorry for the off-topic question but I really respect the
>input from this group.
>
>I am looking at purchasing 50-60 small UPS's to put on each of our
>computers here at the office.  Power is a little sketchy and with folks
>pluggin in space heaters left and right it seems to do wacky things to
>the PC's.

  Considering space heaters can use 1500watts or more, there isn't
much left for your computers.  I run into this problem in the winter, all
of the time.  The space heaters are causing brown-outs from the
perspective of the computers.  There are several ways of handling this.

  One, close business.  People are never going to care that their space
heater is causing problems.  Give it up and go home.  OK, this choice
is a non-choice, but I gotta throw it out there as a general expression of
frustration with my users.

  Two, turn up heat and outlaw/confiscate space heaters.  This is the
most immediate solution.  Unfortunately, I bet a car dealership is a
very drafty place.  Even heating is probably a problem and I don't
know how much additional heating is going to cost.

  Three, rewire office so there are dedicated computer circuits.  Use
orange plugs so people can see the difference.  Tell them they can only
plug computer equipment into the orange outlets.  Occasionally, perform
spot audits to verify compliance.  This choice assumes the power issue
is not a systemic building issue and only exists on some circuits.  This
can be expensive, but is long lasting.

  Four, buy inexpensive UPS's.  I'm pretty sure low-end UPS's switch
completely when a brown-out occurs, so they will probably be switching
often.  During extended brown-outs, the UPS may stay on battery for
long periods, which could conceivably exhaust the battery.  The UPS
purchasing process would have to be repeated about every 3-5 years.

  Five, install a single large conditioner/UPS or a series of mid-range ones
and wire the computer outlets from this UPS location.  I think this is the
best solution, albeit probably the most expensive.  It incorporates option
three and four and the associated costs.

  No matter which option you choose, one of these, or an alternative one,
it is probably going to involve much banging of heads, primarily yours.

  Good Luck!