The first thing to check is the full details of what is defined by the term “response time”. Some providers may simply fulfil this as a response either by email or telephone once a fault occurs. The logging of the issue on their system, an initial diagnosis of the fault and arrangements to attend site with the next available engineer may fulfil the “response time” criteria of their contract or service plan. During a site outage on a critical site, this would clearly be unacceptable and more common definition such as UPS Power Services’ is the “response time” being the to time taken between the issue being logged and an engineer arriving onsite to effect a repair. A hybrid of these definitions is an emergency “response time”, where if the response time is only met if the fault is an emergency. Care should be taken though as this is defined by the provider. Usually an emergency fault is one that could affect the connected load, so power being off, UPS running on battery or bypass mode would trigger the despatch of an engineer to site within the response time, however a general alarm, battery test failure or communications issue would not. It would be prudent to check how the “response time” is defined by your current UPS Service provider, along with any associated caveats.

The term “best endeavours” should be used to refer to the service provider using best endeavours for the arrival of an engineer to site within the response time. This would be usual where a guaranteed response to site may not be available, perhaps if the site is located a fair distance from a major city or in a remote part of Scotland for example. Should the engineering resource not be available locally, another engineer could be sent from further away to attend site in the best endeavours of the provider to meet the response time. It may also be used as an agreement to attend site except where travel is severely disrupted, perhaps in the case of adverse travel conditions or a national disaster influencing movement around the area or country. A “best endeavours” response is normally more cost effective than a guaranteed response as there is no penalty in the event of late or non-attendance. UPS Power Services provide both options dependant on budget and site location, however we will not guarantee anything that we cannot achieve.

A UPS manufacturer warranty will normally cover defective manufacture parts during the warranty from installation, for a period one, two or three years. If the UPS has been commissioned or is hardwired this may also include onsite labour cover, smaller units such as 1-3kVA are normally RTB (return to base). However the time to effect the repair is not guaranteed. Also, any issues and faults caused by site or user conditions such as incorrect loading or poor environment would not be covered by a warranty. So, if you require a guaranteed repair time (even where parts are covered under warranty) a service plan or maintenance contract will still be required while the UPS is under warranty. If you have a UPS which is under a return to base warranty, but it is impractical to do so, then a Service Plan would also be advisable. Also, to ensure the UPS does not become defective due to its environment or due to poor operation then a Service Plan would be of benefit. UPS Power Services provide Service Plan options whether or not the UPS is covered by a manufacturers warranty.

Yes, if new, all batteries are provided with a manufacturer warranty sometimes for up to five years. However, it is commonly accepted that the batteries are the weakest single point of the UPS system and therefore have to be treated with the upmost of care. Should a battery fault occur during the warranty period, then the manufacturer will normally require service records showing the environment has been maintained inline with the technical recommendations. The ambient temperatures (over a full year) along with details of sufficient airflow around and between the battery blocks should be proven. The charge voltage, charge current, ripple voltage along with number and length of discharge cycles the batteries have experienced, can also be requested to successfully receive replacement batteries under the manufacturers warranty. All of these measurements, checks and details are recorded during a commissioning and battery service visit from UPS Power Services. To maintain your battery warranty, ensure they are correctly checked and records are maintained. UPS Power Services only work with reputable battery manufacturers such as Yuasa who have decades of experience in the UPS standby battery industry.