Tips and Tricks

Back Up Your Home with an Uninterrupted Power Supply

Written by John Sims
September 5, 2018
uninterrupted power supply on floor

Rural areas throughout the United States frequently encounter electrical difficulties.  Often, utility companies find animal-damaged lines costing billions of dollars in repairs.  You can help your electrical provider prevent outages simply and humanely with innovative solutions from Critter Guard.  However, if you're considering other alternatives for when the inevitable outage occurs, an uninterrupted power supply might be the solution!

What is an Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS)?

Uninterrupted power supplies, or UPS, are battery backups designed for short-term power outages.  They range in capacity from small, single-device batteries to large, whole-house solutions.

What are the Benefits?

Depending on the type of UPS selected, a UPS can:

  • Protect electrical systems and devices from power surges
  • Minimize shorting out in electronics
  • Prevent devices from shutting down suddenly (due to a loss of power), resulting in loss of important files
  • Power appliances until your generator kicks in or for a few hours by itself

How does it Work?

A UPS acts as a bridge between your main power supply and your devices.  There are three types of UPS, and each interacts differently in the way it draws and distributes power.

Standby or “offline” UPS drain a small amount of AC power from your main supply, converting and storing it as DC electricity.  Devices receive power as usual from the grid until an outage prompts the UPS battery to turn on and provide power.

Line Interactive UPS ensure that your electronics or appliances receive the perfect amount of voltage at all times by regulating the rise and fall in voltage.  When the power disconnects, your electronics will run directly on battery power.

Online UPS prevents devices from ever interacting with the grid.  This type of UPS recycles the power it receives from your utility, allowing the UPS to charge and provide power at the same time. As with all UPS, it turns on the moment your power drops out. 

What to Look For in a UPS

To ensure the correct model for your power needs, check the following specifications:

  • Storage size
  • Voltage requirements
  • Warranty
  • Efficiency
  • Environmental ratings (operating temperatures for whole-house UPS)

No matter how much protection you have, outages can end up costing time and money.  Contact us to find out how to prevent outages due to critters from happening in the first place.