Extension Cord & Battery Backup-UPS

As that UPS only draws about 5 amps, I would use it with a 16 gauge extention cord or power strip that is less than 10 feet and not give it a second thought. With all the lawsuits out the companies just have to try their best to protect theirselves with all kind of warnings.

Ive done that with my 550VA UPS for years without any problem whatever. The battery lasted almost 9 years before replacement even though I had set the sensitivity to "high". And, the OEM battery replacement is doing just fine as well after more than 1 year. Your mileage may vary.

Mine says UPS 450 and I have it plugged into a surge protector strip. Several years ago on a clear day down the road the high tension line shorted to the low tension and blew out every surge protector in my house. I was on the computer at the time and suffered no ill effects with it but the surge protector was blown.

Wade-

To be sure, you could plug the UPS directly into the remote outlet. Use the extension cords on its output side.

Fred

I think they don't want a surge suppressor because the UPS probably has one built in that is better quality than in a power strip, and it's counter to one's goal for a some other surge protector to be interrupting what's intended to be uninterruptible.

OTOH, the warning against extension cords is probalby one step from silly. I have had extension cords that barely squeeze the plugs that go in them, and that separate when even slightly pulled, but your two cords don't come apart, there's nothing wrong with extension cords.

I'd rather lose the surge protection of a $10 surge protector than that of a $50 APC.

Is the UPS cord removeable? or is it a crappy APC?On my Powerware I just got a 10 foot business machine cord (awg16). You can use an extention cord if you have to - I like the heavy (#14) air conditioner extention cords - and fasten the cords together with a couple loops of zip-tie so the cords can't separate. Do NOT plug it into a surge protector (or a multi-outlet cord)

Play it safe and use a dedicated 14 gauge extension cord such as one designed for an air conditioner. You will not have a problem and you can sleep at night not having to worry if you did the right thing.

If the outlet on the power strip would start to melt, the circuit breaker on it would not offer any protection.

You have a point, but otoh if the surge protector of the strip will work in the first place, then after the surge protector of the UPS blows, you can bypass it and use the one in the strip.

Thanks for the input and great suggestions. I've made the problems go away though.

Slick talker that I am, I convinced my wife we needed to move the computer desk to where I had originally wanted it, rather than where her "decorator's eye" determined it needed to be living these past many years.

Oh, look- a 20 amp double-duplex outlet right there...

GREAT!

The configuration to avoid is having a surge protector downstream (plugged into the output) of a UPS. The stepped sine wave that most UPS units produce when running on battery will look to many surge protectors like voltage spikes that need to be grounded, resulting in excess battery drain on the UPS.

Not using battery when on AC.

Still though, I would not use an inexpensive plastic power strip for any device drawing a lot of current.

Because they are the ones who want to make life better for people, and the other side is willing to have people live by the law of the jungle.

What other law is there?

When seconds count, the police are only minutes away.

If you live out in the country or in the inner city, maybe an hour or so away. When the police get there to write up their report, I want to be telling them my side of the story, not laying there outlined in chalk.