In this Nationwide Power™ (NP™) case study, we highlight the importance of following your service provider’s age-based components. The most common age-based components are batteries (every 3-5 years), fans (every 5 years), capacitors (every 5-7 years), and air filters (annually as needed). This case study specifically looks at the GE SG Series 80kVA.
| Product | SG Series 80kVA UPS |
| Application | Aeronautics |
| Synopsis | An existing customer placed a service call stating their GE SG 80kVA had a blown fuse, the load was lost, and they could not get the unit into bypass. |
| Preliminary Actions | Initial phone troubleshooting was not able to place the unit back online, so one of our Critical Power Professionals™ (CPPs™) was dispatched and on site in less than one hour. |
| Resolution | Upon arrival, our CPP found the unit was in maintenance bypass supporting the load. In the alarm history, there was a blown DC fuses alarm. He placed the unit into internal bypass and powered the unit off with the load in bypass. Troubleshooting indicated that all battery fuses were good, however all 6 DC capacitor fuses were blown. Checking the capacitor date code showed that the capacitors were manufactured in 2014 (8-years old). The age-based replacement recommendation for capacitors is manufacturer-specific, between 5-7 years. Fortunately, Nationwide Power made age-based recommendations to replace the DC capacitors and all fans from prior maintenance inspections. The customer followed our expert advice, and the DC capacitors and fans were already on site waiting for a maintenance window to install. As a precaution, the CPP also requested that a replacement power interface board and rectifier board be sent to the site, in the event they were also damaged at the time of failure. This would minimize the risk of a return trip and increased downtime in the event there was additional damage. All parts were replaced during a maintenance window and the UPS was placed back online and supporting the load. |
| Root Cause | Following the timely replacement of your service provider’s age-based recommendations is critical to minimizing unnecessary downtime. Too often, the downtime incurred will cost more than the recommended replacements. While not perfect in timing, having parts on site and ready to be replaced at least reduced the downtime in this case. Preventive maintenance and age-based recommendations are meant to PREVENT costly downtime. |
| Additional Reading | https://nationwidepower.com/news/case-study-145-another-reason-why-preventive-maintenance-is-so-important-liebert-nx-40kva/ https://nationwidepower.com/news/case-study-146-when-to-upgrade-or-repair-a-ups-system-eaton-9315-ups-system/ |
