Printers draw a very large amount of power when in use and it is not advised that they be provided with UPS backup power because it is not economical. Many UPS's for desktop use surge protected only outlets that do not provide backup power. These surge only ports is where laser printers should be plugged in, since laser printers are plugged into outlets that do not use the UPS battery. If these surge only ports are not available on your UPS, consider using a power strip for the printer, directly plugged to a wall outlet.

In an effort to keep our offerings at low discounted prices, by request of our customers we do not include serial interface cables or software with our refurbished UPS units. They are not necessary for UPS functionality and including them would result in an unneeded increase in price. If you needed, serial cables may be purchased seperately from our accessories section, while the latest Powerchute software is available as free download from APC’s website. www.apcc.com

In an effort to keep our offerings at low discounted prices, by request of our customers we do not include Rail Kits with Rack Mount UPS's. All Rack Mount UPS's do come with rack ears for mounting. If a four post rail kit is required for your UPS installation, they may be purchased seperately from our accessories section.

The only difference between a SmartUPS and a SmartUPS Net unit is that the Net unit when purchased new, comes with the PowerChute software. In regards to Refurbished units, both are the same. RefurbUPS does not send out any additional software as it is a free download from APC’s website.

We currently focus primarily on the APC UPS market and offer select other manurfacturers such as Compaq UPS, etc.

If it is an APC or Compaq UPS, we will have the Replacement Battery Kit to meet your needs. If you do not see or find the correct battery replacement for your unit, please feel free to contact us either via phone (866-883-9200), Live Chat, or email: sales@refurbups.com.

The power drawn by computing equipment is expressed in Watts or Volt-Amps (VA). The power in Watts is the real power drawn by the equipment. Volt-Amps is called the "apparent power" and is the product of the voltage applied to the equipment times the current drawn by the equipment. Both Watt and VA ratings have a use and purpose. The Watt rating determines the actual power purchased from the utility company and the heat loading generated by the equipment. The VA rating is used for sizing wiring and circuit breakers.

The VA and Watt ratings for some types of electrical loads, like incandescent light bulbs, are identical. However, for computer equipment the Watt and VA ratings can differ significantly, with the VA rating always being equal to or larger than the Watt rating. The ratio of the Watt to VA rating is called the "Power Factor" and is expressed either as a number (i.e. 0.7) or a percentage (i.e. 70%:).

The power rating of the UPS have both Watt ratings and VA ratings. Neither the Watt nor the VA rating of a UPS may be exceeded. In most cases, UPS manufacturers only publish the VA rating of the UPS. However, it is a standard in the industry that the Watt rating is approximately 60%: of the VA rating, this being the typical power factor of common loads. Therefore, it is safe to assume that the Watt rating of the UPS is 60% of the published VA rating.

A UPS is the life support system for your systems. It protects against the combined risks of data loss and hardware damage resulting from daily power fluctuations and losses. These events are routine and uncontrollable, and without a UPS can affect your operations and bottom-line costs.

UPS batteries are typically rated for 3-5 years or 200 complete full-load discharge cycles assuming that the batteries have been maintained within manufacturer specifications. We recommend that UPS batteries be replaced every 2 to 3 years to insure maximun performance in time of need.

Sizing a UPS for a PC or workstation can be simple. As with any electrical device, a computer has a rating plate that will give the power consumption, usually listed as "amps".

In an effort to make this as easy as possible for our customers, we have created our own UPS Sizing Calculator (Click Here to Use) which will gather all of your required information and forward it to one of our protection specialists who will then be able to help you choose the best UPS for your situation.

A UPS is sized by VA, or Volt Amps. To determine the VA, multiply the amps by the 120 (volts) to determine the VA (Volts x Amps = VA). Be sure to allow for at least a 20% growth factor. If you need further assistance with this, please feel free to contact us either via phone (866-883-9200), Live Chat, or email: sales@refurbups.com

For most UPS functions the answer is no. But remember, if a power outage lasts longer than the battery hold-up time, the UPS is only postponing the inevitable crash. For prolonged outages, a shutdown utility can be installed on the protected computer. This utility will communicate with the UPS and, after a set period of time which you determine, take control of the computer and shut it down gracefully, avoiding a system crash.

A sizing chart for Cisco equipment may be found by clicking here, or you can use our UPS Sizing Calculator for Cisco Equipment to have one of our specialists help you choose the best UPS for your situation.

Placing your order online with RefurbUPS is safe and easy. Simply browse through our product line and add to secure shopping cart the items you wish. When complete, you will be directed to the checkout area and will have entered our secure server. It is now safe to complete the checkout forms with shipping and billing information. Submit the forms and you will receive an email confirmation with the option of a printable receipt.

Yes! Our on-line ordering system uses the latest in Secure Encryption Technology available. All personal and credit card information is submitted with the highest level of security and precautions. Our system also has safeguards in place to protect against credit card fraud.

Yes. We have created our new site to have customer login so that we can offer special offers to our valued customers and help you save more on your power protection requirements.

Yes, we sell to all organizations. We accept Purchase orders or Credit card purchases as well.

We accept the following credit cards such as Visa, American Express and Master Card. We also accept Purchase Orders and Company Checks from qualifying companies and organizations.

Yes, you can order over the phone, but our best deals are here on the website. If you need to place an order or need to talk to a power Protection Specialist, you can call us at 866-883-9200.

There are many ways to contact us about your order. You can either call us by phone (866-883-9200), Live Chat with us, or send us an email: sales@refurbups.com

You will receive a confirmation email when the order is placed. Or you can login to your E-account to view account information, orders and history.

You will receive a Shipping confirmation Invoice email with tracking information once the order is shipped. Or you can login to your E-account to check the status.

You can login to your E-account to check and track the status.

Certain UPS require the battery to be disconnected for shipment in compliance with Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations. See the battery connection instructions included with unit.

Our UPS are shipped with the standard maurfacturer input plugs. Many of these units are made for data center facilities which use twist lock outlets. This prevented the UPS from being accidentally unplugged. Plug type can easily be changed and plugs can be purchased from any local hardware and/or electrical supply store. If there is a specific plug type you need, just let us know in the comments section of the order form when placing your order. Please note that SmartUPS 3000's Rack Mount come with an 30A Twist-Lock plug. This can only be changed to a 20A twist-lock plug if needed.

We have the 940-0024C SmartUPS signaling cables available in our "Accessories" section. Please note that this cable is available for use with "SmartUPS" only!

When loads exceed the UPS's rated VA(volt-amp) or Watt capacity, the overload LED will illuminate and the UPS will emit a continuous tone. The alarm remains on until the overload is removed.

Disconnect nonessential load equipment from the UPS to eliminate the overload.

If the overload is severe, the input circuit breaker may trip (the resettable center plunger of the circuit breaker pops out). Disconnect nonessential load equipment from the UPS to eliminate the overload and press the plunger back in.

If there is AC power and the overload is not so severe as to trip the UPS circuit breaker, then the loads will still be powered. If the circuit breaker trips or the UPS attempts to transfer to battery in an overload condition, the load's power will be shut off. Turn the UPS off then back on to power the loads.

If the Overload LED remains illuminated even without any load plugged into the UPS, the UPS has most likely sustained a surge or fault, and will need to be replaced. Contact RefurbUPS Technical Support to resolve the problem.

The equipment attached to a Smart-UPS can be dropped or caused to reboot due to any of the following reasons:

1) Battery connection is loose or disconnected - If the battery connection is not secure the battery power will be unreliable. Verify that the internal battey connections are secure.

2) Unit is Overloaded - Each UPS is limited in the amount of equipment that can be plugged into it. The number in the model number of the UPS tells you the Volt-Amp (VA) limit of your specific model. (The exact model number can be found on a white bar-code sticker on the rear of the unit.) For example, a SU420NET is capable of handling 420 Volt Amps being plugged into the UPS. Determine if your UPS is capable of handling the amount of equipment you have plugged into it.

If the UPS is severely overloaded, the UPS may shutdown and/or the unit's resettable circuit breaker will trip. The unit must do this in order to protect it's internal circuitry. This will cause all the equipment connected to the UPS to power off. If the circuit breaker is tripped (it will stick out about a quarter of an inch to a half inch), turn the unit off and push the breaker back in with your finger. Reduce the load and power back up. Ensure that you only have "data-sensitive" equipment plugged into the UPS. Peripheral devices, such as printers, copiers, fax machines, and table lamps, ought to be connected to a separate APC surge strip. This will help to prevent unnecessary loading of the UPS.

3) The UPS exhausted its available battery power - The UPS can only supply battery power for a limited time before the unit must shutdown to protect itself from totally discharging. In some cases, depending on the size of the load and the size of the UPS's batteries, the UPS may only have a few minutes of battery power. If the UPS didn't shutdown when it reached a low battery condition, the unit would become incapable of recharging its batteries. Try to determine if the UPS had been on battery shortly before the load shutdown. Keep in mind that while normal power may seem to exist, many power problems are transparent or invisible to a user. These unforeseen power problems, such as voltage waveshape distortion, Harmonic Distortion, and frequency variances, will cause the UPS to go to battery. You may have found that your UPS has been going to battery but only for a very short amount of time. So, what may be happening is that it is going to battery frequently enough that the unit has not had enough time to recharge. Eventually, then, the UPS will shutdown (and drops your load). Try letting the unit recharge by leaving it plugged into the wall and turned on (with no load attached) for 4-6 hours or so.

4) The incorrect serial cable is connected when using APC's optional shutdown software - The serial cable attached to the Computer Interface (COM) Port on the back of the Smart-UPS is not the correct cable. To verify this, the part number is located on the connector end of the cable that attaches into the UPS COM port.
Note: Unix, Novell, OS/2, Windows NT, Windows 95, and Windows 98 all use the 940-0024C serial cable to communicate with PowerChute Plus in Smart signaling. AS/400 uses the 940-0006A cable with the native AS/400 shutdown.

5). An RS-232 serial cable is connected to the UPS, although no UPS shutdown software is installed - Check to see if the serial cable is attached to the Server/Workstation communications port without PowerChute plus installed or running and configured correctly. If PowerChute plus is installed and not configured properly or running, any activity at the Server/Workstation communications port could send a false signal to the Smart-UPS thus causing it to shutdown and reboot.

Smart-UPS protect data by supplying network-grade battery backup when power fails. Computer hardware is protected and system life extended through superior full-time multistage surge suppression and noise filtering. The Smart-UPS can switch to on-battery operation as a result of power disturbances or software initiated commands. There is a common misperception that a Smart-UPS will use its battery based only on voltage fluctuations. The following list provides the possible causes for a Smart-UPS switching to battery operation, along with a brief definition of each.

No Voltage (Blackout): A total loss of utility power.

Low Voltage (Brownout): A decrease in voltage levels.

High Voltage (Over Voltage): A surge is a short-term increase in voltage. A spike is an instantaneous dramatic increase in voltage.

Total Harmonic Distortion (THD): Periodic distortion of the sine wave. Harmonics add to the fundamental frequency in magnitude.

Change in Voltage (dv/dt): Rapidly changing voltage. If the voltage increases or decreases rapidly, the Smart-UPS will transfer to battery because the Smart-UPS does not know how high or how low the voltage will go.

Frequency Changes (Hz): Deviation from the nominal 60Hz in North America.

Before concluding that the Smart-UPS is malfunctioning merely because it is operating on battery, be sure to consider all of the above possibilities.

Yes, it is. You can safely turn off your computer equipment and APC unit when you're not using them. As long as your equipment is correctly connected to an APC UPS or APC SurgeArrest/SurgeStation, your equipment will be protected from physical hardware damage caused by surges and spikes.

The Site Wiring Fault LED light is only present on 120V UPS products. On APC UPS products this indicator is typically on the rear panel. The purpose of this indicator light is to warn you that there are problems with your building wiring that may result in a shock hazard.

RefurbUPS recommends that you have a qualified electrician inspect your wiring for one or more of the conditions listed below.

Reasons why the Site Wiring LED light will illuminate:

1. Overloaded neutral wire.
2. Reversed polarity (hot and neutral wires are reversed).
3. Missing ground wire.

If the outlet that the APC UPS unit is plugged into is not properly grounded or properly wired, the surge protection capability of the unit may be diminished. Therefore, please be sure that the APC unit is only plugged into a properly grounded outlet where the Site Wiring Fault Indicator (SWFI) light is not illuminated.

All of APC's UPSs with the exception of the Matrix-UPS and the Symmetra Power Array have a small red LED light that is called a SWFI. On some UPS models, this LED is referred to as the Building Wiring Fault Indicator. Both have the same function. On most UPS models, the light is located on the rear of the unit near where the output receptacles are located.