The Importance of Site Surveys for Uninterruptible Power Supplies and Standby Power Systems

Posted on January 22, 2012 by admin

Guaranteeing uninterrupted power has never been more important for facilities managers. A site survey, early in the specification process, is vital for a successful Uninterruptible Power Supply UPS installation and future business continuity.

Above 5kVA, a reputable UPS supplier will usually recommend a site survey. For such installations, the site generally requires a little more thought about health and safety risk assessments, method statements, logistics and floor loadings, electrical installation, remote monitoring, environment and aftercare. Below 5kVA, surveys are less usual unless there are specific installation issues, such as those associated with long runtime battery packs.

Site survey is integral to successful UPS selection. For facilities teams, intent on optimum business continuity, site surveys should be an integral part of the pre-sale process. They offer the perfect opportunity to discuss the uninterruptible power supply installation with the manufacturer’s technical energy consultant (TEC). Trust and communication established at this stage often sets the pattern for a successful relationship.

A key part of UPS specification involves identifying both critical, essential and non-essential loads. It’s an inherently complex task that inevitably draws on site observations as well as theoretical data. Significantly, there’s a distinct difference between the power ratings on rear panel labels and those in operating manuals; that’s why ascertaining actual load ratings involves measuring the values drawn from the local distribution panel. This type of assessment is hard to achieve without specialist uninterrupted power knowledge and a site visit.

An overview of applications and equipment. Similarly, Power over Ethernet (PoE) applications often require upgraded capacity. With the criticality of certain applications dictating the degree of protection required, network managers need a sound overview of applications and equipment. During the site survey, a comprehensive network overview can establish this alongside highlighting how it is departmentalised. For example, if one component is shut down, how many other departments will continue to enjoy uninterrupted power?

With every square metre having to earn its keep, space planning is vital. This requires comprehensive understanding of current and planned loads and their role in business continuity. It is particularly important for a high-density datacenter and requires careful consideration of existing and future cooling and power requirements. The significance of the trade-off between uninterruptible power supply footprints (UPS and batteries) and revenue-earning hardware should not be ignored. Should server space be given over to UPS and batteries or should they be housed elsewhere?

A supplier that truly understands. When specifying UPS for uninterrupted power, everyone wants to avoid the risks of over- or under-specification. A site survey, enabling exploration of power protection needs, can help avoid this. An optimally specified uninterruptible power supply solution can only be procured from a supplier that truly understands the subject, an organisation’s vulnerabilities, complexities and business continuity objectives – hard to achieve without visits and site surveys.

In many ways, the science of uninterrupted power is less about electrical engineering than the dynamics of departmental interaction. Not least, it’s about the increased susceptibility to power issues of remote loads at the edge of the grid. Not only are power cuts more frequent here, but problems such as sags and surges too. A thorough site survey, allied to proven UPS technology, is essential. It also provides the structure for good documentation going forward, which in today’s dynamic and fast-moving business environments is a must.

A partnership supported by thorough site survey. Last but not least are the challenges of location, architecture and site availability. As well as creating site-specific needs, failure to properly understand the implications of these could jeopardise installation, UPS operation, maintenance of uninterrupted power and business continuity. Physical location of a UPS, the means of accessing its location, load-bearing capabilities and working regimes during and after installation are all better understood from on-site.

Designing, installing and operating UPS for uninterrupted power may seem complicated. It needn’t be, with support from a suitably experienced vendor and proper preparation. For a start, there’s The Power Protection Guide, written by power continuity experts Robin Koffler and Jason Yates of Riello UPS and published by entiveon, with its detailed information on designing and implementing secure power continuity. The next step is to enter into a consultative partnership with a reputable manufacturer and get them to site to fully understand the business continuity challenges.

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Drinking Water Filter Systems – Which Water System is Best For Your Home?

Posted on January 22, 2012 by admin

The drinking water that enters our home can contain as many as 2000 contaminants and impurities. Water companies treat the water with chlorine that kill some pollutants but leaves the water containing chlorine which is known to be an extremely harmful substance. In order to make the water safe for us and our families to drink, a drinking water filter system is an essential household item.

Very few people are lucky enough to have a supply of natural, pure and clean water to our homes which in its purest form contains many minerals that are beneficial to our health.

We rely on the water companies to treat the water in order eliminate some of the contaminants it may well contain. The water is treated using chlorine at the water treatment plant so that any small organisms and bacteria can be killed off, and then it is sent through a water filter system to remove any particles.

Unfortunately the public water purification system is not enough to eliminate the majority of impurities that find their way into our homes via the faucet which is why a home drinking water filter system is necessary.

Apart from the chlorine introduced by the water company, a recent study revealed that over 2000 chemicals have been found in drinking water that has not been through some sort of home drinking water filter system. Metals, bacteria and other living organisms along with various types of sediments have also been found in the general water supply.

There are different methods used in a home water purification system, but the first step is to decide how much and where you wish the water to be delivered.

Water Jug

The simplest and smallest of the systems we are discussing in this article. It does not cost much and does not require any installation. It will supply you with a small amount of pure drinking water after being passed through a carbon filter. Each jug can hold between 2 and 3 liters.

Point Of Use Filters (Under the Sink or Counter Top)

These are slightly more expensive than the water jugs and you need to attach these to the faucet on the sink in your home. If you place one in the kitchen then this will be the only one which is supplied with filtered water. But like with the water jugs the carbon filter contained in this system will need to be replaced periodically.

Point of Entry System (Whole House Filters)

Of all the systems this is the most expensive but is the most comprehensive and efficient of them all. The carbon filter through which water will pass into your home is attached to the mains water supply along with a number of other sophisticated filters.

So what this means is that no matter which faucet you turn on you will be supplied with filtered clean water that you can drink. Even the water in your toilet will have passed through this system.

One more advantage to be had from installing this drinking water filter system is that the water supplied into your home is much softer. This means that the buildup of lime scale in the pipes etc. is much less and so the chances of them becoming corroded or damaged is reduced.

So not only will your family be thanking you for giving them great water, but it will increase the lifespan of appliances in your home that need it as well.

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Reverse Osmosis Water Filter Systems for Your Home

Posted on January 22, 2012 by admin

A new concern today that some water filter systems have not addressed is chloramines, a by-product of 9/11 when authorities began calling for more chlorine in water supplies to counter bio-terrorism. This additive is fast becoming a super-toxin threat in our water. Created by the combination of chlorine and ammonia, this powerful compound being added to most municipal water supplies is not only a serious threat to our health, but if not filtered out using a reverse osmosis water filter system prior to reaching interior plumbing, could cause an unrivaled corrosive capacity that homeowners have not had to contend with before.

Reverse Osmosis Water Filter Systems use pressurization through Reverse Osmosis membranes in home and commercial water filter systems to produce filtered water as essentially pure as distilled water. Reverse Osmosis filter systems provide the purest drinking water and the safest non-mineralized water for use in machinery and household and kitchen appliances. Reverse osmosis water filter systems can lengthen the life of kitchen appliances by filtering out chemicals that can clog or corrode met and plastic pipes and tubing downstream from the RO system.

Filtered water leaving most municipal water supply systems still contains some dissolved particles and other substances that can enter homes and businesses if not blocked by water filter systems. This became apparent recently when the evening news carried a report that one odd tap water sample tested positive for pharmaceutical and hormone residues. This sparked similar testing and also similar results in municipal water authorities across the country. When confused municipal water executives were then questioned as to how something like this could possibly have happened, it turned out it was quite simple. No one even expected that such a problem could have existed in municipal water, so routine tests being done on water supplies did not include a test to determine such residues.

Chloramines can slowly destroy water pipes in the basement and walls, and metal and plastic seals and tubing in kitchen appliances from ice maker water filters to the water filters in espresso machines. The dangers chloramines present may change the entire face of water filtration technology and purification systems in the future.

High chlorine levels after 9/11 manifested in residents complaining of irritated skin, hair, and lungs. Investigations unearthed bacteria forming bioshields in piping and resisting chlorine’s purification power, and brought out the fact that chlorine in water produces carcinogenic trihalomethanes (THMs). The only answer seemed to be combining chlorine and ammonia, creating chloramines. This allowed the use of much less chlorine and lowered the levels of THMs while still provided plenty of muscle against bacteria and bioterrorism threats.

Multi-stage Reverse Osmosis systems like the Watts Pure Water Filter System can filter out such dangerous corrosives and many other water-borne chemicals from reaching the drinking water of homes and business, protecting costly appliances like coffee machines. The Watts Pure Water Filter system can include a 5-micron sediment filter to trap sand and rust, a 5-micron carbon filter to catch chlorine and other substances that can affect taste, a 5-micron carbon pre-filter to block chlorine from entering the RO system, and the RO Membrane which completely removes dissolved solids such as sodium, perchlorate, chromium, arsenic, copper, and lead. The Watts Pure Water Filter system also removes infectious cysts such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium.

A Reverse Osmosis GAC final filter is a final polishing filter used as the water leaves the storage tank on its way to the faucet. Pure Water filter systems are Reverse Osmosis filtering systems that provide pure, demineralized water to a home or business without the concern of corrosive chemicals, heavy metals, or pharmaceutical residues getting inside. Protect your home and protect yourself with the safest form of water filtration available, a Watts Reverse Osmosis Water Filter System. 

 

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