Recommendations for a small, short-term UPS

[Tiger62]

I'm in the market for a UPS that is only big enough to iron-out the short-term power transients... my HR21/AM21 reboots with every flicker. I don't need a UPS with much run-time at all, and the physically-smaller, the better, since I don't have much space in the glass-front credenza. Any recommendations will be appreciated. The HR21 and the AM21 will be the only loads.

[rudeney]

You’re probably going to have to use alarger (350VA) unit. I tried putting the HR20 in my kitchen on a small 180VA unit and it “beeps”, telling me that it’s overloaded.

[Grentz]

Something like a 350 - 500VA unit should be plenty.

Take a look at www.refurbups.com

They have great service and prices, plus the units are refurbs, but the batteries are new (really all that matters as UPS units are very simple).

Remember the bigger the unit, the more runtime you will get even with a small load.

[techrep]

This unit is very small but, you will not get much run time out of it.

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/APC-UPS-Surge-Protector/sem/rpsm/oid/134571/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do?cc_fm=Similar+Items+Mod

[HDJulie]

We have an APC Backup ES 550 that we've hooked to 2 HR20-700's. We get a power blip at least 3 times a month & wanted to keep them from rebooting. The UPS works great for those times. It will keep the units powered for about 15 or 20 minutes when the lights go out for real. Works great.

[FHSPSU67]

How about this at Ciruit City:
http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/APC-UPS-Surge-Protector-BE325R/sem/rpsm/oid/134571/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do
or this at Amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/APC-BE350R-350VA-Back-UPS/dp/B000BFYPM8

[Bob Coxner]

The BE550R gets *much* better reviews on Amazon. I have two and they work great.

http://www.amazon.com/APC-BE550R-Back-UPS-8-Outlet-Battery/dp/B000KBG51W/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1219606768&sr=8-1

If you have a Costco nearby, they usually carry this model for $40. You can't beat that with a stick.

Whichever size you choose, I would recommend going with the APC brand.

[Grentz]

Good brands for APCs are:
APC
Cyberpower
Tripplite


Cyberpower and APC being the two best IMO for home users. Many of the smaller APC units are actually made by Cyberpower.

[inkahauts]

This unit is very small but, you will not get much run time out of it.

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/APC-UPS-Surge-Protector/sem/rpsm/oid/134571/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do?cc_fm=Similar+Items+Mod

For real short term backup, you can't beat this..

[FHSPSU67]

I just got back from picking up an APC BE350R at Sam's Club for $29.74.

[Inches]

I got an APC 1200VA for free, it did not work (the batteries were dead). Replaced the batteries for around 50 to 60 FRNs and I get 45 minutes of TV +. It sure beats cable. :lol:

[JeffBowser]

I have one APC 1500 running my entertainment center, one running my computer desk, and one running my fish tank. I have 500's everywhere else. My house gets noisy during power outtages, and I am getting tired of routine battery replacements, but it does wonders for my peace of mind, and lets me keep watching TV through short outtages.

[bobnielsen]

I have a couple of TrippLite 1000 VA units ($100 from Costco) and they work great for short outages. I wish there was a way to disable the beeps when they go active, especially in the middle of the night (there is a button to turn it off, but I would prefer a permanent fix).

[houskamp]

my apc750s are like a big power strip.. and they can hold the tv and HR2x up for 15-20 minutes..

[rudeney]

This unit is very small but, you will not get much run time out of it.

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/APC-UPS-Surge-Protector/sem/rpsm/oid/134571/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do?cc_fm=Similar+Items+Mod

How about this at Ciruit City:
http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/APC-UPS-Surge-Protector-BE325R/sem/rpsm/oid/134571/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do


That’s the unit I have in my kitchen and it won’t carry the load of the HR20. Basically, it senses that it won’t have enough run-time to be useful, so it beeps when I plug- in the receiver. It did work just fine with an H20, though.

[FHSPSU67]

That’s the unit I have in my kitchen and it won’t carry the load of the HR20. Basically, it senses that it won’t have enough run-time to be useful, so it beeps when I plug- in the receiver. It did work just fine with an H20, though.

The BE350R is rated at 200W/350VA - more than enough for a, I think, 42W HR20.

[Scott in FL]

...since I don't have much space in the glass-front credenza.

Be careful of heat.

[2dogz]

While stopping reboots every time the lights dip is a critical UPS function, the ability to provide clean power voltage is also an important factor to consider. Consumer electronics do not have the quality power supplies that provide this capability the way enterprise grade network servers and computer systems do because of costs. Investing in a higher grade UPS with this power conditioning ability is worth it to extend the life of your D* equipment and your expensive flat screen HDTV.

[FHSPSU67]

I've been using "consumer grade" products from APC for over 20 years, not only for Directv but for all my PC's during this period. I've never had a problem, other than replacement batteries from APC are expensive and don't seem to last as long as the ones I've obtained from American Battery Co. for lesser price. I swear by APC UPS products, both for commercial and for home use.

[rudeney]

The BE350R is rated at 200W/350VA - more than enough for a, I think, 42W HR20.

The ones in the links I quotes were the BE325 and that’s what I have in the kitchen. The unit is a little over a year old and the battery is probably a bit weak, so it will intermittently “beep” when the HR20 is plugged into the battery side. I have some 350’s and they seem to be fine as they have much larger batteries.

[VARTV]

I have one APC 1500 running my entertainment center...Same here... any power "burp" made the box reboot. I use my UPS as a bridge between house power and generator power...

[FHSPSU67]

The ones in the links I quotes were the BE325 and that’s what I have in the kitchen. The unit is a little over a year old and the battery is probably a bit weak, so it will intermittently “beep” when the HR20 is plugged into the battery side. I have some 350’s and they seem to be fine as they have much larger batteries.

Got ya. I have no experience w/ the BE325R. Thanks for explaining.

[techntrek]

Instead of having small UPSs all over the house (or one that's too small inside your cabinet), you could look into a system that gets installed near your panel in the basement. Its not cheap but you end up with a system that can run more than just your sat box, and the batteries will last for 5-10 years.

[petergaryr]

I'm using APC. Works great. Just had a part of Fay visit us here in Florida and I'm glad I invested in UPS for both the HR20-100 and 700.

[petergaryr]

Instead of having small UPSs all over the house (or one that's too small inside your cabinet), you could look into a system that gets installed near your panel in the basement. Its not cheap but you end up with a system that can run more than just your sat box, and the batteries will last for 5-10 years.

I've been looking into something like that myself. I have so many UPS batteries in the house (2 for DVRs, 2 for PCs and 1 for LAN and Cable Modem), that when the power goes out it drives the cats crazy with all the beeping.

You are right, though, they are pricey.

[techntrek]

I'm near the edge of my utility's service area so we get transient glitches often and bigger outages can last for up to 2 weeks. We have a whole-house generator, but its too expensive to run 24/7 at $3.50/gallon for LPG. I figure I can get by running it 8-9 hours per day, but it would be really nice to keep the wood stove blower going, the clocks and cordless phones on, the heating blankets going overnight... and the DVR's humming along.

The heating blankets alone have justified the UPS to my wife. She's cold all winter. The cool thing is once the system is paid for, it won't cost much more to use it since I'll be recharging the batteries with excess generator capacity I'm currently not using. Might bump up my LPG cost by $1 an hour, but that extra $8 buys me 24/7 lights, heat... and DVRs. Hope to do it soon.

[JeffBowser]

Most consumer grade electronics take your 120 and convert it to 6-24 volts DC, successfully providing clean, stable DC power to the electronics in the box from any AC voltage from 90 to 240. Clean power from the wall is the last of my worries. Two or three weeks ago, I had my neutral line almost severed. The only thing it affected was my big AC unit, the compressor blew (well, that and a bunch of light bulbs on the side of the supply that went high instead of low). My electronics came through fine, even the few that were not on a UPS.

I've been using "consumer grade" products from APC for over 20 years, not only for Directv but for all my PC's during this period. I've never had a problem, other than replacement batteries from APC are expensive and don't seem to last as long as the ones I've obtained from American Battery Co. for lesser price. I swear by APC UPS products, both for commercial and for home use.

[VARTV]

Instead of having small UPSs all over the house (or one that's too small inside your cabinet), you could look into a system that gets installed near your panel in the basement. Its not cheap but you end up with a system that can run more than just your sat box, and the batteries will last for 5-10 years.I've been looking for something like this to bridge the time the power goes out and the generator kicks in. Just need 30 seconds of power... :(

[rudeney]

Generally speaking, a whole-house UPS costs about the same as a whole-house generator, and requires about four times the space.

[techntrek]

Generally speaking, a whole-house UPS costs about the same as a whole-house generator, and requires about four times the space.

Only if you want as much power as whole-house genset, and you'll only do that by spending WAY more. It would definitely take up four or more times the space, yes. At $10,000 to $15,000+. But you only need that kind of power 1/3 of the day, which is where a $2000 to $4000 genset would be used.

An average "whole house" UPS is usually sized in the 1kw to 4kW range and takes care of all the lights and select critical loads overnight and while you are at work - when you don't need your well or air conditioning. This will put you back $1000 to $3000 and will take up about as much floor space as a large portable genset, for the battery enclosure (the inverter and subpanel goes on the wall) The batteries would then be charged with the genset.

[techntrek]

I've been looking for something like this to bridge the time the power goes out and the generator kicks in. Just need 30 seconds of power... :(

If you are only looking to bridge the gap until your automatic genset starts, the far cheaper and easier option is plug-in UPSs. In your case the only critical loads are computers: PCs and DVRs. Everything else will last 30 seconds.

Now if you want extended power w/o running your genset or just can't sit in the dark for 30 seconds, then you'll need something like I've described. If you just want something that will keep your DVRs and some lights going for 30 seconds, you could get away with something around $500 to $700. Get into extended power and you're into the price range of my last post.

[rudeney]

Only if you want as much power as whole-house genset, and you'll only do that by spending WAY more. It would definitely take up four or more times the space, yes. At $10,000 to $15,000+. But you only need that kind of power 1/3 of the day, which is where a $2000 to $4000 genset would be used.

An average "whole house" UPS is usually sized in the 1kw to 4kW range and takes care of all the lights and select critical loads overnight and while you are at work - when you don't need your well or air conditioning. This will put you back $1000 to $3000 and will take up about as much floor space as a large portable genset, for the battery enclosure (the inverter and subpanel goes on the wall) The batteries would then be charged with the genset.

But VARTV was looking for something to bridge the gap between a power outage and when the generator kicked in. If his generator is a whole-house unit, designed to power A/C and other potential high-amperage devices, then he’d need an equally powerful battery backup unit. I suppose it would be possible to install a smaller battery system in the thousands of watts that would not feed the A/C and other big draws, but I’d say your subsequent advice about individual UPS units where needed is the best thing.

My experience in all this was with data centers. I setup several of them where we had six and seven-figure budgets just for the power systems. These were generally 1,000+ amp three-phase systems. I even had one setup where the generator had its own fuel level and oil quality sensors that would phone the service center for maintenance and refueling when necessary. As much as I’d love to have a whole-house UPS and generator, it’s just not worth the cost considering we average less than an hour a year in power interruptions.

Honestly, I’d rather see a standard residential DC voltage system. This would eliminate the wasted space and heat of wall warts and power bricks. It would make it easier to integrate solar-power battery chargers to run it. Nearly all electronic devices these days immediately convert 120VAC to low DC voltage, it just makes sense. We just need the standard created with appropriate connections and wiring.

[JeffBowser]

I absolutely agree about the DC. It would not even require any household re-wiring, as wiring capable of handling 15-20A 120 is more than capable of 12-24VDC. Of course, one would still need to supply AC for air conditioning and heating devices.




Honestly, I’d rather see a standard residential DC voltage system. This would eliminate the wasted space and heat of wall warts and power bricks. It would make it easier to integrate solar-power battery chargers to run it. Nearly all electronic devices these days immediately convert 120VAC to low DC voltage, it just makes sense. We just need the standard created with appropriate connections and wiring.

[rudeney]

I absolutely agree about the DC. It would not even require any household re-wiring, as wiring capable of handling 15-20A 120 is more than capable of 12-24VDC. Of course, one would still need to supply AC for air conditioning and heating devices.

There are some issues with DC. It is more affected by resistance in the wiring and that’s why we actually use AC current (we have Mr. Tesla to thank for that discovery). Also, besides the A/C, there are some other things that would probably need 120VAC. Plasma TV’s are one. Also, anything that pulls over 200 watts would probably be better served by 120VAC.
Back to the topic of the UPS, it’s too bad that at least for this purpose, we can’t have a standardized DC connection (say USB?) for our electronics so they could be plugged into a DC battery continuously charged off household 120VAC. At least that would eliminate two things – the inverter in the UPS and the transformer for the electronic device.

[techntrek]

DC wiring isn't used mainly due to cost. The rule of thumb is you don't want to have more than a 2% voltage drop over any length of wire. To do that you need to use very thick wiring to carry a low voltage. Let's say you have an 80 foot run from your panel to the farthest room, and in that room you want to run 100 watts of stuff. At 24 volts that's a 4.17 amp load, and you don't want to loose more than 0.48 volts. To get below 2% (.48V) that requires 6 guage wire. A random price for 3-conductor 6-gauge I found was $3.83 per foot.

That's $300 for wire to run a very small load, and only that load. Add on more small loads in the other rooms between the panel and that farthest room and you're talking double or triple-aught gauge... well over a thousand dollars for very little output. Wire up every room and its many thousands of dollars, and each component still needs to have circuitry to drop the 24V to whatever it may need. And you still need to run AC lines to handle your big loads. Its much cheaper and more efficient to use high-efficiency AC-to-DC switching power supplies in each room, fed from the AC system.

rudeney - To just bridge the 30-second gap I made the assumption that he can get away with only keeping the lights and computers/DVRs going, like you said. The rest can wait 30 seconds for the generator. This keeps costs down if he really wants a hard-wired solution. But for a bridge, its definitely cheaper to just use several plug-in UPSs. The hard-wired systems only make sense for long-term output.

[narrod]

That’s the unit I have in my kitchen and it won’t carry the load of the HR20. Basically, it senses that it won’t have enough run-time to be useful, so it beeps when I plug- in the receiver. It did work just fine with an H20, though.


I've ordered two of these because of the price. If they don't work I'll return them.
I'll post the results. I just want something to handle those short (30 second) power blips. Anymore than that and I will live with the reboots.

[narrod]

I've ordered two of these because of the price. If they don't work I'll return them.
I'll post the results. I just want something to handle those short (30 second) power blips. Anymore than that and I will live with the reboots.


I received them and they work great for those short power blips. We've had two this morning and neither 700 rebooted. Nice for $20 each.

[rudeney]

As the unit ages, the battery will slowly lose capacity. After about a year, my battery is not strong enough to supply the HR20’s demand and it starts beeping. I can unplug the HR20 from it for a day and the battery recovers through charging, but then it takes about 3 or 4 days of supplying the HR20 for it to starts beeping again.

[russdog]

I have a couple of these: CP600LCD (http://www.provantage.com/cyberpower-cp600lcd~7CYPR03H.htm). With patience, you can find them for a bit less than $60. You can also get other adequate models for less. I paid a tad more to get the little LCD screen that shows status of power (in and out), minutes of back-up power available, etc. With both DVR and TV plugged in, I get about 10 minutes of backup power. My generic problem is the power flickering for just a moment or two. For the last couple days, constant Ike-related winds have salt crystalizing on the power lines, so last night I lost power for 2-to-5 seconds about 8 times. With these, the house briefly went dark, but the HR21 and TV (and DSL) kept working fine.

[bigkatnyc]

Need some suggestions as to which UPS solution to go with......I will be plugging in a 42 inch rear projection LCD (Sony), HR21 DVR, and a Antec MX-1 (WD 1TB HDD) inside.

Here is what I'm considering....
http://www.jr.com/apc/pe/AMN_BE550G/

or

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/APC-Back-UPS-ES-350-Battery-Backup-Surge-Protector-BE350G/sem/rpsm/oid/217087/catOid/-13021/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

I guess the question is would the UPS function properly w/ those components connected to it.

Any help would be appreciated!

[houskamp]

Need some suggestions as to which UPS solution to go with......I will be plugging in a 42 inch rear projection LCD (Sony), HR21 DVR, and a Antec MX-1 (WD 1TB HDD) inside.

Here is what I'm considering....
http://www.jr.com/apc/pe/AMN_BE550G/

or

http://clickserve.cc-dt.com/link/tplimage?lid=41000000013774615&pubid=21000000000175726&mid=5336077102http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/APC-Back-UPS-ES-350-Battery-Backup-Surge-Protector-BE350G/sem/rpsm/oid/217087/catOid/-13021/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do (http://clickserve.cc-dt.com/link/click?lid=41000000026679993&pubid=21000000000175726&mid=5336077102&redirect=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.circuitcity.com%2Fssm%2F APC-Back-UPS-ES-350-Battery-Backup-Surge-Protector-BE350G%2Fsem%2Frpsm%2Foid%2F217087%2FcatOid%2F-13021%2Frpem%2Fccd%2FproductDetail.do)

I guess the question is would the UPS function properly w/ those components connected to it.

Any help would be appreciated!
What is the rating on the tv? (should be a tag on it with power #s..
I'm betting those 2 units you have listed are too small for the TV..

[bigkatnyc]

What is the rating on the tv? (should be a tag on it with power #s..
I'm betting those 2 units you have listed are too small for the TV..

Here is what I have....

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&XID=O:kdf-42e2000:dg_ggldf&productId=8198552921665087391

[houskamp]

problably want closer to the apc750 they list (100$).. rated for 450w..
your tv pulls 200 + hr pulls 40 + drive pulls 20(?)=270..
you'll want some room above that too..

I have a 37"lcd, HR, and DVD on an APC850 (shows 200w total).. runs about 20 minutes..

[bigkatnyc]

problably want closer to the apc750 they list (100$).. rated for 450w..
your tv pulls 200 + hr pulls 40 + drive pulls 20(?)=270..
you'll want some room above that too..

I have a 37"lcd, HR, and DVD on an APC850 (shows 200w total).. runs about 20 minutes..

Great, thanks for the info. I'm not really concerned about the run time. I just want the devices to have time to properly power down. Would I still need something in the APC 750 range?

[russdog]

FWIW, when I looked into this, I found a tool on the Cyberpower site (http://www.cyberpowersystems.com/products/ups-systems/load-balanced.html) that lets you input how many watts your equipment can draw, and how many minutes of backup time you want, and it tells you what units will work.

IIRC, if you just want protection against brief power flickers:
Add up the watts of the stuff you'll plug into it.
Then, take 60% of that.
So, for example:
If your TV is 200 watts and your DVR is 50 watts, that's 250 watts.
60% of 250 watts is 150 watts.
So, it's my understanding that that's how much UPS you need for power-flicker protection.
To put it another way:
To see what the UPS unit can handle, take it's rating in watts and divide by .6 So, for example, a 550 watt UPS could handle equipment rated at a total of a tad more than 900 watts.
But this is just for protection against brief power-flickers.
A lot of this comes down to what you're trying to do. In addition to watts, the other big variable is backup time. Do you just want flicker-protection when the power dips for just a sec? Or do you want it to operate for a long time with the power off? The larger the unit, the more minutes it can keep everything running with the power out.

In my case, I got the Cyberpower 600 LCD (http://www.provantage.com/cyberpower-cp600lcd~7CYPR03H.htm). Its capacity was bigger than what I needed for flicker-protection, but I got it because I wanted the LCD screen that tells me the status of things, including the backup time remaining. Recently, I lost power for about 40 minutes. The TV was off, but the DVR was running. In that case, my UPS gave me 50+ minutes of backup time, so the DVR was fine, it didn't have to reboot. But that was with the TV off.

ps: I don't claim to be an expert about this, the above is just my understanding.

[houskamp]

To put it another way:



To see what the UPS unit can handle, take it's rating in watts and divide by .6
So, for example, a 550 watt UPS could handle equipment rated at a total of a tad more than 900 watts.
But this is just for protection against brief power-flickers.
Think you got that backward.. APC lists 390w MAX load for a APC650.. Thats in the 4-5 minute colum

[bigkatnyc]

Think you got that backward.. APC lists 390w MAX load for a APC650..

I'm only looking for "flicker protection", I suppose. I just want my TV, DVR, and HDD to be able to shutdown properly in the event I lose power. I have no desire to use any of the components during a loss of power.

[russdog]

Think you got that backward.. APC lists 390w MAX load for a APC650..
Two different issues here:
The rating of the unit in VA vs. the rating in watts.
What rating in watts is required for brief flicker-protection.
You're comparing the VA rating and the watts rating.
I was talking about the watts rating only, not the VA rating.

From what I read, for brief flicker-protection you don't need to have a unit with watts rating greater than the max watts your equipment can draw. I think the issue here is that the max-watts draw of equipment is not what it draws all the time. Therefore, the 60% factor. (Now, I could be wrong, but that's what I read.)

[houskamp]

I'm just going by the chart on APC's website.. lists about 1/2 the VA rating for 4-5 minute backup..

[RobertE]

So let me see if I got this right. Your saying that you really only need 60% of the real load?

So, despite Doc Brown telling Marty McFly that the flux capacitor in the Delorian needs 1.21 Jiggawatts to travel through time, it really only needs 0.726 Jiggawatts? And to think that Doc Brown spent all that time rigging up the clock tower and all that. :rolleyes:

[russdog]

So let me see if I got this right. Your saying that you really only need 60% of the real load?

So, despite Doc Brown telling Marty McFly that the flux capacitor in the Delorian needs 1.21 Jiggawatts to travel through time, it really only needs 0.726 Jiggawatts? And to think that Doc Brown spent all that time rigging up the clock tower and all that. :rolleyes:
No, you don't have it right.
I did not say that you needed to cover only 60% of the real load.
I said that typically the real load is way less than the peak load ratings you see listed for equipment.

This was in response to somebody's question. I was not recommending anything.
If I were to recommend anything, I would recommend that you buy as big a UPS as necessary to make yourself feel comfortable.
That's what I did, and I'm quite happy with mine.

[russdog]

Need some suggestions as to which UPS solution to go with......I will be plugging in a 42 inch rear projection LCD (Sony), HR21 DVR, and a Antec MX-1 (WD 1TB HDD) inside.

Here is what I'm considering....
http://www.jr.com/apc/pe/AMN_BE550G/

or

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/APC-Back-UPS-ES-350-Battery-Backup-Surge-Protector-BE350G/sem/rpsm/oid/217087/catOid/-13021/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

I guess the question is would the UPS function properly w/ those components connected to it.

Any help would be appreciated!
FWIW:
I have a couple UPS' that are each rated at 600VA/340W (Cyperpower CP600 LCD). They cost me a bit less than $60 each.

I use one of them with exactly what you have plugged into it, except I have a Sony 55" SXRD RP, not a Sony 42" LCD RP.
I just now looked at its display panel with everything running, and it tells me that it's at 57% of load capacity, the battery is 100% charged, and it has 10 minutes worth of power available.

With the TV off, it recently claimed it could give 50+ minutes of backup power to the other 2 boxes.
The power was off for about 40 minutes and everything was fine. When the power went out, it said it had 53 minutes left, but after 40 minutes it said it had 18 minutes left.

The other one has an HR21 and a 50" Panasonic plasma plugged into it. With both running, it says it's at 44% of capacity and has 14 minutes of power available.

[bigkatnyc]

FWIW:
I have a couple UPS' that are each rated at 600VA/340W (Cyperpower CP600 LCD). They cost me a bit less than $60 each.

I use one of them with exactly what you have plugged into it, except I have a Sony 55" SXRD RP, not a Sony 42" LCD RP.
I just now looked at its display panel with everything running, and it tells me that it's at 57% of load capacity, the battery is 100% charged, and it has 10 minutes worth of power available.

With the TV off, it recently claimed it could give 50+ minutes of backup power to the other 2 boxes.
The power was off for about 40 minutes and everything was fine. When the power went out, it said it had 53 minutes left, but after 40 minutes it said it had 18 minutes left.

The other one has an HR21 and a 50" Panasonic plasma plugged into it. With both running, it says it's at 44% of capacity and has 14 minutes of power available.

Perfect. Thanks a lot for your help!

[rahlquist]

For just my DVR's I just ordered 3 of these.

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/APC-UPS-Surge-Protector-BE325R/sem/rpsm/oid/134571/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

[RACJ2]

For just my DVR's I just ordered 3 of these.

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/APC-UPS-Surge-Protector-BE325R/sem/rpsm/oid/134571/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

Thanks for the info ralhquist! Since they are $15 and APC brand, I just ordered 2 of them and orders over $24 get free shipping. They are rated for 185w and my HR22 is 70W, so the battery will last about 10-15 minutes. Mainly getting it for when the power flickers, which happens often enough where I live.

[techntrek]

The difference between a UPSs VA rating and its watt rating is due to the power factor. As a general rule of thumb, you can ignore the VA rating and just make sure your wattage rating matches what will be plugged into it. The cheap UPSs that are described on this thread tend to only list the VA rating, and will only support 50% of their VA rating in watts. So, a 750VA rating would support 375 watts. I guess that's what russdog was trying to say.

A very informative white paper by APC, which everyone here with an interest in UPSs should read:

(Understanding Power Factor, Crest Factor, and Surge Factor)
http://www.apcmedia.com/salestools/SADE-5TNQYL_R0_EN.pdf


Edit: I just bought an 8kVA/6kW UPS, soon to be hooked up to most of my house. Details to follow as I get it hooked up. I pick it up in a week...

[directvsocks]

The BE550R gets *much* better reviews on Amazon. I have two and they work great.

http://www.amazon.com/APC-BE550R-Back-UPS-8-Outlet-Battery/dp/B000KBG51W/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1219606768&sr=8-1

If you have a Costco nearby, they usually carry this model for $40. You can't beat that with a stick.

Whichever size you choose, I would recommend going with the APC brand.

Ditto, APCC is great. Watch the shipping charges buying online.

[Cap'n Preshoot]

I'm in the market for a UPS that is only big enough to iron-out the short-term power transients... my HR21/AM21 reboots with every flicker. I don't need a UPS with much run-time at all, and the physically-smaller, the better, since I don't have much space in the glass-front credenza. Any recommendations will be appreciated. The HR21 and the AM21 will be the only loads.
IMO if you're only shopping price you're going to wind up disappointed. Get something decent such as any one of the "Smart" series from TrippLite. These are Tripplite's "line-Interactive" models & will provide you with best protection and the cleanest power.

Just my opinion, the APC stuff is crap.
.

[rahlquist]

Just my opinion, the APC stuff is crap.
.

Ditto, APCC is great.

Just goes to show, like anything in life YMMV.

In my own experience of 60 offices and over 300 APC ups's they are fairly reliable. Not 100% but definitely worth a consideration.

[rudeney]

Thanks for the info ralhquist! Since they are $15 and APC brand, I just ordered 2 of them and orders over $24 get free shipping. They are rated for 185w and my HR22 is 70W, so the battery will last about 10-15 minutes. Mainly getting it for when the power flickers, which happens often enough where I live.

It’s the same BE325 I have in the kitchen and it DOES NOT WORK on the HR20! At least once a week, it starts beeping a signal telling me that the battery is overloaded. It’s because the battery capacity drops over its lifetime and it takes less than a year before the battery is no longer able to carry the load of the HR20.