My UPS took a dump and took a server with it last night

I had a 1500VA APC unit in my home lab that was maybe 3 years old and it decided to fail in a way that sent dirty power through instead of just cutting off. By the time I smelled smoke and ran downstairs, one of my NAS drives had a fried PSU and the UPS battery was bulging out the side. Has anyone else seen a UPS fail like that or did I just get a lemon from that batch?

2 comments

2 Comments

lindaowens10d ago

I mean, are we sure this wasn't just a bad PSU in the NAS that caused the whole thing? The UPS might have just been doing its job and got blamed.

reesea4910d ago

lindaowens I used to think the same way honestly. I'd blame the PSU first every time because it's the most obvious fail point. But after seeing a UPS literally bulge a battery and still pass AC through without switching to battery mode, I had to change my mind. The multimeter showed voltage dipping and spiking like crazy on the output side while the battery was dead flat. Replaced the PSU in the NAS and it fired right up, old UPS went straight in the e-waste pile. So yeah it CAN be the UPS quietly dying and taking stuff with it.