We think it is fair to say that South Africa is facing an Energy Crisis. We know that Power Failures due to Load shedding and General Failures will continuefor the next five years at least and possibly much longer. Having dealt with a similar situation in Zimbabwe, we can providethe ultimate solution for homes / offices and shops.
The PS Units provide Uninterruptible Power for a range of domestic and commercial items. It comes in an attractive case with a built in socket at the rear. It is portable and has a built in battery, battery charger and switch over facility. This means that when power supplyis interrupted, the unit automatically switches over to battery power – without interruption to the connected appliances. When normal power is restored the unit will automatically switch back and recharge the built in battery(s). The units are on wheels and are easy to move around should you wish to use them in different rooms.
Installation takes 2 simple steps
1) Plug Unit into the wall socket.
2) Plug your appliances into the PS Unit socket.
Now you will have uninterrupted power for these appliances!
PS Units are for those who would like to avoid disruptions from power cuts. These units do not require special installation and maintenance is minimal. You simply plug them in to the wall and plug your appliances into them, and they will provide you with uninterrupted power for anywhere between 40 mins and15 hours depending on the load / amount of power that you draw throughout the power cut.
To get an idea on what you can run and what size system you would need, take a look at the tables below. Check to see how many watts common appliances draw and then compare this to what you want to run. If you’re unsure, contact us for professional advice.
Example Uses of PS Units
Office Equipment / Shop Equipment / DomesticAppliances / Security
Implements
Computers / Pay Point Tills / TV / Video / DVD
Decoder / Electric Gate / Garage Motor
Laptops / Barcode Scanners / Radio / Stereo / Electric Fence Energizer
Printers / *Lights / Fridge / Freezer / Alarm Systems
Scanners / Garage Door / *Lights
PABX / Fish Tanks
*Lights / *Lights
NB: Not all power requirements can be met by the PS Unit. Some sensitive equipment may not work with or may even sustain damage from the Modified Sine Wave Power. Consult an Electrician if you are unsure
*To run built in lights, you will need an electrician to wire them up. Alternatively, you can simply plug in lamps
Examples of Average Loads for PS Units
NB: You can put more or less than these examples and reduce or increase your backup times accordingly
PS 300300 Watts / PS 600
600 Watts / PS 1200
1200 Watts
PC & Printer / PC, Printer, Fax, ADSL + PABX System / 2 PC's, 2 Printers, Fax, ADSL + PABX System
Or / Or / Or
TV, VCR, DVD, Decoder + 2-3 standing lamps with energy saver bulbs / Fridge / Freezer + All House Lights* / Entertainment Area Complete, Fan + All House Lights*
Or / Or / Or
2 x POS terminals + Credit Card machine / Garage Door + All House Lights or Gate Motor & Security Lights / Small Microwave oven
Please note: These are estimates and may not correspond to your equipment.
All equipment should be checked for requirements prior to purchase
Examples of Watts Drawn by Common Appliances
Appliance(s) / Estimated Power RequirementTelevision, Decoder, DVD / 200-250 Watts
Computer with 17"/19" screen / 180 Watts
Inkjet printer / 120 Watts
Printer/copier/scanner / 200-450 Watts
Microwave oven / 600-1200 Watts
Fridge/Freezer / 300-800 Watts
Fish tank pump & heater (most of this is for the heater) / 800-1100 Watts
Garage Door / Electric Gate Motor / 300 Watts
Low Energy Bulbs (Recommended) / 6-15 Watts
Normal Bulbs / 60-100 Watts
Please note: These are estimates and may not correspond to your equipment.
All equipment should be checked for wattage prior to purchase
How long will the backup last? When will I need to replace my Batteries?
We have calculated some maximum recommended run times for given loads and provided a table of this information to assist customers. It is important to understand that the backup times given below are only estimates and will not correspond exactly to your situation. These times are the maximum recommended times (<80% DOD) based on brand new batteries and constant loads in a controlled environment. However, they will be able to give you a guide line when trying to determine what size unit would suite you.
You should aim to run down to only half of your capacity on a regular basis rather than to run for your maximum time everytime. If you run down to the point where the unit beeps to indicate low battery, you should aim not to go this low again as this warning indicates you have run down too low (>80% DOD). Under no circumstances should you continue to run when this warning beep begins. If you run your batteries completely flat (100% DOD) you may not be able to recharge them at all. This is particularly true if you have been running for a very long period with a very low load. If your batteries do recharge, their life span would have been severely reduced.
You should always recharge your batteries as soon as possible after use. The more discharged they are, the more important this is. If you have your unit plugged into the mains as it should be, it will recharge automatically when the mains power returns. Leaving your batteries discharged for long periods will severely reduce their life span and could lead to completely dead batteries that cannot be recharged. Even a unit with fully charged batteries should be plugged into the mains as the batteries will naturally lose their charge if they are not constantly ‘topped up’. This constant ‘trickle charge’ is automatically applied by the unit provided it is plugged into the mains.
Running your battery low on a regular basis, running at a high temperature, and leaving a discharged battery without recharging for long periods will severely shorten your batteries life. The Depth of Discharge (DOD) is the major determining factor in your batteries life. DOD is a combination of the load (the amount of power you are drawing) and the run time in one blackout. 0% DOD is when the battery is fully charged, 100% DOD is when the battery is totally flat.
Remember that as a battery ages, so its capacity will reduce and your maximum discharge time will therefore reduce. The times given in the table below are for brand new batteries and will be longer than the capacity of older batteries.
Your backup time depends largely on your load. The load in the table below is given in Watts. If you do not know how many watts you are drawing you can have an electrician measure the load or you can estimate the load by looking at the rated watts of the appliances you are running. The tables shown previously in this document give average watts for common equipment.
Most electrical equipment has the rated Watts or Amps printed on the back or in the documentation that it came with. If the power requirement is given in Amps, times this by 230 to get an estimated Watts figure. Remember that this is the maximum rated watts and your appliance will very often be drawing a lot less than this. This is because many appliances do not constantly draw the max rated watts. For example, your Fridge says it needs 200 Watts, but it only uses 200 Watts during its ‘duty cycle’ i.e. when the compressor is running. When the compressor is off, it uses almost no power. A fridge that is running efficiently will cycle 50% compressor on, 50% compressor off. However a fridge may draw more power than stated if it is empty, just filled with warm products, opened a lot, in a very hot environment or not working efficiently. This would reduce backup time. Backup time will also be reduced if your battery bank is not fully charged, as well as if it hasaged and has begun to deteriorate.
Estimated Maximum Recommended Backup Times
for Given Loads on Brand New Batteries
AC Load / PS300 / PS600 / PS600D / PS1200In / 1 Battery / 1 Battery / 2 Batteries / 2 Batteries
Watts / Max Recomend / Max Recommend / Max Recomend / Max Recomend
Hours / Mins / Hours / Mins / Hours / Mins / Hours / Mins
100 / 8 / 20 / 8 / 20 / 15 / 0 / 15 / 0
150 / 5 / 30 / 5 / 30 / 10 / 0 / 10 / 0
200 / 3 / 40 / 3 / 40 / 8 / 0 / 8 / 0
250 / 2 / 25 / 2 / 25 / 6 / 45 / 6 / 45
300 / 2 / 0 / 2 / 0 / 5 / 45 / 5 / 45
400 / 1 / 10 / 3 / 45 / 3 / 45
500 / 0 / 55 / 2 / 45 / 2 / 45
600 / 0 / 40 / 2 / 10 / 2 / 10
700 / 1 / 30
800 / 1 / 10
900 / 1 / 0
1000 / 0 / 50
1100 / 0 / 45
1200 / 0 / 40
Avoid running until low battery alarm sounds
These are only estimates and not 100% accurate
NEVER run past battery alarm – turn off immediately if alarm sounds
Times calculated on brand new batteries in controlled environment with constant monitored voltage
WARNING
The PS Units containLead Acid batteries and although they are maintenance free, they are not 100% sealed. This means that the PS Unit cannot be titled for more that 45⁰ without causing acid to spill. This is a potentially very dangerous situation. If a unit has been tilted, do not use the unit under any circumstances and return it immediately. Using the unit in this condition is a potential explosion risk.
High temperatures can also cause a possible explosion risk. Do not expose the unit to extreme temperatures (high or low), moisture or flames and sparks to avoid possible accidents.
Failure to heed these warning could cause excessive property damage and personal injury or even Death!
Further Information
Lightening and Surge Protection
All electrical appliances are vulnerable to lightening damage and the PS Unit is no exception. Although the appliances you have connected to the unit are not at risk (because they are no longer directly connected to the mains), the PS Unit itself is at risk and you must therefore unplug your PS Unit during electrical storms. Lightening damage is not covered under our warrantee. The advantage here is that you can continue to watch TV or use your PC during an electrical storm running on battery power (as the unit will be unplugged) without risk of damage to any of your equipment.
Surge damage to electrical appliances is not uncommon. When power returns after a blackout it may spike / surge before leveling out to the correct Voltage. This can damage electronic components within many appliances. The PS Unit may sustain damage if the electricity supply spikes / surges as it has only limited built in protection. This kind of damage is not covered under our warrantee and you should seek protection from surges to avoid this kind of damage. Proper surge protection should be installed on your Distribution Board. Surge protected plugs, extensions and other gadgets offer very limited protection.
Overloading
If you slightly overload your PS Unit it will warn you so that you can remove some of the load. If the overload is excessive, you may blow components on the PCB inside the unit. This is not covered under your warrantee so please take care not to exceed the watts supplied by your unit i.e. 300, 600 or 1200 Watts. Please ensure everyone in your home / office / shop understands this so that you avoid accidents. We don’t want your Aunty to plugin a heater, or your daughter to plug in a hair dryer, or your domestic helper to plug in a kettle. Sometimes other members of the family or office are not aware that a certain extension or multiple adapter is off limits.
Faults
We offer every customer the opportunity to see their unit working on test in the workshop before purchase. Obviously if you send a messenger to collect or opt for delivery this is not possible. However, the choice is there. We test every single unit on full load before it is ready for delivery / collection. We cannot therefore accept returns on the basis that the unit never worked.
Should your unit sustain a fault please return it to our workshop with a full report on what happened. We will offer feedback within 3 working days. Should the fault fall under warrantee, we will repair the unit free of charge. Should the fault not fall under the warrantee, we will provide a quotation and with approval repair the unit at a reasonable cost. We will apply a reasonable minimum charge to provide this quotation (not applicable if fault is under warrantee).
Please remember that batteries used to their capacity do not fall under warrantee no matter how old. If a battery is used up – it’s used up. We cannot guarantee how long a battery will last as it is not based on time but rather a complex relationship between Charging Patterns, Temperature, Depth of Discharge and Load. NB: We leave all battery faults up to our battery supplier to decide on.
Important Warnings
When you receive your PS Unit you must read the User’s Manual BEFORE using it! There are important facts to be aware of e.g. tipping the unit over 45 degrees will cause Acid to Leak from the internal batteries – this is a dangerous hazard which could lead to personal injury and or explosions! Never expose your unit to heat, sunlight, cold, wet, sparks, naked flames. Never open your PS Unit. Never overload the unit. Not suitable for appliances that heat as the demand in terms of watts will be too high. Examples include Hair Dryers, Stoves, Kettles, Toasters, Geysers and Heaters. Small Microwaves will work provided they fall within the maximum wattage.