CRITICAL POWER SERVICES, INC.
SERVICE EXPERIENCE AND EXPERTISE IN THE FOLLOWING APPLICATIONS:
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UTILITIES
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DATA PROCESSING
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TELECOMMUNICATIONS
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SWITCHGEAR
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EMERGENCY LIGHTING
SERVICES INCLUDE:
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BATTERY SYSTEM INSTALLATIONS / REMOVALS / DISPOSALS
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UPS SYSTEMS SERVICE
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PREDICTIVE AND PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE PROGRAMS
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INSPECTIONS AND REPAIRS
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MAINTENANCE TRAINING / MAINTENANCE PROGRAM AUDIT
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SUPERVISION OF CONTRACTOR INSTALLATIONS
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BATTERY INSTALLATION CERTIFICATION
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MOBILE BATTERY BACK-UP POWER
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BATTERY MONITORING SYSTEMS
Are you sure your emergency lighting
system is adequate?
Are you sure your units will work during a power failure?
Are you sure they are being properly maintained?
If the answer to all these questions is yes, you need not read any further. If, however, you’re in the majority of users who honestly don’t know the answer to these questions, we suggest that you take the time to find out, before you’re left in the dark.
Your emergency lighting is a critical component of your facility life safety program and could someday save a life or prevent a serious injury. Naturally, injuries raise the question of liability. Liability due to neglect of maintenance on safety related equipment can carry serious consequences.
Battery powered emergency lighting and exit signs require periodic maintenance and testing to assure proper performance. Simply testing the unit for 2-3 seconds does not tell the full story of how the unit will respond to an extended power outage.
Central power inverter systems need to have their electronics and batteries checked also since they are the heart of your entire emergency lighting system.
Article 700 of the National Electric Code provides information on the application and installation of emergency lighting equipment. The National Fire Protection Association Life Safety Code 101 (Section 31-1.3.7) 1985 outlines requirements regarding the performance and maintenance of emergency lighting units.
Repairing components and replacing critical parts is work best left to experts. That’s where we come in. We are a local independent service company that specializes in preventive maintenance service and repairs to all brands of emergency lighting units, exit signs, and central power systems.
Let us help you protect your emergency lighting investment and assure its
proper operation when required. Give us a call today for more information on
our full line of service.
The following is intended to explain how our battery load testing works, the conclusions that can be drawn from it and our recommendations for frequency of re-testing.
Scope of Load Testing:
We utilize an Alber BCT-256 DC Load Bank System for battery load testing. The parameters of the load test are set up in a special program on a laptop computer. The load bank is capable of supplying a load via its resistor banks in up to nominal 120 Volt increments. We will test your battery system to the IEEE standards for load testing.
During the test the battery system must be disconnected from the system. If you must maintain battery back-up for the load during the test, we can provide a temporary battery system for this purpose. We will attach monitoring leads to each battery post in the segment being tested, as well as to the main battery connection cables. This enables us to monitor system and individual battery voltages during the test.
Once the test is started, the load bank contactors will operate automatically to provide a constant current draw during the test.
Please note that a full Inspection and Preventive Maintenance Service, including measurement of connection resistances, should always precede a load test. Potential problems which could lead to safety or performance issues during the test can be avoided.
Recommended Parameters:
The electrical current at which the test is performed, as well as its duration, will depend on several factors. One scenario would be to test at your actual load plus 20%, for the duration you count on your battery to cover. However, to perform a capacity test at any point in its lifespan, the battery can be tested at its full load rating until it reaches its low voltage cutoff point, typically 1.67 to 1.75 Volts per Cell.
Conclusions Drawn from the Load Test:
During the load test we will monitor overall system and individual cell voltages. We watch for rapid drops in voltage. Not only does the test identify problem cells, it also illustrates how your battery actually performs when called upon. Preventive Maintenance checks are important for finding the more obvious problems and for spotting trends that can predict problems. They are no substitute, however, for the true performance indication of a load test. One cell that opens up during a discharge can render your battery incapable of supplying the load.
Frequency of Re-Testing:
It is true that load testing does consume some incremental portion of your battery's life. Its usefulness for spotting problems and ensuring reliability, however, far outweighs this slight degradation if done correctly. All battery discharges regardless of duration are cumulative in the life of the battery.
On a relatively new wet cell system with healthy Preventive Maintenance indicators, a testing frequency of 3 to 5 years may be appropriate. If a battery system is approaching its end of life and indicators are less consistent, performing more frequent load tests is appropriate. Annual load tests are also appropriate for any VRLA (sealed or valve-regulated) battery system 2 years old or older due to its inherently less predictable nature. How critical the system is should also help determine the frequency. The incremental degradation caused by load testing and its associated cost should be compared to the cost of failure.
4732 LEBANON ROAD * CHARLOTTE N.C. 28227 TEL: (704) 545-8658 FAX: (704) 545-2677