UPS and power strip

[gmaister22]

Hello everyone

So, my current setup right now is:

Wall outlet ---> Powerline with an outlet passthrough (netgear PLP1200) ---> Power strip ---> Devices

My devices:
1 PC
1 Modem
1 Router
1 Desk Lamp
2 Monitors
1 Ethernet Switch Port
1 charging adapter

8 plugs in total, running into the wall outlet for 2 years now just fine


I purchased a Cyberpower 1500VA UPS that has 3 battery outputs and 3 surge. 6 in total. Thing is that i need 4 battery outputs (ideally) for: PC, Monitor, Modem, Router and 8 outlets in total...so i have couple options i guess...


I was thinking what if i use an outlet splitter like:

1 goes for the UPS Cyberpower
1 goes for the powerline and via the it's passthrough i connect the power strip
1 goes for a very small UPS for modem only

this is one way i was thinking of.

Another way idea could be
Wall outlet ---> powerline with passthrough ---> power strip (non surge) ---> UPS

I also have another smaller UPS that was provided from my provider for my modem because its a VOIP line, its a small 300w UPS. Could i connect 2 UPSs on the power strip

I am really confused....!

 

[Red Squirrel]

There's nothing wrong with plugging a power strip in the UPS (or that adapter). It's about how much amps you're drawing, not how many individual items.

I have two 8 outlet power strips, one is plugged into the UPS and the other into a surge protector.

 

[Jeff7]

Just be sure that you're plugging a power strip into the UPS, not a surge suppressor.
Some surge suppressors include basic filtration circuitry to remove some noise.

Most UPSes don't put out a clean, smooth sine wave though: They put out a modified sine wave. This can cause issues with filtration circuitry that's been built to filter a small amount of noise out of a sine wave.
UPSes do this because it is far less expensive to put out a modified sine wave than it is to generate a smooth sine wave. (Compare the price of a 1000VA pure sine wave UPS to a regular 1000VA model.)

A power strip is just a bunch of outlets wired together, with no filtration circuitry.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Yeah from what I heard it's best not to daisy chain surge protectors either. Oh crap, we're talking about surge protectors arn't we. That usually summons a certain member.

In my case I built my own power strip, it has 2 banks of 4 duplex outlets and two power cords. One goes to UPS and other to a surge protector. Most power strips you buy off the shelf are also surge protectors.

 

[gmaister22]

There's nothing wrong with plugging a power strip in the UPS (or that adapter). It's about how much amps you're drawing, not how many individual items.

I have two 8 outlet power strips, one is plugged into the UPS and the other into a surge protector.

Just be sure that you're plugging a power strip into the UPS, not a surge suppressor.
Some surge suppressors include basic filtration circuitry to remove some noise.

Most UPSes don't put out a clean, smooth sine wave though: They put out a modified sine wave. This can cause issues with filtration circuitry that's been built to filter a small amount of noise out of a sine wave.
UPSes do this because it is far less expensive to put out a modified sine wave than it is to generate a smooth sine wave. (Compare the price of a 1000VA pure sine wave UPS to a regular 1000VA model.)

A power strip is just a bunch of outlets wired together, with no filtration circuitry.

So from what i understand if it better to add a power strip ON the UPS?

I was considering the other way around, a UPS on the power strip and maybe i could also add another one a small 300VA along with my 1500VA on that power strip..

Would that be riskier?

 

[gmaister22]

What worries me though if i put 2 UPSs on 1 power strip is that during a blackout, one UPS might draw the battery from the other thinking the is no blackout...right?

 

[Red Squirrel]

What worries me though if i put 2 UPSs on 1 power strip is that during a blackout, one UPS might draw the battery from the other thinking the is no blackout...right?

No, when the UPS goes on battery it isolates the AC side, otherwise it would be a dangerous situation as it would try to power the whole house and beyond. So both UPSes will see a power outage and then both act and run independently. It's not any different than two UPSes on the same electrical panel or even grid. Everything is connected.

Now what you do want to avoid is actually plugging a UPS into another UPS, as the power from the first UPS will be too dirty and keep making the upstream UPS trip back and forth, at like 60hz. The relay is probably not designed for this type of operation. This would cause the equipment to brown out/shut down due to all the disruptions.

 

[Jeff7]

No, when the UPS goes on battery it isolates the AC side, otherwise it would be a dangerous situation as it would try to power the whole house and beyond. So both UPSes will see a power outage and then both act and run independently. It's not any different than two UPSes on the same electrical panel or even grid. Everything is connected.

Now what you do want to avoid is actually plugging a UPS into another UPS, as the power from the first UPS will be too dirty and keep making the upstream UPS trip back and forth, at like 60hz. The relay is probably not designed for this type of operation. This would cause the equipment to brown out/shut down due to all the disruptions.

Exactly.

The outlets in your walls are the same as power strips: Just a bunch of outlets wired together. (You've got multiple circuits though: Each circuit tied to its own breaker is like a large power strip running through the house.)

The isolation Red Squirrel mentioned is that click you hear when the UPS switches over to battery power: A relay clicks, and that interrupts the connection between the main plug and the backed-up output plug, and instead connects the backed-up outputs to the output of the battery-powered inverter.
This is referred to as an "offline UPS."