Heaters & Ups

[ileopard]

I heard somewhere that plugging in a heater to a UPS will blow the UPS out. Is this true, and if so, is it for big heaters (~100W like mine) only?

- ileopard

 

[andyt_uk]

most unlikely i would have thought
although some small UPS possibly dont support higher power devices, a standard plug with 3amp fuse means you are drawing up to 750 watts (ish)
P=IV ... wattage = fuse rating * 240 V
so a 100w heater should not be a problem

 

[PaulasPets]

What kind of UPS do you have? To be honest I don't even think you need to hook your heater to the UPS. The most important thing to keep running is the pumps...

Paula

 

[ileopard]

The UPS is the nearest outlet. The direct outlet is too far away for the plug to reach. Using a surge protector should give it extra protection, so I'll use one.

Thanks!

 

[Griz]

A 100w heater could possibly draw a lot more than 100w when it comes on. I know that motors can do that. I have a sump pump in my basement that it supposed to draw around 800w but when it the motor actually starts up, that surge can be 1300w or more. (So I was informed by an electrician) So, I wonder ifthe same thing might happen with a heater. What is the capacity of the UPS? At any rate, it shouldn't cause problems with your UPS. The heater will only draw as much wattage as the UPS can provide. The heater will either run, perhaps at a lower wattage that the 100w it's designed for or the UPS may have a breaker on it that would kill the power to the heater. Basically it will either work or it won't but it shouldn't dammage the UPS.

 

[ileopard]

It overloads the UPS. I'm going to try an extension cord. It's only a 500W though.