In the US, all residential homes are wired with a 110-voltage circuit for all minor electrical appliances (such as coffee makers and table lamps), and a 220-voltage circuit for major appliances like your clothes dryer, stove, and air-conditioning unit. Watts would be the volume of water coming out of the hose. Amps are the water pressure running through the hose, and volts are the diameter of the hose. Let's establish, in layman's terms, how volts and amps work: Imagine a hose.
We also touch briefly on how to operate appliances safely and avoid sometimes-dangerous circuit overloads. In this article, we look at the differences between the two and give you a better understanding of how they apply to the various appliances in your home. If optimization of the system and an accurate run time are required, use APC sizing and Worldwide Web configuration tools.When dealing with electricity, many people find the difference between amps and volts confusing, and they often have trouble understanding the purposes of each. Note that this conservative sizing approach will typically give rise to an oversized UPS and a larger run time than expected. Therefore, unless you have high certainty of the Watt ratings of the loads, the safest approach is to keep the sum of the load nameplate ratings below 60% of the UPS VA rating.
If using equipment nameplate ratings for sizing, a user might configure a system which appears to be correctly sized based on VA ratings but actually exceeds the UPS Watt rating.īy sizing the VA rating of a load to be no greater than 60% of the VA rating of the UPS, it is impossible to exceed the Watt rating of the UPS. Equipment nameplate ratings are often in VA, which makes it difficult to know the Watt ratings. Using APC sizing guidelines or an APC Configuration can help avoid these problems, as the load power values are verified. In recent times this has begun to change as many UPS' have begun to have closer Watt and VA output ratings. However, it is a standard in the industry that the Watt rating is approximately 60% of the VA rating, this being the typical power factor of common loads. In most cases, UPS manufacturers only publish the VA rating of the UPS. Neither the Watt nor the VA rating of a UPS may be exceeded. UPS have both Watt ratings and VA ratings. The ratio of the Watt to VA rating is called the "Power Factor" and is expressed either as a number (i.e. However, for computer equipment the Watt and VA ratings can differ significantly, with the VA rating always being equal to or larger than the Watt rating. The VA and Watt ratings for some types of electrical loads, like incandescent light bulbs, are identical. The VA rating is used for sizing wiring and circuit breakers. The Watt rating determines the actual power purchased from the utility company and the heat loading generated by the equipment. Both Watt and VA ratings have a use and purpose. Volt-Amps is called the "apparent power" and is the product of the voltage applied to the equipment times the current drawn by the equipment. The power in Watts is the real power drawn by the equipment.
The power drawn by computing equipment is expressed in Watts or Volt-Amps (VA). This article was created to address a common question. Many people are confused about the distinction between the Watt and Volt-Amp (V-A) measures for UPS load sizing. This document helps explain the differences between Watts and VA and explains how the terms are correctly and incorrectly used in specifying power protection equipment. Additional Management Cards and Options.InfraStruxure for Server Rooms and Network Closets NetShelter Wall (Mounted) Transfer SwitchesĮcoStruxure Service Plan for Three-Phase UPS NetShelter Shelving & Mounting Accessories
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