A potential fire hazard was discovered in Engineering Sciences and Applications (ESA) Division when a desktop sized Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) unit failed. The exact cause of the failure of the 10-year-old unit hasn't been determined, however, it was noted that an electric space heater was plugged into the UPS unit at the time it failed.
A UPS is a device that sits between a power supply (e.g. a wall outlet) and a device such as a computer to prevent undesired problems such as outages or power surges from adversely affecting its performance. If a problem occurs in a continuous UPS system, an internal battery is automatically activated, providing an uninterrupted, stable source of power.
The UPS units used to protect desktop computer files/peripherals are generally rated for about 500 watts, while space heaters draw in the order of 1,000-1,500 watts. While it could not be determined that the heater was the direct cause of the UPS failure, it's likely that it at least contributed to the unit's demise.
All high wattage devices, e.g. space heaters, toasters, microwave ovens, etc., should be disconnected from UPS units and plugged directly into building circuits rated for the electrical load of the item.
