Five Reasons I Like Working On Older Liebert UPS Systems
From A Liebert Expert:
We are going to talk about why we like older and used Liebert UPS systems. As an expert at running, installing, and servicing many power backup systems, I get a lot of inquiries regarding the purchase of new or used UPS systems. Invariably the first question is “what type of system should I buy”? The second question is “should I buy a new system or get a used one and keep it running?”
These are the most asked questions, and obviously if you have the money to spend on buying and maintaining a new system, it only makes sense to buy a new one. How can you go wrong with that? However, a LOT of smaller businesses can not afford buying a new UPS system. They desperately need power backup, and their only other option is to buy a used battery backup system.
I am not going to cover what type of “new” system to get. This article is not about pitching or promoting one new UPS system over another. This article is about what I like about working on old Liebert systems.
Why Liebert? First off, if you are in the market for a used/pre-owned UPS system, there are several brands that are good to buy, and you can definitely include Liebert on that list. Hands down, these older systems, sometimes 20 years old, are better than some of the new systems being currently sold. Sometimes, you are much better off buying a 15 year old Liebert (if maintained properly) than getting a new “Brand X” system. I have just seen too many new systems with “weak” components that simply drive up the ongoing maintenance costs in the long run. The other thing to think about is that these systems are everywhere, lots of them were sold in the last 30 years.
Reasons I personally like old Liebert UPS systems:
1. Familiarity. I don’t have to carry around huge technical manuals 90% of the time. I have worked on Liebert UPS systems for 20+ years, all different models of Lieberts. These systems are everywhere, and as far as my customers are concerned, if anything happens to me, it will be easier to find a repair/support person if it’s a Liebert than any other brand.
2. Parts. The reason there are so many Lieberts is because it they are good products. That makes parts available for the used market. Yes, there are manufacturers making replacement parts, but the decommissioning of some of these systems makes used parts widely available.
3. Remote support. I can support multiple Liebert UPS systems simultaneously. For example, I can send a technician to get in front of unit and walk him through enough to get required replacement parts on the way. This works out 90% of the time. This is great because it allows me to be elsewhere, and makes service response extremely quick. If you have a technician with some electrical skills on staff, I can walk him through quite a few things over the phone, then get parts ordered so I can show up and do the actual physical repair on the Liebert with everything available.
4. No proprietary software or stupid tricks needed to work on them. This is a big deal. What is great about the Liebert systems was that they were highly functional. You did not have to learn arcane software tricks to make certain things happen. They are very accessible, easy to operate.
5. External, third party support readily available. I have old buddies that are gurus on Liebert equipment, so I have 24 x 7 tech support for Lieberts if needed. Anyone that tells you they know everthing about Lieberts are usually full of it, being part of an ongoing Liebert support community matters.
Summary
I hope these reasons for justifying the purchase of an older Liebert makes sense to you. I have seen companies, like BluegrassNet in Louisville, KY save hundreds of thousands of dollars because of their choices in buying and supporting top of the line older systems.
If you are thinking about getting an older Liebert, just make sure it was maintained in a decent manner over the years. Call me, I can go over and check it out. I can tell by looking at it what is original parts vs. replacement parts, if there are any core problems associated with a system, or if it would be a good purchase. Buying a decent older Liebert UPS system can be one of the better infrastructure purchases you can make if on a budget.