How do I silence my 1000VA Trust UPS?

negatory · Post by **negatory** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 10:20 am

Hi there!
I've got a 1000VA Trust UPS and it's a very loud one!
All I can hear from outside my room is the airflow produced by the UPS and a low humming sound.
Can I change the fan to a quieter one?Should I put it in a box with lots of foam?As anyone had this problem (with this model or others)?How can I silence my UPS?
Thanks

Sam Williams · Post by **Sam Williams** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 11:38 am

Hi, and welcome to SPCR.

Is your UPS a new unit? Anecdotally, they seem to grow louder with age. My four-year-old APC SmartUPS is the loudest component in my system - mostly something which sounds like transformer buzz (the 'low humming sound' you described), but also fan noise. Unfortunately, the UPS is indispensable and too expensive to replace at present.

Like negatory, I'd be grateful for any tips. I'm wary of the likelihood of hazardous electrical charge inside the case - so far, it's been enough to deter me from opening her up for a look.

I guess anything which significantly impairs cooling is a no-no, since heat is the prime destroyer of battery capacity...?

Edit: removed brain fart!

negatory · Post by **negatory** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 11:58 am

It's a new model!
It's so loud that when I try to hear the air flow comming from my computer all I can hear is the UPS.
If anyone has any idea please share.
Thanks

Sam Williams · Post by **Sam Williams** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 12:08 pm

I've no profound insights to offer, but where is the unit currently? The noise from my SmartUPS is quite directional. Try placing the unit under your desk, next to the rear wall, and try rotating it. You might be able to damp it quite well by 'aiming' the loudest face at your wall and fixing some acoustically deadening material to that wall.

m0002a · Post by **m0002a** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 12:50 pm

negatory wrote:It's a new model!
It's so loud that when I try to hear the air flow comming from my computer all I can hear is the UPS.
If anyone has any idea please share.
Thanks

If it is under warranty, send it back. Personally, I would go for a brand name UPS, even if it costs more.

IsaacKuo · Post by **IsaacKuo** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 12:53 pm

Forgive me if this idea is too obvious...but have you considered using a long power extension cord and a powerstrip so you can put the UPS far, far, away (preferably in a closet)?

Green Shoes · Post by **Green Shoes** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 1:11 pm

negatory wrote:Hi there!
I've got a 1000VA Trust UPS and it's a very loud one!
All I can hear from outside my room is the airflow produced by the UPS and a low humming sound.

I've never heard of Trust; it seems odd to me that the fan is constantly running. I picked up an APC 1100VA UPS about two years ago ($80 at Sam's Club! w00t!) and the only noise I can ever hear from it is a nearly imperceptible coil whine, which as Sam Williams said is highly directional and can't be heard when the unit is placed on carpet with a tabletop between it and my ears. The only time it makes any real noise is when the battery backup kicks in; it's also the only time the fan kicks on. You might want to RMA yours and see if you have any luck with another.

ilh · Post by **ilh** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 3:33 pm

My 1400VA APC SmartUPS is silent unless it is running on battery power, in which case the fan runs, it makes low-frequency buzzing noises, and of course it beeps incredibly loudly (which is fine with me).

roo · Post by **roo** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 4:30 pm

sorry to hijack this thread but which UPS is reviewed as silent?

Rusk · Post by **Rusk** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 5:39 pm

My guess is that your UPS has AVR, or Automatic Voltage Regulation. This kicks in when the voltage coming through your mains is lower or higher than a certain amount. When this occurs, you will hear a buzzing noise created by a relay switching off and on. Now, about the fan, I don't know. As far as I know, I've never had an UPS with a fan in it, but there are plenty of them. If your fan is running all the time, you will need to replace the fan with a quieter one.

Alternately, you could get a less expensive UPS without AVR, if that will suffice, and your UPS should be virtually silent unless it too has a fan. But I think that is rare in non-AVR UPSs.

Unless you have constantly sagging or surging power a non-AVR UPS should be fine.

Of course, you could have an online UPS. These tend to be more expensive. It indeed might have a fan that runs continually. In this case you could replace the fan with a quiet one from the SPCR recommended list, if the fans are the same size.

Of course, you would have to dig into your UPS.

I hope this helps.

Is your UPS and expensive model?

negatory · Post by **negatory** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 1:02 pm

Thanks for all your replys!
My UPS is under my desk with the fan turned to the wall...no luck there.
And yes the fan is running all the time...I've considered placing my UPS farther away but that won't solve my problem,I can still ear it!
But is it normal that the fan is running at all time?I think that all that I can hear is the fan...nothing more.
Yes my UPS was expensive...the most expensive model I've seen and the one that suited my needs (I've got a 19" monitor and a 460W power supply).
I'm contacting Trust to see if I can know some more.
Thanks

EDIT: edited for clarification.

hvengel · Post by **hvengel** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 3:19 pm

I have an APC unit and it is not as quiet as I would like but this is mainly because it has the low freq buzzing sound. I can hear it from about 5 feet away. As far as I know the unit does not have a fan. Your unit appears to be horibbly load. I would take it back to the vendor and return it as defective. If more people returned stuff because it was noisy vendors would pay more attension to how noisy thier products are.

Straker · Post by **Straker** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 11:22 pm

Sam Williams wrote:Anecdotally, they seem to grow older with age.

what an astute observation

yeah, i know what you meant.

aside from replacing the fan if it has one, you could try opening it up (carefully) and poking around inside with a chopstick, like with a TV. if it's not fan noise it has to be coil noise, so...

my RS1000 (APC) makes no noise when it's not on battery, but i keep it closed up in a little ikea cube-thingy since it doesn't get very warm either.

negatory · Post by **negatory** » Mon Apr 04, 2005 1:03 pm

I've emailed Trust about my problem and they promptly replied that It's perfectly normal that the fan is running at all times.
So all I have to say is that I don't recommend this UPS to anyone wanting a silent enviroment.
I'll try and poke around to see If I can change the fan for a quieter one.
Does anyone know if UPSs tend to overheat?
Thanks

Pedro Carrico

Straker · Post by **Straker** » Fri Apr 08, 2005 10:59 am

since noone else has replied yet...

i'd guess that any sort of online UPS or UPS with AVR (same thing i think?) will tend to dissipate as much heat as a (pretty efficient) power supply, since that's more or less what they are. an interactive UPS shouldn't normally get any warmer than a good power bar/surge protector; mine's nearly enclosed and it doesn't get warmer than a typical cable modem/ethernet hub/whatever.

Green Shoes · Post by **Green Shoes** » Fri Apr 08, 2005 3:14 pm

Straker wrote:since noone else has replied yet...

i'd guess that any sort of online UPS or UPS with AVR (same thing i think?) will tend to dissipate as much heat as a (pretty efficient) power supply, since that's more or less what they are. an interactive UPS shouldn't normally get any warmer than a good power bar/surge protector; mine's nearly enclosed and it doesn't get warmer than a typical cable modem/ethernet hub/whatever.

They should generate considerably less if they're not running on batteries, as they are not having to convert AC to DC. On batteries, they're going from DC to AC, but the things are ungodly loud when on battery backup so it's a moot point. Although the capacitors used for voltage regulation could make a bit of heat, I don't think they should make enough to require a fan; I have seen several power conditioners (basically regulating a 30A current to a flat 120V, all the time) in the home theater world that are totally passive. In fact, I don't remember ever seeing an actively cooled model. So honestly, I have no idea why the Trust UPS would require a fan all the time. It'd be interesting to crack the thing open and see how it's designed...

Straker · Post by **Straker** » Sat Apr 09, 2005 11:14 pm

Green Shoes wrote:They should generate considerably less if they're not running on batteries, as they are not having to convert AC to DC. On batteries, they're going from DC to AC, but the things are ungodly loud when on battery backup so it's a moot point.

er, as which are not having to convert AC to DC? online (not "interactive"/offline) UPSes convert AC to DC, and then back to AC, so my guess is that, at worst, they'd be comparable to a pretty good PSU, that's all.

lm · Post by lm » Sun Apr 10, 2005 1:16 am

negatory wrote: Yes my UPS was expensive...the most expensive model I've seen and the one that suited my needs (I've got a 19" monitor and a 460W power supply).

Having a 460W PSU does not mean your machine actually uses 460W DC all the time, or even at maximum load. Having active pfc PSU should minimize the UPS load, even though it does not reduce energy bills. Also it would be a good idea to have a PSU that has above 80% efficiency on the power range your machine uses.

Another thing, do you really have to have that monitor connected to the battery-backup line of the UPS? How about connecting it to the power surge protection only-line? Then just for example hibernate using some simple keyboard shortcut, so all your work is saved, and wait for power to return, and wake the computer up.

How do I silence my 1000VA Trust UPS?

How do I silence my 1000VA Trust UPS?

Re: How do I silence my 1000VA Trust UPS?