# Please recommend uninterruptible power thingy

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-uninterruptible-power-thingy/447928>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [May 3, 2008, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-uninterruptible-power-thingy/447928 "2008-05-03T20:53:33Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\
**Post date:** [May 3, 2008, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-uninterruptible-power-thingy/447928/1 "2008-05-03T20:53:33Z")

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I use those battery-loaded power strips so that on the occasional instances of power failures, my C-pap device, my alarm clock, my cell phone charger, and my fan keep working.

I’m currently having two problems with them –

(1) When the power cuts out and the devices start working on the battery, the damn thing gives a warning beep-beep-beep every five minutes. Who’s bright idea was this? I want to be able to sleep through the power outage. Why are these beeps here to wake me up?

(2) They don’t actually seem strong enough to keep my C-pap going. There’s a noticeable drop off in air pressure.

Any recommendations for good ones? That fucking don’t beep?

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**Author:** ![3waygeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/e95f7d/32.png) [@3waygeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3waygeek)\
**Post date:** [May 3, 2008, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-uninterruptible-power-thingy/447928/2 "2008-05-03T22:34:33Z")

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I use APC SmartUPS units; you can configure them to beep or not. Most UPS manufacturers discourage the use of UPS on motorized devices such as printers, fridges, and A/C units where the current draw on motor startup can be significant – small devices like a CPAP or a small fan should be OK, though. I suggest going for a higher-capacity UPS (at least 700VA) – that should give you enough oomph to last through longish outages.

If you live in an area where there are lots of tech companies, you can probably find a place that sells refurbished units, which will save you some $$$. eBay is also a good place to find used & refurbed UPS units – again, go for local sellers, since shipping will be pricey.