Answers
The questions that arrive most, answered plainly. Sizing, runtime, part numbers, delivery, returns and what this site is.
Do you sell directly from this site?
No. Every unit links out to the store that carries it. That store holds the stock, takes the payment and handles delivery and returns. This site is the catalog and the reference material.
How do I know what size battery backup I need?
Add up the watts of everything you want on the battery, then add about a quarter on top so the unit is not running at its limit. The load calculator does both steps and shows only the units rated to carry the result.
What is the difference between VA and watts?
Volt-amps are the apparent load, watts are the real one. A unit is rated for both and you can exceed either. Watts is the figure that decides whether it carries your equipment at all, so that is the one the calculator works in.
How long will it run for?
That depends entirely on how much you have on it. The same unit that holds a small load for half an hour holds a heavy one for four minutes. Runtime falls away sharply as the load rises, which is the real argument for leaving headroom.
Can I put a space heater or a laser printer on a battery backup?
No. Heating elements and the fusers in laser printers pull far more than their label suggests at the moment they switch on, and they will trip the unit or shorten its life. Those go in a wall outlet or a surge protector, never the battery outlets.
Where do I find a model number?
On the label, usually underneath or on the back. Every unit here that has one is listed in the model number index, and you can search a fragment rather than the whole thing.
My part number is not in the index. Is it discontinued?
Possibly, or the suffix has changed. Drop the trailing characters and search the stem. If nothing comes up, write to us with the number as printed and we will tell you what took its place.
How much does delivery cost and when does it arrive?
The store that fills the order sets that, and it depends on the address and the option you pick at checkout. The figures are on the order page before you confirm. We do not hold stock, so we have no rates of our own to quote.
Something arrived damaged. What now?
Start with the store that filled the order, through the order in your account there. It took the payment, so it is the only side that can act on it. Keep the packaging until it is settled.
Are the prices on this site current?
They are what the listing last carried. Prices move, and the number on the order page at the moment you check out is the one that applies.
Do you have a spec sheet with dimensions and weights?
What arrived with the product data is on each unit page under the nameplate heading. Where a figure is missing it is left out rather than filled in, so an empty row never means zero. Ask us if you need something that is not there.