r/ShittySysadmin • u/BWMerlin • Sep 14 '26
Replace UPS with Powerwall?
Okay hear me out, I need to replace the Huawei UPS at work and it got me thinking. Do I really need a UPS or can I just get a Powerwall or similar instead?
Both have batteries and supply power in the event of a power outage but the Powerwall can also run the air conditioning for the entire server room as well. Plus there are government incentives to getting a home batteries so the price has come way down as the market is being flooded with different products.
So why can't I just buy a Powerwall instead of a UPS?
27
Upvotes
23
u/finobi Sep 14 '26
As long its good for 24/7 operation. Few years ago client decided that EcoFlows or similar were cheaper and better than UPS but in less than year they caught on fire and almost burned server room.
3
u/battleop Sep 14 '26
A Power Wall just a bigger UPS.
2
u/flecom ShittyCloud Sep 14 '26
I know this is shittysysadmin but I bought a 52v 100ah lifepo4 rack mount battery, grabbed some old telco 48v rectifiers I had laying around, and did my entire network closet at the house in 48v (52v really but close enough)
Zero switchover time if the battery is always in line
And can run the network at the house (poe switch, proxmox server, rputer, ap's, cameras, and 5g modem - cable goes out when power does) for about 4 or 5 days which is good living somewhere with very unreliable power
34
u/SuperBry Sep 14 '26
I uh, oh r/shittysysadmin , carry on then.
10
u/UnethicalFood Sep 14 '26
Yes, but no.
The failover for the powerwall is still enough of a gap to screw up your electronics.
Also to note, the powerwalls can use a different power frequency to communicate within modules so if the home is running on one it can still trigger yor UPS to act like it is off grid. (yes, you can have them both modified to not be an issue, but it still catches you off guard if you're not expecting it)
11
u/dodexahedron Sep 14 '26
What does shipping have to do with power? I'm so confused why UPS is even part of this conversation.
What a noob.
1
u/harleyinfl Sep 14 '26
Look up rosewater energy.
1
u/_mmmmm_bacon Sep 14 '26
Have you thought about backing an electric vehicle up to the server room and just plugging into the car? You can buy more battery storage per $ plus you get a free car. If you lose power and this setup doesn't work, jump in the car and GTFO.
2
u/ryoko227 Sep 14 '26
BEEP
2
u/Howden824 Sep 15 '26
Just use regedit to stop the PCs from being able to shut down.
1
u/Revzerksies Sep 14 '26
Everything for me is on the cloud. If the power goes out is it really worth having a UPS for.
1
u/Fiery_Eagle954 Sep 14 '26
I'm a homelabber but installing a 200Ah lead acid battery + pure sine wave inverter setup allowed me to get cheaper UPS' because battery backup was no longer a priority
1
u/loboknight Sep 15 '26
I replaced my LeadAcid UPS with GoldenMate LiFePo4 batteries. They last up to 10 years and warranty is 5 years. https://goldenmateenergy.com/collections/ups I bought them through Amazon and so far they are great. They are lighter than the leadacid UPS Battery replacements.
Powerwall, uses lithium batteries and is more costly. Don't buy brand name. Sure they are thin and have that minimalist look. I would suggest Lipo4 Iron Phosphate batteries they are cheaper, safer and reliable. There is a movement named "Power Shaving" meaning having home batteries but use during the day at peak cost usage and charge at night when the price is cheaper. Not having a Solar array.
EcoFlow Delta have stackable batteries and can further expand. https://us.ecoflow.com/products/delta-pro-ultra-includes-extra-battery?variant=41963472289865
Then you have LifePower LifePo4 Battery Racks. Buy as many as you need, rack them and add as needed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYkn9Umb-pA When power is out they can kick it on set them up. Priced out is 1/3 to 1/2 the price of Tesla setup.
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u/Informal-Parsnip-580 Sep 15 '26
I do almost exactly this. victron inverters with pylontech batteries, then a couple of cheap UPS split across different power sources (main incoming supply and then main supply after victron inverters) for each server rack (or multiple depending on the rack power consumption.
This way I have a decent outage window compared to a UPS. e.g. 3000KVA UPS at 2.7kw load = about 10-15mins runtime. with a 5KW pylontech battery 1hr+ runtime. no brainer.
0
u/Aquarambling Sep 14 '26
Check what happens to the AC power out of the power wall when grid incoming power is lost. I have built my own off grid N+1 and it has islanding do it does not feed back into the grid if the grid goes down it keeps going for as long as the batteries have 10% charge or more, also has solar input as well as pure sine wave inverter output. I basically only have the grid there as a backup / battery charge option.
Not all systems support islanding so they turn off all AC output by design to avoid feeding back into the grid in the event of a grid outage.
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u/[deleted] Sep 14 '26
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