Should I turn my battery backups off when using a regular vacuum cleaner near them?

ATX Ferret

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Nov 7, 2015
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Long story short, I recently came in to enough money that I was able to properly build and connect two high-end gaming machines (one for me, one for wife/step daughter) and I'm wondering if the ESD from a vacuum cleaner can negatively affect a battery backup system. Once, a while back, she was vacuuming near a computer that was sitting mostly on the floor and running, and the vacuum actually popped the PSU right there. Since these battery backups also sit on the floor, it just occurred to me that the same thing could happen. Or could it?
 
UPS systems are specifically designed to protect components from those types of transients. Preferably though, you should just get a heavy duty extension cord to make sure that you're drawing from a different circuit entirely (just in case the vacuum draws too much power)

Note that you should NEVER use a vacuum on the electrical devices themselves. Use a microfiber cloth for the outside and an air blower (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/838818-REG/sensei_bl_011_bulb_air_blower_cleaning_system.html) for the inside.
 
I would think that just bumping the UPS with the vacuum end would be more likely to cause a breaker trip than any ESD issues.

Or sucking in some of those fine wires from the transformers to peripheral devices into the beater bar would be more of a concern.

Agree - no vaccum power plugs in the USP. Best to keep everything up off the floor even a few inches. I put everything on suitably sized boards with wheels. Much easier to deal with.....