Question What UPS should I buy for my system? Mini Fridge is causing dips in power

[Odifma]

My mini fridge is causing my TV in my gaming room to flicker off/on when it cycles on. Thought it was just my tv since its an older LCD, so i bought a new 55" yesterday and it still happened. Went down the rabbit hole and read that its lowering the voltage because it takes alot of power to cycle on. Cant/Wont run a long extension cord from the mini fridge to a different outlet since all outlets in this room are on the same breaker. Realised my PC is probably taking hits also and im just not noticing it because i have a 1200w PSU. I have a somewhat beefy setup. 1200w PSU, RTX 3090 TI, 64gb RAM, 11700k CPU. 6 RGB Fans, Water cooled CPU.

So i realised i probably should buy a UPS to stop any damage to my PC and also my new TV. I saw a few on amazon and not really sure what would be best for my setup. I dont want something thats going to keep my system running for 15-20 minutes after a blackout, not worried about that. just dont want any damage to my PC or my TV when my mini fridge cycles on.

I seen a few on amazon, These "CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD PFC Sinewave UPS System, 1500VA/1000W, 12 Outlets, AVR, Mini Tower" BUT it looks like it might be overkill.


Thanks in advance!

 

[punkncat]

Most reputable brands will have a calculator on site for discovering what you need. Among quality brands I have used are CyberPower, but have gotten to where I use APC exclusively.

Power Supply Calculator - PSU Calculator | OuterVision is a good place to enter your parameters and get a suggestion both for power supply, but backup battery systems info as well.

Given my own personal experience with this in a house I once lived in with inadequate wiring for the load...I would suggest inconveniencing yourself in order to move that fridge to another circuit, if possible. Keep in mind that extension cords need to be a proper gauge to length to run such a high demand device. I would consider moving it.

 

[Odifma]

Most reputable brands will have a calculator on site for discovering what you need. Among quality brands I have used are CyberPower, but have gotten to where I use APC exclusively.

Power Supply Calculator - PSU Calculator | OuterVision is a good place to enter your parameters and get a suggestion both for power supply, but backup battery systems info as well.

Given my own personal experience with this in a house I once lived in with inadequate wiring for the load...I would suggest inconveniencing yourself in order to move that fridge to another circuit, if possible. Keep in mind that extension cords need to be a proper gauge to length to run such a high demand device. I would consider moving it.

Im trying to avoid moving it BUT if thats my only option then yea i might. Also, would upgrading the breaker do anything? Or is it just the wiring in my apartment?

 

[punkncat]

If you live in an apartment any changes of that nature would need to be cleared through a landlord. Considering most wiring is going to have been rated for a specific load and breaker (amp) alongside wire gauge, simply changing a breaker to a larger capacity could be a fire hazard or cause damage to wiring.

A good battery system would help deliver quality power to the PC, but it also needs a proper amount of draw to charge correctly. If that aspect is good, then it would help with the amperage spike from condenser startup. I would consider one that you can set the sensitivity on.

 

[Odifma]

I saw this one

https://www.amazon.com/CyberPower-C...96-2a7862dc1716&ref_=pd_gw_ci_mcx_mr_hp_atf_m

I just want something to protect my PC and TV when the condenser kicks on. And if that doesnt do it and moving the fridge to another room is the only option then il do that.

Also when you say battery, do you mean the UPS were talking about?

EDIT - To add, I dont really have anywhere else to put it besides my living room and im almost certain my GF would just rather get rid of it instead of that haha

 

[punkncat]

Start here to determine your suggested unit for this brand:

UPS Product Selector Sizing Tool (cyberpowersystems.com)


Yes, uninterruptable power supply/battery backup. Not that those terms are alway synonymous, but for the sake of this discussion.

 

[Odifma]

Start here to determine your suggested unit for this brand:

UPS Product Selector Sizing Tool (cyberpowersystems.com)


Yes, uninterruptable power supply/battery backup. Not that those terms are alway synonymous, but for the sake of this discussion.

Will check it out. i REALLY appreciate the help and quick replies! Thank you!

 

[Odifma]

Start here to determine your suggested unit for this brand:

UPS Product Selector Sizing Tool (cyberpowersystems.com)


Yes, uninterruptable power supply/battery backup. Not that those terms are alway synonymous, but for the sake of this discussion.

Actually i have 1 more question. Do i have to buy one of the beefier ones? Im not looking for something to provide power for an extended amount of time, just mainly to stop the dip in power to cause a problem to my pc/tv. Just trying to save money for the most part BUT if i have to buy the $200 one its not an issue.

 

[Deleted member 14196]

you want what’s called a line conditioner

That will keep your voltage from dipping you plug that into the wall in your computer strip into that

what you really need though is an electrician to fix the problems

 

[Odifma]

you want what’s called a line conditioner

That will keep your voltage from dipping you plug that into the wall in your computer strip into that

what you really need though is an electrician to fix the problems

Ya I don't doubt I do haha I was talking to my gf about it today and I remembered that both our room and the gaming room are on the same breaker so I'm sure that's not good. What would have to be done to fix the issue? And is it expensive?

 

[Deleted member 14196]

You probably just need to have another line put in and electricians can be expensive but it’s worth it because then you don’t need to worry about things like your house burning down

look up some local electricians in your area and tell them your problem hen get an estimate

I don’t believe putting another line in is going to cost an arm and a leg either. It’s probably cheaper than buying a line conditioner.

 

[Odifma]

You probably just need to have another line put in and electricians can be expensive but it’s worth it because then you don’t need to worry about things like your house burning down

look up some local electricians in your area and tell them your problem hen get an estimate

Well I'm in an apartment but I get what you mean haha so I'm not sure how much I can really have done. The UPS might be the cheaper option. Or the conditioner you mentioned

 

[Deleted member 14196]

In that case, you should let the Property Managment people know about the problems with the electricity. other than that, a line conditioner is probably what you want

 

[Odifma]

In that case, you should let the Property Managment people know about the problems with the electricity. other than that, a line conditioner is probably what you want

Well I do have an electrician friend so I'll definitely hit him up and il talk to the property manager about it. Thanks for the info!

 

[bill001g]

It depends on the UPS some have the ability to boost the power without going to the battery for small drops but it will switch to the battery if the drop is large enough. The UPS you linked has that feature but I am unsure if it enough in your case. You really don't want it constantly switching to the battery and back.
Most UPS use relays in them, you can actually hear it click. These will wear out over time. You can get UPS that completely isolate the incoming power and run off their inverters constantly. They are called online or double converter but cost a lot more.

Maybe find a different place for the fridge or maybe the fridge is defective in some way.

The reason your pc does not see it is because it in a way has its own power conditioner. There are large capacitors in good power supplies that can provide extra power for short periods of time. The power supplies on some tv and not as good. I have one tv that is on a UPS and in the tiny amount of time it takes for the UPS to switch over the tv will still sometime turn off. Everything else on the same UPS doesn't see the tiny outage.

 

[Odifma]

It depends on the UPS some have the ability to boost the power without going to the battery for small drops but it will switch to the battery if the drop is large enough. The UPS you linked has that feature but I am unsure if it enough in your case. You really don't want it constantly switching to the battery and back.
Most UPS use relays in them, you can actually hear it click. These will wear out over time. You can get UPS that completely isolate the incoming power and run off their inverters constantly. They are called online or double converter but cost a lot more.

Maybe find a different place for the fridge or maybe the fridge is defective in some way.

The reason your pc does not see it is because it in a way has its own power conditioner. There are large capacitors in good power supplies that can provide extra power for short periods of time. The power supplies on some tv and not as good. I have one tv that is on a UPS and in the tiny amount of time it takes for the UPS to switch over the tv will still sometime turn off. Everything else on the same UPS doesn't see the tiny outage.

Hmm.. the fridge only a years old, but i dont know how long those last to be honest haha Is there a way to tell if its going bad? Someone mentioned getting a Conditioner and i see this one on amazon, but im still not sure if that is what i need. I dont want to buy something thats overkill for what i need and i dont want something that isnt going to work for what i need.

https://www.amazon.com/8-Outlet-Rac...mzn1.fos.c1e7b9a2-53cf-44f5-ab39-5386af17669d