Mercury

Mercury UPS in Kenya

A Mercury UPS (uninterruptible power supply) keeps your equipment running when the mains dips or fails, a daily concern for many Kenyan homes and businesses. This collection lists five Mercury models from 650VA to 3000VA for computers, routers, CCTV and point-of-sale equipment.

What a UPS does

A UPS sits between the wall socket and your equipment. When power is lost, its internal battery takes over, giving you time to save work and shut down or to ride out a short outage. It also helps protect equipment from surges and sags. Marketplace listings for Mercury line-interactive models mention automatic voltage regulation and a wide input range, which suits unstable supply; confirm on the product page.

VA is not watts

UPS capacity is quoted in VA (apparent power), but your equipment draws watts. The ratio between them is the power factor, so a UPS delivers fewer watts than its VA rating. APC's guidance gives about 0.6 for typical small UPS units, and Kenyan listings for Mercury show similar ratios, for example 850VA with 510W and 2000VA with 1200W. Always size by watts:

• List your load: add the real watts of everything you will connect.
• Leave headroom: aim for 70 to 80 percent load at most.
• Convert correctly: VA = watts divided by power factor.
• Check runtime: it depends on battery energy, not VA. A 12V 9Ah battery stores roughly 108Wh before losses, so two of them hold about 216Wh. Divide by your load in watts for a rough upper limit.
• Keep heavy appliances off it: laser printers, heaters and kettles can overload a small UPS.

Models in this collection

Compare the Ah figures in each title for outage cover. See also all UPS units and CCTV power supplies.

Common uses

• Home offices, to protect computers and the router.
• Shops with a till, receipt printer and card machine.
• CCTV systems that must keep recording.

Frequently asked questions

How long will a UPS run my computer?

Usually minutes rather than hours. It is designed for safe shutdown or short outages.

Do UPS batteries wear out?

Yes. Test the unit periodically and plan to replace the battery.

Can I plug a fridge into a UPS?

No. Motor loads draw heavy start-up current and suit small UPS units poorly.

Adepta Technologies delivers in Nairobi and across Kenya. Tell us your equipment list and we will suggest a size.