My UPS Caught Fire Last Night

Jose R.

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Last night, oddly enough, I was running a cable in the attic for my next camera location when I noticed my internet went out. So I go over to my network shelf and everything is off? Modem, router, BI PC, all switches and cameras. The whole shelf is dead. Strange, I didn't touch anything here yet.

I checked the outlet and it was fine. UPS was off, no response to button presses. Hmm...

I lightly tapped on the UPS and the damn thing popped VERY loud and a small fire started inside it which I could see thru the case vents. Heavy electrical smoke started to come out. I blew it out quickly and started to remove it from the shelf, quickly unplugging everything.

I set it down and started to remove the batteries when it popped and caught fire again. Movement seems to set off the reaction. Once I got the batteries out, it's been fine.

Very scary for sure, my wife was not amused at all. This UPS is a CyberPower CP1500AVRLCD that's less than 3 months old. I've contacted them for a replacement.

CyberPower Intelligent LCD Series CP1500AVRLCD GreenPower UPS - Newegg.com

Should I switch to APC? Does Cyberpower suck? Just a fluke? Does anyone here take any sort of fire suppression measure in their equipment closets?

I replaced the UPS with a Triplite surge power strip for now and it seems all the equipment is fine. So that's very good news, considering the amount of hours of work that's sitting on that shelf.
 

Dramus

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I had that happen, once, with an APC SmartUPS 1400. I'd just put new batteries in it and swapped the one that'd been in service for the re-batteried one. Pulled the plug to do a runtime test. Got no further than the end of the equipment rack when I heard a *POP* from behind me. Turned and looked to see fire coming out the back of the UPS!

Swapped the UPS' back and took the one that had caught fire to our own service department for a postmortem. Turned out the heat sink grease for the power transistors was dry as a bone. When that happens the grease will no longer conduct heat from the power transistors to the heat sink. Transistors overheat and go *POOF*.

Other than that I've had generally good luck with APC UPS'.
 

Dramus

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You guys are scaring me. I have a CyberPower UPS in every room of the house. In some rooms, two.
Allow me to do you the favour of adding to your angst, then :). Every electronic device you have is subject to busting into flames at any time. Particularly anything with NiCad, NiMH or LiIon batteries in them. Electronic components fail. It's a fact of life. Sometimes when they fail they fail spectacularly. It's relatively rare, but it happens.
 

bp2008

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Allow me to do you the favour of adding to your angst, then :). Every electronic device you have is subject to busting into flames at any time. Particularly anything with NiCad, NiMH or LiIon batteries in them. Electronic components fail. It's a fact of life. Sometimes when they fail they fail spectacularly. It's relatively rare, but it happens.
:eek:

Yeah, I already knew all this. It just hurts to be reminded. If I could afford to build a fireproof concrete house, I would.
 

Jose R.

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Looking thru the vents, it seems the fire was at two very large transistors on heat sinks. So we seem to have the same failure. However, there was no power outage nor high drain (I'm at around 50 watts). It was just idling there as usual and poof, it was off. Once I touched it, BANG.

Not comforting at all. Perhaps having that much stored energy in one place is not worth it? Or moving the UPS offsite to a more firesafe place like a fireproof box? These things are in closets full of clothes in many cases, FFS.

I understand electronics can fail and catch fire, but PC's and switches rarely do this as they are low current devices. Proper electronics are fused and certain considerations are made to prevent fires. But a 3-month old high-current bank of electricity with questionable internal electronics in a closet full of flammables... Hmm... May have to move it or consider installing an automatic fire extinguisher along with it?
 

Mike A.

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I don't go as far as automatic suppression but I do have a smoke alarm right next to my rack. Never had an actual fire but did have an old APC unit go *WOMP* and smoke and die when it powered back up after a shutdown.
 

Walrus

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At my previous place of employment, a large automation company, the APC UPS shared between my computer and another started making noise the minute I turned on my computer in the morning. I looked down and saw arcing inside the unused receptacles. I unplugged it from the wall, ripped out the two computer cords from it, and the arcing stopped and it started spewing smoke out of the holes.

Being a large company, all IT requests had to go through a support request on the intranet. Seeing as how my computer was now off, my support request was me walking down the hall to the IT room looking like a ghostbuster carrying a smoking ghost trap.

They are all susceptible to it, and it worries me too. I have two at home.
 

Rakin

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Well at least mine is in a closet with nothing else beside other electronics.


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NickTheGreat

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Yuck, that's no fun. Makes me want to check my UPS's here soon. I've only got 3 or 4 around the house.
 

Jose R.

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I saw this on Amazon and was questioning it's effectiveness. Easily placed on top of the PC and done.
 

Jose R.

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Man but when that ball blows, it's violent. Haha that will blow the doors off any closet. :D Guess that's better than the fire. Imagine you sleeping in that room when it goes off.
 

TonyR

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I agree about that it's likely any brand of UPS or electronic device (especially with large batteries) can fail and catch on fire, but I have a different reason for avoiding Cyberpower: after using APC exclusively for 10 years with no issues I decided to try CP.

July 2015, a nearby lighting strike induces a surge which comes in through powerline (no Ethernet or HDMI cables on TV), goes through the CP like a straight wire and fries a 65" Sony 4K 3D TV....the CP was a month old.

Fast forward 3-1/2 years: March 2019, a nearby lighting strike induces a surge which comes in through powerline goes through a different CP like a straight wire and fries a Vizio soundbar....the CP was 6 month old.

Two days later I'm back to APC, got a 1500VA on the TV/satellite and 2 each 650VA units on 2 PC's, 1 of them my Blue Iris server. Not taking any more chances on the Cyperpower unit...YMMV.

FWIW, it's a PITA but I unplug TV completely when I leave the house or if I know something's coming up....the UPSes are like insurance, which doesn't guarantee that nothing will happen.
 

Jose R.

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Good data... I think I will use my Tripp-Lite surge protector power strip downstream (maybe upstream is better?) of the replacement UPS no matter the brand. Another surge protector inline is cheap insurance if anything makes it thru. I also have one of those meter base whole house surge protectors (No, I don't pay monthly for it to the power co. - it's mine) and considering adding the main panel protectors, too. Surge protection is best in layers. Maybe it's time to start adding more.
 

Rakin

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Good data... I think I will use my Tripp-Lite surge protector power strip downstream (maybe upstream is better?) of the replacement UPS no matter the brand. Another surge protector inline is cheap insurance if anything makes it thru. I also have one of those meter base whole house surge protectors (No, I don't pay monthly for it to the power co. - it's mine) and considering adding the main panel protectors, too. Surge protection is best in layers. Maybe it's time to start adding more.
I use Tripplite isobars both before and after my apc


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