Audits and planning
An audit report sets out what was checked, what was found and what to do about it, ranked by urgency. For the power path it covers the UPS, the batteries, the transfer switches, the switchgear and the PDUs, with measured loads and readings; findings on cooling, fire protection and cleanliness are recorded and routed to the matching specialist service. Each finding has a reason, a source and a recommended action.
The power path from the utility service to the rack, and the records that show how it is run. On the power side that means the UPS systems, battery strings, transfer switches, switchgear, floor and rack PDUs and the generator interface; on the records side, the single-line diagram, maintenance history, service-life notices and procedures. The Tier and redundancy checks follow the published Uptime Institute definitions. Uptime Institute describes Tier Certification as a performance-based evaluation, not a checklist, and reserves certification to itself, so the report states findings against the definitions without claiming a Tier.
| What happens | What is recorded |
|---|---|
| Agree the question, the scope and the documents available | The written scope and the list of systems |
| Review the single-line diagram, maintenance history and service-life notices | Gaps in records and equipment past its service stage |
| Walk the power path from the utility service to the rack | Paths, single points and single-corded loads |
| Measure loads, battery readings and thermal images under normal operation | Load per module and path, battery trend, hot spots |
| Check findings against the redundancy level and the Tier definitions | Where the site falls short and why |
| Write and present the report | Findings ranked by urgency, with the action and cost for each |
The measurements that show condition rather than appearance. Eaton's published scope for UPS performance testing records infrared scans of the UPS and battery cabinets, with the actual temperatures of any hot spot kept for future reference, and power-quality readings of voltage, current and harmonic content at the UPS output, with irregularities noted in a written report. An audit report uses the same kind of evidence: the load on each module and path, battery voltages and ohmic readings with their trend, thermal images of connections, and the UPS event logs. C&D's manual gives the yardstick used for the battery trend: changes in ohmic readings of less than ±20% are acceptable, and changes greater than 50% need further attention.
By what each one puts at risk and how soon. A finding that could drop the critical load today, such as a redundant pair loaded beyond one side or a hot connection on a main breaker, is ranked first and reported the same day. Items that remove redundancy or shorten battery runtime come next, then items due within the next maintenance cycles, then improvements. NFPA 70B takes a similar approach for electrical equipment, setting maintenance intervals from the worst of the equipment's condition, criticality and environment, so the report's ranking and the maintenance plan use the same logic.
They go into the same report and are routed to the matching specialist service. Cooling, fire protection and room cleanliness affect the UPS directly, through heat, through what happens to the UPS room after a discharge, and through dust in the air filters, so they are recorded where they are found rather than left to a separate visit. Eaton notes that dust can block UPS air filters and shut the UPS down on overheating, which is why a dirty room is a UPS finding as much as a cleaning one.
Because maintenance is the strongest predictor of what fails next. Vertiv's analysis puts the mean time between failures of a UPS that receives two preventive maintenance visits a year at 23 times that of a unit with none. The report sets the actual history against the maker's schedule and the electrical maintenance intervals, and lists what was missed. Where a site has no maintenance contract, the report is often the basis for one; see UPS maintenance contracts.
Send the site address, the UPS and generator list, the single-line diagram if you have one, and the question the audit has to answer, such as a Tier claim to check, a capacity concern or an ageing UPS, through the audit quote request. The scope and the report format are agreed before the visit, so the report answers the question that was asked. For ongoing UPS work after the audit, see UPS maintenance and repair for data centres.
The scope, the readings taken, the findings ranked by urgency, and a recommended action for each, covering the power path directly and routing cooling, fire and cleanliness findings to the matching specialist service.
No. Tier Certification is reserved to Uptime Institute; the report checks the site against the published definitions.
It depends on the size of the site and the scope agreed; the visit and the report timeline are set in the written scope before the work starts.
No. The readings are taken in normal operation; any test that needs a shutdown is recommended in the report and planned separately.
Sources, checked 2026-10-04:
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