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Three different promises in one box
UPS packaging often leads with a single headline: a warranty length and a large dollar figure for connected equipment. Underneath are usually three separate commitments with different terms, and mixing them up is the root of most disappointed claims.
| Coverage | What it covers | Typical remedy | Typical limitations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit warranty | Defects in materials and workmanship of the UPS electronics and enclosure | Repair or replacement of the UPS | Excludes misuse, overload, physical damage, unauthorized repair |
| Battery warranty | Battery defects, sometimes on a separate, shorter or prorated schedule | Replacement battery or prorated credit | Normal aging and capacity loss are generally not defects; heat shortens life |
| Connected-equipment guarantee (also called equipment protection policy or similar) | Physical damage to equipment plugged into the UPS, caused by an electrical event passing through it | Repair cost or fair market value, up to an advertised maximum | Strict eligibility conditions, exclusions, per-incident or lifetime caps |
The unit and battery warranties behave like most electronics warranties. The equipment guarantee is closer to a limited insurance policy written by the manufacturer, and it is read like one.
Unit warranty vs battery warranty
Batteries are consumables. A VRLA lead-acid battery loses capacity steadily with age and much faster in heat (see UPS battery lifespan). Manufacturers reflect that by treating the battery differently from the electronics: sometimes a shorter term, sometimes a prorated term, sometimes an exclusion for batteries that simply reached the end of their normal life.
Practical consequences:
- A "replace battery" alert after a few years of service is usually wear, not a warranty defect. Check when to replace a UPS battery.
- A battery that fails a self-test shortly after purchase, or a swollen battery, is more likely to be a valid claim. Stop using a swollen battery immediately; see swollen UPS battery.
- Installing a third-party battery may affect warranty coverage on some models. The terms, not forum consensus, decide this; see OEM vs aftermarket UPS batteries.
- Lithium-ion models may have different battery terms than lead-acid models in the same family.
How connected-equipment guarantees typically work
Brand names differ (APC uses an Equipment Protection Policy, CyberPower a Connected Equipment Guarantee, Eaton and Tripp Lite their own versions), and the details change over time. Read across many of these policies and the same conditions appear again and again.
Who can claim
- Original purchaser only. Coverage usually does not transfer to a second owner.
- Authorized purchase. Some policies exclude units bought from unauthorized or marketplace sellers.
- Registration. Many policies require product registration within a set window after purchase. Missing it can void equipment coverage even though the unit warranty still applies.
- Proof of purchase. A dated receipt or invoice showing the model.
How the equipment must be connected
- Plugged directly into the UPS. No surge strips, power strips or extension cords between the UPS and the equipment, and usually none between the wall and the UPS either. See plugging a UPS into a power strip.
- Properly wired, grounded outlet. The UPS should be on a correctly wired three-prong receptacle. A lit site wiring fault indicator is a red flag; see site wiring faults and grounding.
- All conductive paths protected. If the policy covers surges arriving on data lines, the coax, phone or Ethernet line must usually pass through the UPS's own data protection ports, if it has them. A surge that came in on an unprotected cable is typically excluded.
- Within ratings. Overloading the UPS, or connecting equipment the manual prohibits (such as laser printers on battery outlets), can void coverage.
What must have happened
The policy covers damage caused by an electrical event that passed through the UPS, such as a surge or spike on the utility line. Damage from other causes (a power supply that failed on its own, water, physical impact, a surge that entered via an unprotected path) is not covered. Determining cause is the manufacturer's call, which is why inspection is part of the process.
What you get
- Repair cost, or the fair market value of the damaged item if it cannot be repaired. Fair market value for a five-year-old PC is much less than its original price.
- Up to the advertised maximum, which is a ceiling. Policies may also have per-incident limits, lifetime limits, and limits that scale with the UPS model.
- Some policies require that you first claim against your own homeowner's, renter's or business insurance, with the guarantee covering what remains.
Common exclusions
- Data loss, data recovery, software, downtime and lost profits.
- Improper installation, daisy-chaining, extension cords and ungrounded outlets.
- Damage from events the policy specifically excludes. Some policies exclude certain causes or circumstances; read the list.
- Equipment not normally used with a UPS, or used outside its rating.
- Units that were modified, opened or repaired by unauthorized parties.
Our analysis: the guarantee is a backstop, not your protection plan
Equipment guarantees are written so that a correctly installed UPS that let a surge through will pay out, and almost nothing else will. That is reasonable, but it means the guarantee rewards the same habits that prevent damage in the first place: direct connection, a grounded outlet, data lines routed through protection, and a layered surge protection setup. If you build those habits, you will rarely need to claim. If you skip them, a claim is unlikely to succeed anyway.
Checklist: before you ever need to claim
- Register the UPS on the manufacturer's site as soon as you buy it. Save the confirmation email.
- Keep the receipt in a place you can find it after a storm, ideally a digital copy off the premises.
- Download and save the current warranty and guarantee terms for your model and region. Terms can change after your purchase; the version in effect at purchase is the one you need.
- Plug equipment directly into the UPS. Remove power strips and extension cords from the chain.
- Confirm the outlet is correctly wired and grounded. An inexpensive outlet tester will reveal open grounds and reversed polarity; check the UPS's wiring fault indicator if it has one.
- Route data lines through the UPS's protected ports if it has them and your policy requires it.
- Photograph your setup: the UPS, what is plugged into it, and the wall outlet. Keep a list of connected equipment with approximate purchase dates and values.
- Stay within ratings. Check the load percentage against the watt rating; see UPS load percentage.
What to do after a surge or electrical event
- Make it safe. If you smell burning or see smoke, cut power at the breaker and keep clear. Do not open the UPS. See UPS hot or burning smell.
- Do not throw anything away or repair anything yet. The manufacturer will usually want to inspect the UPS and may want the damaged equipment.
- Document immediately: photos of the setup as it was, the UPS display or indicators, any scorch marks, and a written timeline (date, time, weather, what you noticed).
- Gather evidence of the event: a utility outage notice, a lightning or storm report for your area, or notes from neighbors with damage. Save the UPS event log if your software or network card recorded one.
- Read the claim instructions in the terms you saved, and contact the manufacturer within whatever reporting window they specify.
- Get repair assessments for damaged equipment if requested, from a qualified repair shop, stating cause where possible.
- Check your own insurance. Some policies require it to be claimed first, and it may cover what the guarantee does not.
- Return the UPS as instructed, keeping tracking numbers and copies of everything you send.
Be realistic about evidence
A claim is a request for the manufacturer to accept that an electrical event passed through their product and caused specific damage. Without registration, a receipt, a correctly installed setup and the returned UPS, that case is hard to make. Even with all of them, the outcome depends on inspection and the policy's limits.
Comparing coverage between brands
When you compare UPS units, it is tempting to pick the one with the largest equipment guarantee figure. A better comparison asks: how long is the unit warranty, how is the battery treated, how long is the registration window, and how restrictive are the connection conditions? Brand guides for APC, CyberPower, Eaton and Tripp Lite discuss each lineup, and the comparisons of APC vs CyberPower and Eaton vs APC cover coverage structure in general terms. Business and rack models often carry different terms than consumer models from the same brand, and terms differ by country, so always read the current document for your exact model and region.
Finally, remember what a UPS does and does not do for surges. Its surge components are similar in principle to a good plug-in surge protector, which can only do so much against a nearby lightning strike. See surge protector ratings and UPS vs surge protector.
Frequently asked questions
Does a UPS warranty cover the battery?
Usually, but often on different terms. Many manufacturers warrant the battery for a shorter period than the electronics, or prorate it, because batteries wear out with time and temperature even when nothing is wrong. Normal capacity loss with age is generally not a defect. Check the battery section of the warranty for your model and region.
Will the equipment guarantee pay the full advertised amount?
The advertised figure is normally a maximum, not a payout. Typical policies pay the lesser of repair cost or fair market value of the damaged equipment, up to that limit, and may apply per-incident or lifetime caps. Older equipment may be valued well below its original price.
Does plugging a power strip into my UPS void the equipment guarantee?
Under many policies, yes, or at least it excludes the equipment on the strip. Terms commonly require equipment to be plugged directly into the UPS, without extension cords, surge strips or other intermediate devices. See our guide on plugging a UPS into a power strip for the electrical reasons as well.
Is data loss covered by a UPS equipment guarantee?
Almost never. Equipment guarantees typically cover physical damage to hardware and explicitly exclude the cost of lost data, recovery services, downtime and lost business. A UPS reduces the chance of data loss from outages, but backups are what protect data.
Can I make a claim on a used or second-hand UPS?
Usually not. Most guarantees are limited to the original purchaser who bought from an authorized seller, and some require registration within a short window after purchase. A used unit should be treated as having no equipment coverage unless the seller's own warranty says otherwise.
Do I need to send the UPS back to make a claim?
Often, yes. Manufacturers commonly require the UPS to be returned for inspection so they can determine whether an electrical event passed through it. Some also request the damaged equipment or a repair estimate. Do not discard or repair anything until you have read the claim instructions.
Sources and further reading
- APC by Schneider Electric: warranty and Equipment Protection Policy pages
- CyberPower Systems: warranty and Connected Equipment Guarantee terms
- Eaton and Tripp Lite: warranty and insurance terms
- Federal Trade Commission (ftc.gov): Businessperson's Guide to Federal Warranty Law (Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act)