Do you want to keep your business safe from expensive power outages?
It is no secret that power outages are bad for business. In fact, outages cost American businesses billions of dollars every year in lost revenue and productivity. A large majority of these losses are preventable with a little bit of maintenance.
The problem is most people don’t know how to maintain their equipment properly.
Businesses will buy a backup power system and never look at it again. They think that their automatic transfer switch will work when they need it and nothing else.
This is a huge risk to your business continuity.
The good news is you can easily ensure that your ATS performs optimally for years to come. And guess what…
It is easier than you think.
In this guide, I will be going over the following information:
- Why it is more important than ever to keep up with your ATS maintenance
- What is at stake if you do not maintain your automatic transfer switch
- The maintenance tasks you cannot afford to skip
- How often you should be servicing your ATS
Why it is more important than ever to keep up with your ATS maintenance
Because ats transfer switch solutions are the foundation of your backup power system. They ensure that critical loads are transferred to backup power automatically and without delay when the grid goes down.
But here is the kicker…
If you do not maintain your ATS, it could fail at the worst possible time. If a single component fails, your entire facility can be at risk of going dark.
Automatic transfer switches are in high demand right now. The global automatic transfer switch market was valued at $881.4 million in 2024 and is growing at 5.4% annually.
Why is this? Well, businesses are beginning to understand the value of having a backup power system.
What is at stake if you do not maintain your automatic transfer switch
Did you know that…
The cost of downtime is more than just lost sales.
When a power outage occurs, it can ripple through your entire business and cause you to lose money in a lot of other areas. This is because:
- Employees are not being productive while the outage occurs.
- Equipment can be damaged by the sudden loss of power.
- In businesses that require refrigeration, your inventory can spoil if the outage occurs.
- Your reputation can be damaged when your customers lose trust in your business due to service interruptions.
To give you some numbers, 54% of businesses state that their last major power outage cost them over $100,000. Outages can cost some industries over $1 million per hour of downtime.
Crazy, right?
Preventative maintenance for your ATS is your safety net to protect your business from these losses. And guess what…
It is a lot cheaper than losing money during a lengthy outage.
The maintenance tasks you cannot afford to skip
If you want your transfer switch to perform as well as it possibly can, you need to have a solid maintenance routine. Relax, I will go over each task below.
Visual Inspections
Simple things like regular visual inspections can go a long way to help you spot potential issues before they become a problem. During a visual inspection, some of the things you should look out for include:
- Corrosion and wear on contacts and terminals
- Loose connections and mounting hardware
- Inspect seals and ventilation on the enclosure
- Indicator lights and control panel displays
Visual inspections should take no more than a few minutes but can prevent major failures.
Electrical Testing
Okay, now things start to get more involved, but it is critical for any automatic transfer switch solution.
Things that your maintenance technicians should be doing include:
- Contact resistance testing – this is to ensure power is transferred efficiently
- Insulation resistance testing – this is to protect against electrical faults
- Voltage and current readings – to check if everything is operating correctly
- Control circuit testing – to ensure all safety features are working
These electrical tests help to spot issues that could have gone undetected in a visual inspection.
Operational Testing
How can you know if your ATS is going to work when you need it most? You can only know this if you test it out.
Some of the tests you should run include:
- Simulate a loss of power from your utility
- Verify that your ATS transfers to your backup source of power automatically
- Test that your ATS transfers back to your utility supply
- Check that the transfer time is in line with the manufacturer’s specifications
- Check all of your safety interlocks and other safety features
Most experts recommend you do an operational test monthly or quarterly. The frequency of the test will be based on your local regulations and how critical your facility is.
Cleaning and Lubrication
Environmental contaminants such as dust and debris are the silent killers of electrical equipment. Regular cleaning can help to keep your equipment running optimally and for longer.
Some of the things you should be doing include:
- Dust off components and vents
- Wipe down control panels and displays
- Lubricate any moving parts as per manufacturer’s specifications
- Check that the equipment is getting enough ventilation and cooling
Cleaning your ATS is not something you should skip. A clean ATS is an ATS that you can rely on.
How often should you be servicing your ATS?
Truthfully, there is no definitive answer to this question.
However, here is a good starting point for you:
- Monthly – basic visual inspections and checking of indicator lights
- Quarterly – comprehensive operational testing and inspections
- Yearly – full blown testing, cleaning, and thermal imaging of components
- Every 3-5 years – in-depth overhauls of critical components
Statistics have shown that using predictive maintenance technologies can reduce downtime by 10-15%. Predictive maintenance allows you to be notified of potential problems before they become failures.
The role of professional maintenance
There are some things you can do to keep up on your own. But other maintenance tasks are best left to the professionals.
Professional maintenance technicians can provide:
- Specialized equipment that most facilities do not have
- In-depth technical knowledge that only experience can give them
- The ability to complete complex repairs without compromising safety
Professional technicians can also use thermal imaging to help detect hot spots which could point to failing components.
Warning signs your ATS needs immediate attention
If your ATS starts giving you some warning signs, you should get a professional to inspect it as soon as possible. Do not wait for the equipment to fail completely.
Some of the warning signs to look out for include:
- You hear unusual noises when it operates during a transfer
- It takes too long to transfer during testing
- You can visibly see damage or corrosion on your ATS
- You smell burning or notice the equipment is too hot to touch
Do not take these warning signs lightly. Get the appropriate professionals to inspect your ATS as soon as possible.
Documentation and record keeping
You want to make the most out of your maintenance budget? Keep detailed records of all service and maintenance work that is done.
Good record-keeping will help you:
- Identify any issues or recurring problems with the equipment
- Help you to plan and budget for future replacement of components
- Provide evidence of compliance with regulations
- Transfer knowledge to new team members if changes in staff occur
Luckily, many modern ATS units will have built-in data logging which you can use to maintain an up-to-date record.
The bottom line
Automatic transfer switch maintenance is not an optional expense. It is a critical investment in the continuity of your business.
An ATS that is well maintained can last your facility 20+ years. On the other hand, an ATS that is not maintained properly could be dead after only a few years.
The choice is yours.
Do you want to invest in preventative maintenance now to avoid financial losses? Or do you want to take your chances that your ATS will fail when you least expect it?
The numbers do not lie, prevention is always cheaper than failure.
Bringing it all together
Automatic transfer switch maintenance is essential to protecting your business from costly power outages. Implementing a regular maintenance program will ensure your backup power system is up and running when you need it.