Three-Phase UPS Commissioning Checklist (AS/NZS 3000 + AS IEC 62040)

Why commissioning matters

A new three-phase UPS is not "installed" until it has been formally commissioned. Commissioning verifies the unit, the battery system, and the site infrastructure all perform per design specification before the load is transferred onto it. It's also how you activate the manufacturer warranty — for APC Galaxy, Eaton 9395, Vertiv Liebert APM2 and PowerShield Centurion Pro, factory-trained commissioning sign-off is mandatory for full warranty cover.

Self-commissioning typically reduces warranty to 12 months parts-only. Manufacturer-aligned commissioning extends that to 2-5 years parts-and-labour and unlocks remote monitoring services.

Below is the structured checklist our engineers work through. Use it as a baseline — your specific UPS model and site will have additional checks.

Pre-commissioning electrical safety

Before the UPS is energised:

• Confirm AS/NZS 3000 compliance documentation is complete (Certificate of Compliance, electrical drawings as-built)
• Visual inspection of all electrical connections — input, output, neutral, earth, battery DC
• Insulation resistance test on UPS input and output cables (megger > 1 MΩ to earth)
• Earthing system continuity test (PE conductor < 0.1 Ω)
• Phase rotation check on UPS input — must match expected sequence
• Verify upstream protection device sizing matches UPS input current rating
• Verify external maintenance bypass panel (MBP) wired correctly — input from same source as UPS, output to UPS bypass terminal

Battery system commissioning

For lithium-ion installations, AS/NZS 5139:2019 compliance documentation must be complete before energisation. For VRLA banks:

• Visual inspection of every battery — no swelling, leakage, or terminal corrosion
• Inter-cell connection torque verification per manufacturer spec
• Inter-rack and inter-cabinet bus-bar torque verification
• Open-circuit voltage test on each block (should be within manufacturer spec, typically 12.7-13.0V for VRLA blocks)
• Polarity verification on every battery and every connection (a single reversed cell can destroy the bank on first charge)
• DC overcurrent protection device sizing and operation
• Battery temperature sensor connection and monitoring

UPS startup sequence

Follow the manufacturer startup sequence — this varies between makes and is non-negotiable for warranty:

• Initial power-on with battery disconnected — verify rectifier and DC bus on input only
• Connect battery system
• Initial battery charge (depending on chemistry, this may take 4-12 hours to first 100%)
• Inverter cold-start test
• Output frequency and voltage verification (within AS IEC 62040.3 envelope)
• Output harmonic distortion measurement (THD < 5% typical)

Transfer testing under load

With load connected (initially via load bank for acceptance, then real load):

• Manual transfer to bypass — confirm clean transfer with no output dropout
• Manual transfer back to inverter — confirm clean transfer
• Simulated input loss — UPS must transfer to battery within 4ms (no dropout for IT loads)
• Simulated battery low — UPS must alarm and prepare for graceful shutdown
• Output overload test (with load bank, ramp to 100% then 110%) — verify alarm and bypass behaviour
• Output short-circuit protection verification (where load bank can simulate)
• Site acceptance test (SAT) — full discharge to 50% battery capacity, verify runtime matches design

Parallel and redundancy testing (where applicable)

For parallel-redundant N+1 or 2N installations:

• Synchronous turn-on of all modules — verify load sharing within 5% across modules
• Manual module isolation test — confirm remaining modules pick up load without dropout
• Bus-tie operation (for 2N installations) — verify bus selector handles transfer correctly

Documentation pack

At commissioning completion, the deliverable documentation includes:

• Insulation and earth test results
• Battery acceptance test record (per cell)
• UPS startup log (event log download)
• Transfer test results with oscilloscope captures
• Load bank acceptance test (kVA, kW, runtime achieved)
• Manufacturer commissioning sign-off form (warranty activation)
• As-built drawings reflecting any field changes
• BMS / DCIM integration point list (where applicable)
• Operator handover record

This pack should be in your operations manual, in OPUS for asset tracking, and a copy to the manufacturer for warranty registration.

When to call us

UPS Services delivers manufacturer-aligned commissioning across APC Galaxy, Eaton 9395 / 93PM, Vertiv Liebert APM2 / EXL S1, PowerShield Centurion Pro and Modular, Socomec MASTERYS. We bring resistive load banks up to 600kW for acceptance testing and produce the documentation pack in standard format.

[Request a Quote](/contact#quick-quote) for your commissioning project.

References

• AS/NZS 3000:2018 — Wiring Rules
• AS IEC 62040.1 — UPS general and safety requirements
• AS IEC 62040.3 — UPS performance and test methods
• AS/NZS 5139:2019 — Battery systems (lithium installations)
• AS/NZS 4836 — Safe working on low-voltage electrical installations
• IEEE 446 — Recommended practice for emergency / standby power systems