Is it Wise to Keep a Spare PSU from an EOL Perspective?

[White Bear]

We recently upgraded our hyperbackup and replication NAS' to 2xDS1825+, with the plan of keeping these systems for around 5 years - perhaps longer. I've read a number of posts, recently, where owners of older NAS can't find a replacement for internal PSUs. Is there a typical life cycle for PSU availability as spare parts? Will an unused PSU put on the shelf today still be viable if it is needed 5 years from now? Curious to know how others have thought about this for primary NAS, as well as backup NAS. TIA.

 

[Telos]

I would. Synology PSUs crap out early and then the only hope is finding a used on eBay, or a “compatible” one from a Chinese seller on Amazon. I keep a spare PSU and battery for my laptop, as well.

 

[White Bear]

With the DS723+/923+/1522+ series it was reasonable to keep a spare external 1522+ PSU on hand, since it could be used with any of the three DS. And the external PSU could be validated very easily by putting it into service from time-to-time.

A spare internal PSU would be more of a pain to validate. And I'm concerned about deterioration while sitting on the shelf. So maybe the sweet spot is to set aside a spare DS1825+ PSU a few years down the road - closer to the time when/if the DS1825+ is replaced with a DS that use a different PSU.

 

[Jan Janowski]

I purchased a 3rd party power supply a month after last 720+ purchase, swapped, and the Synology supply tested for a month, is now ‘spare’ on a shelf. 3rd Party Supply has greater current capacity than stock.
718+ & 720+ use same supply.
I’m a firm believer in having a spare supply, as: after warranty - You are tech support!

Now regarding occasional testing, no, I don’t bother random testing. As long as pulled unit is not 4-5 years old, caps it should be good. In my case supply was only 1 month old.

 

[Telos]

3rd Party Supply has greater current capacity than stock.

Important point too as many find that the Synology NAS cannot spin up larger drives (i.e. 28 TB) due to PSU limitations. Synology cuts many corners in design, leaving little design contingency.