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Thread ID: 124859	2012-05-24 00:26:00	How long do your UPS batteries last, and what is your preferred/recommended brand?	Billy T (70)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
1276992	2012-05-24 00:26:00	I usually get about 3 years before the UPS signals failure, which probably means that they can be considered impaired at about two and a half years and on borrowed time after that. However I have just had a battery fail at 20 months of bog standard usage. The transition from normal performance to failure seems to happen quite quickly (self-test OK one day, next day not) and is characterised by a sharp rise in internal impedance. A new/good SLA battery has an ESR (equivalent series resistance)* of .1 to .15 ohms and after failure that rises to 2 ohms or more. At that point the battery still charges very close to full terminal voltage but can't supply the required current drain, so the UPS automatically goes into fault mode at switch-on. I use mainly 12 volt 7A/h, but have a smaller UPS that takes a 12 Volt 9A/hr and have been buying DiaMec batteries from Jaycar for several years. Usually they have lasted well in my UPS's, and also in our security alarm system, but with three batteries to replace in the new 1000VA UPS (DiaMec at present) I am having second thoughts now. Cheers Billy 8-{) * ESR is a test more commonly associated with electrolytic capacitors, but some time ago I discovered that it was also excellent for checking the quality of dry cells, with cheap brands having a high ESR and good quality brands being much lower. It is also an accurate indicator of the life-status of rechargeables such as NiCads and NimH. Unfortunately ESR meters are scarce as hen's teeth so you have to either buy a kitset (which I did) or build your own from one of the designs on the web.	Billy T (70)
1276993	2012-05-24 00:54:00	Century Yuasa seemed like a good batt brand in the past. we stopped replacing UPS batts. We just replace the whole UPS now. Last several UPS's with dead/dying batts that our work has replaced batts, the new batts failed with 1 week to a few months The UPS could be cooking those batts . Your can sent some UPS brands (APC) for a service/check, but probhably not worth the cost off topic... I built one of those ESR meters as well. A useful little tool . Some NiMh are by design low ESR (LSD), most of the very high capacity AA NIMH's are higher ESR(from new) even the good brands, so you now need to know what that NIMH's should have been from new :thumbs:	1101 (13337)
1276994	2012-05-24 02:15:00	Century Yuasa seemed like a good batt brand in the past. we stopped replacing UPS batts. We just replace the whole UPS now. Last several UPS's with dead/dying batts that our work has replaced batts, the new batts failed with 1 week to a few months The UPS could be cooking those batts . Your can sent some UPS brands (APC) for a service/check, but probhably not worth the cost :thumbs: I can do my own service checks, but there is not much else you can do but check the float charge voltage & current and do a load test. I use a 200W lamp for that, it is an adequate load for the job and gives an immediate visual check of the output. It would be too expensive for me to replace my UPS every time new batteries were needed, but as loads rise I periodically relegate the older UPS to lesser duties and dispose of the 'bottom of the heap' unit, which at present is an APC BackUps 250(VA). I have an APC BackUps 420(VA) that is also redundant but still IGN (apart from the battery), a newish line-interactive Dynamix UPS650(VA) running my monitor and the new Dynamix 1000(VA) full time online sinewave jobbie handling the computer load on its own. The latter is an interesting unit, you can't turn it off while mains is still applied, you have to shed the load then turn off the mains before using the off switch, which further delays shutdown for about 20 seconds before it finally goes to sleep. Over the years we've had a few outages and the UPS's have saved the day but you have to be there when the power goes off of course, so I plan on trying the UPSilon auto-shutdown software that came with the new UPS. Anybody have experience with that? It needs a serial port, which are an endangered species these days, but apparently you can get an UPSilon USB adapter to do the same job. Cheers Billy 8-{)	Billy T (70)
1276995	2012-05-24 03:40:00	I had a powerware 300VA UPS with a USB connection that shutdown my pc automatically based on a manually set timer and that worked fairly well, although it was underpowered and had about a 3 minute run time so auto shutdown was the only thing you could do in a power outage . On the downside the battery died and somehow destroyed an 8 port switch that was connected to the UPS . Before that happened I was contemplating connecting a higher capacity gel cell to it to see if I could improve the run time . I had some second hand 70AH gel cells that came from a cell site I considered connecting . I always wanted one that kept running until the battery discharged to a threshold and then shutdown the PC automatically . I never found an affordable model that did this . Now I've decided my power is reliable enough and don't bother with a UPS or surge protector at all .	dugimodo (138)
1276996	2012-05-24 05:52:00	Yuasa,Hitachi are good but Sonnenschein (think they are still German made) has the legs Tried to replace one over 6 years (9 amp) ago and was told it would be about $70 at the time	Lawrence (2987)
1276997	2012-05-24 06:10:00	Now I've decided my power is reliable enough and don't bother with a UPS or surge protector at all. Brave brave words! :eek: So there's absolutely zero chance of a lightning strike; truck or car VS pole; transformer failure; load transfer issue at the local switchyard; digger vs underground cable; tree vs power lines; or maybe just a tired pole fuse in your neck of the woods? You've either got those covered, or you are sacrificing virgins like there's no tomorrow. Reminds me of the sar-major who told his troops "don't worry about the enemy, they couldn't hit a barn door at this ra................... Give me your address and I'll move to your street asap! :devil: Cheers Billy 8-{) :D	Billy T (70)
1276998	2012-05-24 06:44:00	Backup, backup and more backup!	coldot (6847)
1276999	2012-05-24 06:54:00	We have Liebert, seem ok. Was told battery life was 2 years but they are still going ok at 3years now. That reminds me Billy, time for a test :)	Gobe1 (6290)
1277000	2012-05-24 07:35:00	Personally I wouldn't be without a UPS! Mines been a lifesaver on three occasions in < 18 months. Brilliant devices, and for $90-odd there really was no excuse...	Chilling_Silence (9)
1277001	2012-05-24 10:04:00	I acquired an old APC 1000 that had crook btys and replaced them with $10 ones from a fire alarm service company. Been going fine for a couple of years. Probably time to replace them. Got good backups (I hope!) and at least this UPS will protect from spikes/brownouts. Wouldn't mind the software to auto shutdown but don't suppose it runs on win7.	linw (53)
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