Yet Another UPS Question

[Rakim]

I seem to have a lot of problems with the battery life in my (APC) UPSes. They aren't the biggest ones (the 350, I think) and they have never been on strictly battery power, AFAIK. But, the batteries seem to die awfully quickly, with a blinking light and a continuous tone.

The UPS is one where the battery just sits in touch with the contacts, no wires to attach.

What's the average battery life? Is it worth it to buy replacement batteries (do you need to get them from APC), or just a new unit?

[rifleman69]

How long have you had them?

[stevel]

The manufacturers typically recommend replacing after three years. Sometimes I get four and sometimes a lot less - depends on the model. The cheaper models tend to overcharge the battery and shorten its life. I have a couple of "Energizer" brand UPSes that I paid a whole $10 apiece for, and their batteries lasted less than a year.

I just bought a replacement battery for an old Belkin UPS, it cost me less than buying a new UPS of equivalent capacity. See if you have a BatteriesPlus store near you - they may carry a generic replacement. Other than the physical size and capacity, there's not much that's special about the batteries.

[Rakim]

I've had these less than 2 years. I do have a Batteries Plus nearby. I'll check it out, thanks.

[rock_doctor]

What I generally do is pull the battery out and google/froogle the part number on the side. I just replaced the battery in my mom’s belking UPS for $12 and it was a fairly large battery. I ended up getting it from a company that sold parts for video arcade games. Your battery should not cost more then $20 shipping and all. If you don't get any hits then google the part number back to the manufacturer and get the physical dimensions and then look on the battery sites for the same size and capacity battery. Make sure to pay attention to the spade sizes, come in quarter inch (.250) and eight inch (.125). All of mine have been the .125 sized spade connectors if you are not sure.

good luck,
mark

[stevel]

The Belkin whose battery I just replaced had been shutting down without warning. The monitor showed that the battery was not going above a 33% charge. The replacement arrived yesterday and I swapped out the battery this morning. The old battery was HOT! Something must have failed inside. Luckily I found this before it started a fire.

[newsposter]

isn't there some sort of sensor etc that would shut it down and prevent a fire? I know the thing has alarms for most everything