USP battery longevity

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Snowjob

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I have a Balanced Power 100KVA UPS in a factory which is from the 90's. Balanced Power is no longer in business.

In writing my recommendations in the Site Engineering Report, I am considering the fact that the UPS Batteries have a limited lifespan.

1. What is the lifespan of UPS batteries?

2. Are UPS batteries generic items or are they vendor specific?

3. What is the industry practice wrt to UPS lifespan. I see transformers from even the 1970's in service, but a UPS with sophisticated electronic controls and with a dynamic usage profile might have different lifespan parameters.
 
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tkb

Senior Member
Location
MA
  1. UPS batteries of the VRLA type usually have a life span of 3-5 years
  2. The batteries should be replaceable with another manufactures battery of the same rating.
 

broadgage

Senior Member
Location
London, England
The cheaper types of VRLA battery do indeed have a life of about 3 to 5 years.
More expensive types last longer, but not in most cases longer than 10 years.

The cheaper types of traditional flooded battery have a similar life span to the "sealed" types.
The very best flooded batteries can have a life of 25 years or more, but these are not much used owing to the great up front cost.

Any generic replacement battery should be fine, the voltage/number of cells must normally be exactly as original.
The capacity should be no less than the original, but can be greater if the exact capacity is not readily available.
 

DataCenterGuy

Member
Location
New York
The actual life span, particularly of VRLA (Valve Regulated Lead Acid) batteries is rarely as long as the "warranty" duration, which is a fast reducing scale of reimbursement value. Usage (in other words unstable power conditions) and temperature changes affect lifespan significantly. If this UPS is as old as you say, and the batteries have never been replaced, it makes me wonder what type they are. Flooded Lead Acid batteries require a contained environment because they off-gas Hydrogen. That requires Hydrogen Alarms, Exhaust Fans, Deluge Shower, Eyewash Station, and Protective Gear. If you don't have all this, you either have VRLA Batteries, or a poor and dangerous installation of Flooded Cells (which also require regular maintenance). You should be able to get good advice from a major battery manufacturer.
 

MarkGinger

New member
I have a Balanced Power 100KVA UPS in a factory which is from the 90's. Balanced Power is no longer in business.

In writing my recommendations in the Site Engineering Report, I am considering the fact that the UPS Batteries have a limited lifespan.

1. What is the lifespan of UPS batteries?

2. Are UPS batteries generic items or are they vendor specific?

3. What is the industry practice wrt to UPS lifespan. I see transformers from even the 1970's in service, but a UPS with sophisticated electronic controls and with a dynamic usage profile might have different lifespan parameters.


The life span of better quality ups batteries is 3-5 years. Some of the cheaper replacements last 1-2 years or even less.

You can buy batteries from other vendors than the manufacturer, a lot of times this is the best thing to do for performance reasons and for financial reasons. UPS manufacturers add a big premium to buying batteries they claim are "theirs".

The best way to replace the UPS batteries is to figure out which batteries you need and then to source them out from a vendor according to those specifications. Be careful not to go just by price as there are quite a few poor quality battery vendors on the market.

Bigger UPSs usually have a very long life span. The manufacturer would recommend you replace them every so often but I think that's more from their perspective and want for financial gain.

I know that some of the big 100KVA units need to have fans and capacitor banks replaced once in awhile, but otherwise should be performers for years. Especially if they weren't abused too much.


hope that helps!


M
 
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