ups batteries burning out

Status
Not open for further replies.
R

Riograndeelectric

Senior Member
Location
Lakewood Colorado
got a call from a customer that has a small office building that was built in the 1950s. The customer stated that they have had 2 ups systems that are a plug and play type 1500 watt. handling a small computer server and cable modem, and router . the computer guys said thy should have the power checked out to see if there is a problem.

I have worked in the building before and it has a 3 phase 120/208 150 amp service.
the circuit that the computers and ups are plugged into are also tied into the fluorescent lights/ t12 magnetic ballasts.

the building was wired with EMT and tw conductors although the EGC was pulled .

any one have any idea what might be causing the ups batteries to burn out. the computer tech said he thought the ups were about 3 years old.
 
drbond24

drbond24

Senior Member
Location
Barboursville, West Virginia
I just looked up the specs for a UPS of that size and it says the battery life is 3-6 years. Perhaps the batteries had just reached the end of their life...?

Also, if they thought the UPSs were 3 years old, that probably means they were more like 10. :D
 
K8MHZ

K8MHZ

Senior Member
Location
Michigan. It's a beautiful peninsula, I've looked
Occupation
Electrician
The charging systems in UPS of that size are 'trickle' chargers and will wipe out an SLA battery in 2 to 4 years.

In order to get the full life out of an SLA battery a 'smart' charger must be used, not a constant supply trickle charger.

I have several UPS's so I can tell you this from personal experience. I replace the batteries and keep using them, but also rotate batteries from the UPS's to a smart charger which drastically increases longevity.
 
R

Ragin Cajun

Senior Member
Location
Upstate S.C.
K8MHZ said:
The charging systems in UPS of that size are 'trickle' chargers and will wipe out an SLA battery in 2 to 4 years.

In order to get the full life out of an SLA battery a 'smart' charger must be used, not a constant supply trickle charger.

I have several UPS's so I can tell you this from personal experience. I replace the batteries and keep using them, but also rotate batteries from the UPS's to a smart charger which drastically increases longevity.
Click to expand...


What kind of charger do you use?


RC
 
G

greenjeans

Inactive, Email Never Verified
Location
Now living in Virgina
My office ups -350 Watt just burned up last week, it was only a year old. found out shedder was pluged into the back up side(350 watt).........POOOF and not the 15 amp non- back up side of ups. who know?? edge-ama-ca-sion is a great thing!!!:)
 
cadpoint

cadpoint

Senior Member
Location
Durham, NC
K8MHZ said:
The charging systems in UPS of that size are 'trickle' chargers and will wipe out an SLA battery in 2 to 4 years.

In order to get the full life out of an SLA battery a 'smart' charger must be used, not a constant supply trickle charger.

I have several UPS's so I can tell you this from personal experience. I replace the batteries and keep using them, but also rotate batteries from the UPS's to a smart charger which drastically increases longevity.
Click to expand...

Well does that say that this type of charger is in the specifications of purchasing a UPS?

Sounds like a lot of work rotating batteries and when you break the seal on this type of equipment doesn't that kill any warrenty implied?

What is a proper rotation schedule for long battery life?
 
P

Power Tech

Senior Member
Location
Lebec, California
Check wiring and replace the receptacle.

Check all connections in the panel.

If they have money, run a dedicated circuit.

It is probably a cheep UPS.

That size usually run around $300-$500.

You can buy refurbished and perhaps get some money off to return.

You can order the batteries and do it your self, it can be dangerous if you are not familiar. That small should not have too much DCV.

Get the check.;)
 
petersonra

petersonra

Senior Member
Location
Northern illinois
Occupation
engineer
Small/cheap UPS's seem to destroy their batteries pretty quickly.

We had a customer that had several hundred small UPS that all died within a year or so of each other when they were only 2 or 3 years old.

They just replaced them all with better units as they failed and set the dead ones on skids in a storage area.

Most times you are not doing anyone a favor by putting a cheap UPS on their system. They are often the weak link and will fail more often then the power will.

As I understand it, the cost of disposing of the old units was about what it cost to buy them in the first place.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top