Which UPS to buy ?

[Raccoon]

^^^I'd definitely not go for an Exide if I were you. Try and get a Base Terminal or other better brand. If you can't get BT in a shop, call up the company/local manager/whatever and ask them where you can get it. Best to stick to recommended capacity. My BE500Y comes with 7 Ah.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by tj123

I have a 2.5 years old APC UPS Model #: BE650Y-IN, today the battery conked off suddenly without any warning. APC site suggests a replacement battery RBC17, however I am not very sure where to find it, the battery spec shows Volt-Amp-Hour Capacity 108 , which I guess means 12 v 9Ah.

On calling the service centers they say that 9Ah battery is not available, instead they suggested me to go for 7 Ah battery.
Going for a lower 7Ah will result in shorter standby time which I don’t want to do. Also 7Ah battery is Exide make costing around Rs.900, Guys I am a bit confused should I go for Exide ? or suggest me some better alternative.

Exide was the sole supplier of 9AH SLA batteries to APC and they stopped production. You may get some old units but beware they would be sulphated and wont accept a charge or last long.

I'd suggest going in for Amaron Quanta as I did before I retired by old unit and bought a new one last month. Quantas are 7ah and will give you a few minutes less backup time. But there's no other choice, I would not recommend using grey market chinese brands.

Regards,

[tj123]

Thanks Raccoon & R2D2 for sharing your experience.
I was not able get the 12v-9AH battery anywhere in the market, then I tried to procure 7.2 Ah Quanta (Amaron brand) but was not able get it, finally bought Exide PowerSafe 7Ah battery with 1 yr warranty, cost Rs 700/- (without old battery replacement).

After installing and charging the battery, the APC Powerchute software was not showing any estimated battery backup time. The UPS was hibernating the PC immediately on battery power , I suppose it was sensing low battery condition, even though the battery was showing 100% charged state.
Therefore I uninstalled the Powerchute software and disconnected the USB interface and tested the UPS with around 80 Watts load, it gave me close to 20 minutes backup, I think this is reasonable. However the downside is that I will lose out on software interface and auto shut down utility for which I paid extra bucks.

One more learning is that APC’s after sales service is pathetic especially once your UPS is out of warranty.

[Chipz]

What did you use for 80 W load. 20 minute backup for 80 W is less for a new battery. Charge it for one full day and then check. Are you sure the battery is charging. I think there might be some charger problem.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by tj123

Thanks Raccoon & R2D2 for sharing your experience.
I was not able get the 12v-9AH battery anywhere in the market, then I tried to procure 7.2 Ah Quanta (Amaron brand) but was not able get it, finally bought Exide PowerSafe 7Ah battery with 1 yr warranty, cost Rs 700/- (without old battery replacement).

After installing and charging the battery, the APC Powerchute software was not showing any estimated battery backup time. The UPS was hibernating the PC immediately on battery power , I suppose it was sensing low battery condition, even though the battery was showing 100% charged state.
Therefore I uninstalled the Powerchute software and disconnected the USB interface and tested the UPS with around 80 Watts load, it gave me close to 20 minutes backup, I think this is reasonable. However the downside is that I will lose out on software interface and auto shut down utility for which I paid extra bucks.

One more learning is that APC’s after sales service is pathetic especially once your UPS is out of warranty.

You need to perform what is called a calibration routine.

Disconnect the USB cable from the PC.

Run the UPS with a constant load till it shuts down, let it charge overnight and then connect the cable back to the unit and PC. Perform a self test. And yes, I did forget to mention that Exide powersafe is the battery I got for my Dad's 1.5 kva UPS. Its been working fine so far.

[tj123]

Originally Posted by Chipz

What did you use for 80 W load. 20 minute backup for 80 W is less for a new battery. Charge it for one full day and then check. Are you sure the battery is charging. I think there might be some charger problem.

Actually I used my PC as the load, the APC software generally shows the UPS load from 80-85 W under idle condition, hence that assumption. Secondly while doing the load test after 19.5 minutes
I ran out of my patience hence I safely assumed that a 20 minute is a safe battery backup time under heavy processing load. I agree that there might me some more juice left in the battery.

The battery charging unit is working fine, I will try to post a complete run down test results sometime later don’t know when.


Thanks R2D2 for reminding me about calibration. Yes, I remember doing this activity when I newly purchased my UPS around 2.5 yrs ago.
Will try to calibrate and share the results soon on this forum.

[tj123]

Some updates, conducted a battery calibration session by discharged the battery by putting a resistive load (Bulb -200W) battery exhausted in 10 minutes.

I reinstalling the APC Powerchute software and connected the cable. Was quite disappointed to see that the battery state was still showing 100% and estimated battery backup time showed –(dash). Finally I removed that Powerchute software as it tends to hibernate the PC immediately.

Any clue why battery calibration didn’t work and why estimated
time is – blank.

[Chipz]

I think you ought to discharge it with a 100 w load, though i am not 100% sure about it.

The - (dash) says that it is not callibrated. Why dont you check with 100 w load..

[tj123]

Originally Posted by Chipz

I think you ought to discharge it with a 100 w load, though i am not 100% sure about it.

The - (dash) says that it is not callibrated. Why dont you check with 100 w load..

Just to save time I connected to a 200 w load, does connecting to a 100 w load make a real difference ? I am not sure.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by tj123

Some updates, conducted a battery calibration session by discharged the battery by putting a resistive load (Bulb -200W) battery exhausted in 10 minutes.

I reinstalling the APC Powerchute software and connected the cable. Was quite disappointed to see that the battery state was still showing 100% and estimated battery backup time showed –(dash). Finally I removed that Powerchute software as it tends to hibernate the PC immediately.

Any clue why battery calibration didn’t work and why estimated
time is – blank.

How long did it take to charge? It should be at least 4-8 hours (I assume you have a single 7ah battery in your UPS).

Low charging times, to 100%, indicate sulphated or worn out batteries.

Regards,

[tj123]

Originally Posted by R2D2

How long did it take to charge? It should be at least 4-8 hours (I assume you have a single 7ah battery in your UPS).

Low charging times, to 100%, indicate sulphated or worn out batteries.

Regards,

Yes, I have a single 7Ah Exide power safe new battery.
Usually UPS is connected 24/7 I usually never switch it off, so I assume that the battery was thoroughly charged before testing.
Since the software interface is not showing proper charging /estimated battery backup , I have uninstalled the software .

Is there a way to find out the manufacturing date of the battery , I dont see that any where on the battery?

[Chipz]

U wont be able to tell the mfg date of exide smf. No need to worry, you have 1 year warranty.

Forget about the software etc for now. Charge the ups for one full day. then connect your computer and check the backup. See if you are getting 15 to 20 minutes. I recommend not to do this for at least one week. Never fully discharge a new battery. Working in power cut is different.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by tj123

Yes, I have a single 7Ah Exide power safe new battery.
Usually UPS is connected 24/7 I usually never switch it off, so I assume that the battery was thoroughly charged before testing.
Since the software interface is not showing proper charging /estimated battery backup , I have uninstalled the software .

Is there a way to find out the manufacturing date of the battery , I dont see that any where on the battery?

SLA VRLA batteries have mfr serial and date codes stamped on the top but have a different scheme which does not conform to the method used for automotive SLI batteries.

Two more things that you need to check:

a) Go to APC's web site & get the latest version of Powerchute Personal Edition(v 2.2). Uninstall the older version, reboot your PC and install ver 2.2.

b) Resist the temptation to get rid of the "-" by repeatedly discharging the battery. Deep discharges drastically reduce the life of the battery. APC recommends doing a calibration a max of twice a year or once in 6 months OR if you have added more load/equipment to the UPS.

APC's run time specs for your UPS is about 32 mins with a 100w load and 13 mins with a 200w load. And remember these are test readings so your experience may vary much like car manufacturer mileage claims. If it is near APC's standard run time then you are good to go.

Since you got 10 mins run time with a 200w load, per your post below, I think the battery is ok and all you need is to get the software updated.

Cheers!

[shwetanshu]

i have APC 650VA UPS two year old. It doesnt even start normally even if there is power coming. So has the battery conked off or UPS itself is gone?

[Sunrise]

Saw an offer going on- UPS from APC with Exide battery. 850 VA and price is about 12K. Not sure if this is a good deal? What to check for in this - i hope i can get some guidance as very new to this. I heard that tubular batteries are better and preferred.