Which UPS to buy ?

Raccoon · 31st July 2012, 19:19

^^^Thanks for that info.

Maybe APC should stop providing batts for the USPs and let the customer buy his own. Anyway, mine wasn't exactly terrible either - lasted some 2 - 2.5 years... but with minimum cycling as most of the time it ran off the Inverter battery during outages.

Seems Microtek isn't a good option. Our old Sukam managed to keep our Amaron battery alive well over 5 years. And the actual cause of death was more out of neglect (low water level). And it wasn't even a tubular battery. Can't recall the float voltages and all now, but whatever it was must have been near ideal, considering the service life of the battery. Another point was that the Sukam dealer offered a significant buy back money for the old inverter. That made the deal MUCH cheaper than the APC option.

k2max6 · 3rd December 2012, 21:10

Anyone using a UPS to power their LCD TV's ?
I live in an apartment complex and the dg set generally kicks in a minute or two. I just want the ups to keep the tv on and prevent it from abrupt shutdown and restart.

A lot of people recommend pure sine-wave ups which is a costly affair. I was looking for something under 5k.

I want to know if the stepped up square wave is ok for the tv or it can damage it in that minute, in long term use?

Raja · 4th December 2012, 10:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by k2max6

Anyone using a UPS to power their LCD TV's ?
I live in an apartment complex and the dg set generally kicks in a minute or two. I just want the ups to keep the tv on and prevent it from abrupt shutdown and restart.

I am in the same situation as you.
I used to use a simple APC UPS until it stopped working (actual hardware fault, not battery issue). I never faced any problems.

Even I need to find a replacement. I am thinking of getting a simple cheap UPS as I only need back-up for a few minutes until the DG kicks in.

I am thinking of getting a UPS from an Indian brand called 'Powersafe'. Their cheapest model is around Rs.1800/-. I think it will suit my purpose.

areddy · 6th February 2013, 09:10

There are quite a few models on Junglee from various brands. You might want to try that.

Su-47 · 6th February 2013, 14:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raja

I am thinking of getting a simple cheap UPS as I only need back-up for a few minutes until the DG kicks in......

I am thinking of getting a UPS from an Indian brand called 'Powersafe'. Their cheapest model is around Rs.1800/-.

Why not spend 500/- more and get the basic APC model? Hopefully, a better engineered product.

S_U_N · 6th February 2013, 15:24

The sine wave UPS's that I have come across - all need external battery.
Sukam Shiny and APC BI850SINE are pure sine wave models.
Both will cost Rs. 5000+ and battery will be extra cost.

There are reports that flat panel TV's are susceptible to damage due to voltage fluctuations.

k2max6 · 6th February 2013, 18:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raja

I am in the same situation as you.
I used to use a simple APC UPS until it stopped working (actual hardware fault, not battery issue). I never faced any problems.

Even I need to find a replacement. I am thinking of getting a simple cheap UPS as I only need back-up for a few minutes until the DG kicks in.

I am thinking of getting a UPS from an Indian brand called 'Powersafe'. Their cheapest model is around Rs.1800/-. I think it will suit my purpose.

I am using a microtek ups 650va and it does the job. Costs 1800 bucks. Luminous & Su-Kam are available for the same price. APC is for around 2300. Whichever of the above ups you buy it will be non-sinewave.

DWind · 14th February 2013, 16:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by S_U_N

The sine wave UPS's that I have come across - all need external battery.
Sukam Shiny and APC BI850SINE are pure sine wave models.
Both will cost Rs. 5000+ and battery will be extra cost.

There are reports that flat panel TV's are susceptible to damage due to voltage fluctuations.

Have 2 questions
1. Does Stepped approximation to Sine wave is same as Sine wave battery? How different is it as I am planning to use for my Plasma TV
2. Also does anybody have a contact for APC reseller in Chennai preferably in Velachery/Adyar areas?

S_U_N · 14th February 2013, 18:45

^I am actually considering buying a servo stabilizer. The cost will be around Rs. 2900 (Company: Sollatek). This will be able to take load of upto 4 Amperes.

Stepped sine wave and sine wave have differences.

APC does not have any pure sine wave in the 3K price range. All of the sine wave UPS's will come with separate battery.

mayuresh · 7th June 2013, 21:03

I have a 1 year old APC UPS for home desktop computer. Its battery seems to have gone bad within 1 year itself, as it is not able to provide backup as much as it used to when it was new.

The UPS has 2 year warranty, though I doubt whether it covers the battery. Shall be checking with the vendor.

It could also be a fault with the UPS' calibration circuit and the battery might actually be alright.

When this UPS unit was bought, within a few days the UPS unit itself had to be changed twice as the battery was not getting charged at all. Afterwards even the battery was changed once. I had heard APC has good products and a good service. While I have no complaints about the service since they did all the replacements for free on site, having to do have total 6 visits and 3 replacements wasn't something I was expecting from a reputed brand.

Anyway, the reason to mention all this is, a UPS fault can't be ruled out.

So just wanted to check how much battery life others get and whether it is not uncommon to have to change in 1 year. My UPS unit is usually continuously on. But the power failures at least during last year have not been very frequent. There would hardly be 1 or 2 occasions of full discharge throughout the year. Given this I feel it has survived for too short time.

R2D2 · 7th June 2013, 21:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by mayuresh

I have a 1 year old APC UPS for home desktop computer. Its battery seems to have gone bad within 1 year itself, as it is not able to provide backup as much as it used to when it was new.

The UPS has 2 year warranty, though I doubt whether it covers the battery. Shall be checking with the vendor.

It could also be a fault with the UPS' calibration circuit and the battery might actually be alright.

When this UPS unit was bought, within a few days the UPS unit itself had to be changed twice as the battery was not getting charged at all. Afterwards even the battery was changed once. I had heard APC has good products and a good service. While I have no complaints about the service since they did all the replacements for free on site, having to do have total 6 visits and 3 replacements wasn't something I was expecting from a reputed brand.

Anyway, the reason to mention all this is, a UPS fault can't be ruled out.

So just wanted to check how much battery life others get and whether it is not uncommon to have to change in 1 year. My UPS unit is usually continuously on. But the power failures at least during last year have not been very frequent. There would hardly be 1 or 2 occasions of full discharge throughout the year. Given this I feel it has survived for too short time.

Which APC UPS do you have? The 2 year warranty covers the battery as well. In my experience the Smart UPS is far more reliable than the Back UPS range.

I have had varied results with battery life - some extending into years i.e. 2+ and some failing within 12 months. Also, remember that the batteries APC uses are made by 3rd parties mostly Exide and a Chinese brand "BB".

As you are in Pune we obviously share the same climatic and electricity supply conditions, well at least my area of the city doesn't experience too much load shedding. Just remember heat kills batteries, and deep discharges caused by erratic power even more so. Recommend that you switch off the PC within 5 minutes of the power going off.

Though I have had major problem with one particular unit (a Back UPS BR1500) In the end, I use only APCs, they are the best you can get.

Mods - this post is probably more relevant to the UPS thread.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/gadget...ps-buy-10.html

mayuresh · 7th June 2013, 22:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by R2D2

Which APC UPS do you have? The 2 year warranty covers the battery as well. In my experience the Smart UPS is far more reliable than the Back UPS range.

Thanks for an informative post.

My model number is BR1100CI-IN, purchased from Modular Electronics.

R2D2 · 7th June 2013, 23:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by mayuresh

Thanks for an informative post.My model number is BR1100CI-IN, purchased from Modular Electronics.

Welcome.

Log a complaint with APC. They will offer to replace the UPS as they have a repair/replace policy.

I had an issue with premature failure of my Smart UPS batteries in early 2012. When I logged a complaint they wanted to replace the UPS. DO NOT agree to it. I was told that they would be changing their policies, to those that would permit battery instead of unit replacement. Bbut I am not sure if the new policies are in place as of today.

Insist on getting only the batteries replaced as the replacement unit will be refurbished, not brand new.

I too purchased 2 UPSes from Modular Electronics and the replacement referred to above was routed to them by APC's call centre.. The proprietor is customer friendly but I believe his employees are not really up to the mark.

Raccoon · 8th June 2013, 17:15

My APC UPS is in need of a new battery. Any idea what might be the best and cheapest option?

I intended to get Base Terminal, but not able to source it from anywhere. Not terribly sure if they even make the battery required for it. Will not touch an Exide even if it was the only option. I'd rather stop using the UPS and let my comp burn down to a cinder.

But just for reference, any idea about the price?

The UPS is a Back-UPS ES 500. IIRC it uses a 7.5 Ah battery. Unfortunately the battery rating isn't mentioned in the manual.

R2D2 · 8th June 2013, 17:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raccoon

My APC UPS is in need of a new battery. Any idea what might be the best and cheapest option?

I checked the APC website and it looks like your UPS takes a 12V 7.5AH battery. But I am not sure.

If your UPS uses a non standard battery i.e. one not available in the market you would need to purchase it from APC. Call their call centre and log a complaint along with the serial # of the unit. They will have one of the service partners (may be even Modular Electronics mentioned below) to replace the battery. You can even call Modular Electronics directly. The battery will be either an Exide (!!!), BB or a Rocket brand.

31st July 2012, 19:19	#196
Raccoon Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Poona Posts: 1,851 Thanked: 116 Times	Re: Which UPS to buy ? ^^^Thanks for that info. Maybe APC should stop providing batts for the USPs and let the customer buy his own. Anyway, mine wasn't exactly terrible either - lasted some 2 - 2.5 years... but with minimum cycling as most of the time it ran off the Inverter battery during outages. Seems Microtek isn't a good option. Our old Sukam managed to keep our Amaron battery alive well over 5 years. And the actual cause of death was more out of neglect (low water level). And it wasn't even a tubular battery. Can't recall the float voltages and all now, but whatever it was must have been near ideal, considering the service life of the battery. Another point was that the Sukam dealer offered a significant buy back money for the old inverter. That made the deal MUCH cheaper than the APC option.
	() Thanks

3rd December 2012, 21:10	#197
k2max6 BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: New Delhi Posts: 523 Thanked: 183 Times	Anyone using a UPS to power their LCD TV's ? I live in an apartment complex and the dg set generally kicks in a minute or two. I just want the ups to keep the tv on and prevent it from abrupt shutdown and restart. A lot of people recommend pure sine-wave ups which is a costly affair. I was looking for something under 5k. I want to know if the stepped up square wave is ok for the tv or it can damage it in that minute, in long term use?
	() Thanks

6th February 2013, 09:10	#199
areddy BHPian Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Bangalore Posts: 37 Thanked: 5 Times	Re: Which UPS to buy ? There are quite a few models on Junglee from various brands. You might want to try that.
	() Thanks

6th February 2013, 15:24	#201
S_U_N Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Oslo Posts: 1,809 Thanked: 417 Times	Re: Which UPS to buy ? The sine wave UPS's that I have come across - all need external battery. Sukam Shiny and APC BI850SINE are pure sine wave models. Both will cost Rs. 5000+ and battery will be extra cost. There are reports that flat panel TV's are susceptible to damage due to voltage fluctuations.
	() Thanks

14th February 2013, 18:45	#204
S_U_N Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Oslo Posts: 1,809 Thanked: 417 Times	Re: Which UPS to buy ? ^I am actually considering buying a servo stabilizer. The cost will be around Rs. 2900 (Company: Sollatek). This will be able to take load of upto 4 Amperes. Stepped sine wave and sine wave have differences. APC does not have any pure sine wave in the 3K price range. All of the sine wave UPS's will come with separate battery.
	() Thanks

7th June 2013, 21:03	#205
mayuresh BHPian Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Pune Posts: 443 Thanked: 373 Times	What is a home computer UPS' battery life expectancy? I have a 1 year old APC UPS for home desktop computer. Its battery seems to have gone bad within 1 year itself, as it is not able to provide backup as much as it used to when it was new. The UPS has 2 year warranty, though I doubt whether it covers the battery. Shall be checking with the vendor. It could also be a fault with the UPS' calibration circuit and the battery might actually be alright. When this UPS unit was bought, within a few days the UPS unit itself had to be changed twice as the battery was not getting charged at all. Afterwards even the battery was changed once. I had heard APC has good products and a good service. While I have no complaints about the service since they did all the replacements for free on site, having to do have total 6 visits and 3 replacements wasn't something I was expecting from a reputed brand. Anyway, the reason to mention all this is, a UPS fault can't be ruled out. So just wanted to check how much battery life others get and whether it is not uncommon to have to change in 1 year. My UPS unit is usually continuously on. But the power failures at least during last year have not been very frequent. There would hardly be 1 or 2 occasions of full discharge throughout the year. Given this I feel it has survived for too short time. Last edited by mayuresh : 7th June 2013 at 21:06.
	() Thanks

8th June 2013, 17:15	#209
Raccoon Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Poona Posts: 1,851 Thanked: 116 Times	Re: Which UPS to buy ? My APC UPS is in need of a new battery. Any idea what might be the best and cheapest option? I intended to get Base Terminal, but not able to source it from anywhere. Not terribly sure if they even make the battery required for it. Will not touch an Exide even if it was the only option. I'd rather stop using the UPS and let my comp burn down to a cinder. But just for reference, any idea about the price? The UPS is a Back-UPS ES 500. IIRC it uses a 7.5 Ah battery. Unfortunately the battery rating isn't mentioned in the manual. Last edited by Raccoon : 8th June 2013 at 17:18.
	() Thanks

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
	Search this Thread: Advanced Search