APC UPS Smart 1500

[Mycobacterium]

Hi, I bought today an APC UPS model SMT1500RMI1U.
The equipment is new, but it was left unpacked in the warehouse for 3 years.

 

The battery lasts a very short time.. Is there any way to regenerate battery, or maybe the only way is to replace it with a new one?

[Moonzy]

Just now, Mycobacterium said:

The battery lasts a very short time.. 

what are you powering? how short is short?

[Mycobacterium]

At the moment I do not power supply anything, I have 100% battery when I disconnect the APC from the power, slowly this percentage is running out.
After about 10 minutes I have 60% and it goes further down ..

[Moonzy]

1 minute ago, Mycobacterium said:

 I have 100% battery when I disconnect the APC from the power, slowly this percentage is running out.
After about 10 minutes I have 60% and it goes further down ..

I'm not too sure about UPSs, so im not sure if that's normal behaviour (i don't think it is)

 

try powering something with it see how long it lasts. a UPS normally lasts 5-15 minutes, depending on the load and battery size

 

that said, 3 year old battery is considered quite old, even when not in use

[Mycobacterium]

The manufacturer writes that with a 100W load, it should last about +/- 100 minutes.

 

At zero load, it should rather not report battery wear, certainly not at that rate.

[Moonzy]

1 minute ago, Mycobacterium said:

The manufacturer writes that with a 100W load, it should last about +/- 100 minutes.

 

At zero load, it should rather not report battery wear, certainly not at that rate.

sounds like the battery didnt do well in the storage

 

i'm not wary of any method to regenerate lost capacity as it's an irriversible chemical process.

[Mycobacterium]

I think the same, but I wanted to make sure  
I was wondering if charging and discharging to the end a few times might slightly increase the capacity ? 

[Catsrules]

8 minutes ago, Mycobacterium said:

The manufacturer writes that with a 100W load, it should last about +/- 100 minutes.

 

At zero load, it should rather not report battery wear, certainly not at that rate.

Zero load isn't actually zero load, UPS have an inverter that converts the DC power from the battery into AC power that can draw a good amount of power.

 

But that said batteries in UPSs usually only last 3-5 years before deteriorating and they don't store very well either. Do you know if the Batteries where disconnected from the UPS while in storage?

 

You can try a battery desulfator charger but I haven't had much luck with them on UPS batteries. Sometime you can bring them back but they usually died fairly quickly after.

 

If you need longer run time then your probably stuck buying new batteries unfortunately.

[Dutch_Master]

It's worth noting that the battery pack consists of 4x 12V sealed lead-gel batteries wired in series. You can open the battery pack (carefully!) and swap out the individual batteries inside. Make sure you use the exact same batteries to replace the old ones: same capacity, same manufacturer, same batch/manufacturing date. And of course, a reputable manufacturer (no cheap Chinese "replacement" crap!). IIRC these are 12V, 9Ah. Panasonic makes a suitable product. Much cheaper then an APC replacement pack, but obviously you won't get any warranty either. I'm actually considering doing this, but lack of funds prevented me so far obtaining the replacement batteries. (I have the same UPS model, but from 2011-ish)

 

When swapping out batteries, make sure you get the polarity right. Use a volt-meter to measure the total voltage over the battery pack, it should be at or above 48V DC. Anything less, stop what you're doing and check the connectors! A battery charged with the opposite polarity will explode! Violently, with a high risk of fire too. Not to mention the chemicals released and the serious hazard they pose for your health, and that of anyone else in the house!

 

Swapping batteries this way will void any warranty and nobody else but you is responsible for any failures and their consequences!!

[Mycobacterium]

All right, I just buy a new one APC nr 88 battery pack.

 

Thanks Guys for your time and all the information .. 

  

2 hours ago, Catsrules said:

Do you know if the Batteries where disconnected from the UPS while in storage?

Disconnected all the time ..