Re: Uniterruptible Power Supply (UPS) - are they repairable?

mas malamang nga yong cell pack na me problema but never seen one na nirepair sa mga yan. para silang disposable.

Re: Uniterruptible Power Supply (UPS) - are they repairable?

suggestion lang po...while the UPS is plugged in and turned on, check the DC voltage on the battery terminals. it should be around 12V above (if the battery pack is 12 volts). if it is, then the battery charging ckt. is good and most probably it's the battery pack that needs replacement. to double check, you can remove one of the wire terminals (preferably the black wire) and check again the DC voltage on the wire terminals. be very careful when doing this as high current is present on the wire terminals.

also, if the UPS is plugged in and it won't turn on or it will try to turn on but will immediately turn off, it means that the battery pack is dead and needs replacement.

one of the first things the UPS does when it is turned on is to check the condition of the battery. if it senses that the battery pack can't sustain the load, it will immediately shut down.

you can also try accessing APC service on this link --> http://www.apcc.com/support/service/index.cfm

i remember...there is also an APC service center along EDSA. sa may bandang kanan po ata siya kung galing kayo ng cubao papunta ng ortigas.

sana nakatulong po ito... 🙂

Re: Uniterruptible Power Supply (UPS) - are they repairable?

It is probably just the battery. Unplug it, turn it off, remove the fuse and then open it. You will see the batteries inside. I could be wrong but I think these are just the batteries you can buy at the mall hardware stores.

APC does not service their products directly, actually they do but you have to go through their distributors/repair centers. We spend at lesat P10000 a month maintaining our UPSes.

Re: Uniterruptible Power Supply (UPS) - are they repairable?

thanks for the suggestion guys...will revert back thru this thread if something good develops...BTW, is it normal for me to expect a two (2) years economic life of UPS?? Am just using this for my cpu & cctv.

Re: Uniterruptible Power Supply (UPS) - are they repairable?

2 years is about right. Had my secretary pull an invoice: for a 650VA the cost is P2400 and for a 1400VA it is P8930. These prices include "OEM spare parts and component replacement ... installation and supply of new battery packs ... factory calibration ... a 12 months warranty on battery full replacement ... 12 month warranty of repair" and the work is done by APC.

Remember though that I'm pretty sure sufficiently inclined a DIY could replace the batteries himself. Just be careful with those batteries.

Some may think batteries, being low voltage and all, are not dangerous - that's not necessarily true. It is common in UPSes that their batteries are put in series to supply the electronics with a higher working voltage (cheaper electronics). Also shorting a battery can cause it to explode. Have fun but please be careful.

Re: Uniterruptible Power Supply (UPS) - are they repairable?

In my old office, most of the UPS we had lasted the life of the project, which was 4 years.

Re: Uniterruptible Power Supply (UPS) - are they repairable?

wow! APC service can be quite costly...i think these are for their SMART-UPS line of UPS...

share ko lang po experience ko having worked with the company a few years back...

if i still remember it right, sealed-lead acid (SLA) batteries used in most UPS are greatly affected by heat. heat shortens its useful life because the acid inside evaporates through the air vents on top of the battery. heat generated by the electronics inside the UPS plus the ambient temp. of the room contributes to this.

in a tropical country like ours, 2 to 3 years is a typical life span of an SLA battery. its life span maybe longer if you always use the UPS inside an airconditioned room.

i would caution on using replacement batteries bought from hardware stores because these batteries hadn't been qualified for UPS use. using "sub-standard" batteries will either not give you the published run-times or worse, cause your UPS to malfunction and eventually, die out. i've seen UPS with "bloated" batteries which are extremely difficult to take out and replace. as what lncc63 has mentioned, be very careful when handling these kind of batteries as they can produce very high current even at 6 or 12 volts - fully charged.

as a side note, most home use UPS or low power models generates an approximate sine wave output when operating on battery. this means it may not be good to use them in circuits with motors as this will cause the motor not to operate properly. it is perfectly ok to use them in electronic equipment with switching mode power supplies like PCs, TVs, VCRs etc. higher rated models (1000VA and above) typically gives out a pure sine wave output at battery mode so you can use them in any kind of equipment (load permitting). kindly check your unit specifications regarding this.

i hope this helps 🙂

Re: Uniterruptible Power Supply (UPS) - are they repairable?

I used to work in an UPS company. We repaired lots of UPS, from low to high capacity. Mr. Stealthy is right about the batteries. It may have been depleted due to the battery's life span. Usually after a year or so, batteries begins to lose its power. Try to replace the battery and test your UPS. It is totally untrue that UPS's are not repairable.

Re: Uniterruptible Power Supply (UPS) - are they repairable?

I used to work in an UPS company. We repaired lots of UPS, from low to high capacity. Mr. Stealthy is right about the batteries. It may have been depleted due to the battery's life span. Usually after a year or so, batteries begins to lose its power. Try to replace the battery and test your UPS. It is totally untrue that UPS's are not repairable.

thanks sboy, would you know a place where to have the UPS repaired / or the batteries replaced near QC. i would think investing in new batts for less than P1, 000 lieu of Php2,400 investment for new UPS same capacity will be worth assuming life will extend to another year or more..

Re: Uniterruptible Power Supply (UPS) - are they repairable?

have tried this already guys ! 🙁 Sorry to say, the terminals of the APC SLA batts are very different aside from it being flush in the top case.

Can get it at APC service, but costs just like a new one. Forget it.
The ones readily available are of a different size and just for home use.

Get a new one na lang. Try to dump/sell it to a recycler a.k.a. 'mambubulok'

Best of luck 🙂

Re: Uniterruptible Power Supply (UPS) - are they repairable?

We had the batts of our APC UPS replaced last year - plus a bit of repairs. Our tech guys told our bosses that it would be more practical just to buy a new one since the repair bill would cost almost as much as a new one. Well, they didn't believe our tech guys. They had it repaired anyway. A couple of months later, we purchased a new one. When they saw the purchase cost, that was the only time they believed our tech guys.

Re: Uniterruptible Power Supply (UPS) - are they repairable?

yes, i agree. buying a new one would be a wiser decision. unfortunately in UPS, its almost always the battery that's the first to give up.

i could think of a couple of ways to try to revive the battery but i am not sure if it's worth it. there are some risks involved and the success rate is too small.

last time, APC likes to make use of CSB, BB Battery and Panasonic brands. for sure they have qualified more manufacturers by now.

just for reference, check out the prices of CSB replacement batteries in the US through this link --> http://www.apexbattery.com/ups-batteries-csb-battery-ups-batteries.html

for BB Battery --> http://www.powerstream.com/BBep.htm

personally, i would rate Panasonic the highest, CSB second and BB Battery third.

i hope this helps 🙂

Re: Uniterruptible Power Supply (UPS) - are they repairable?

hey guys. i have an APC UPS 300W and i replaced its battery with no problem at all.

when i experienced it shutting down, i almost got the same frustration and question - i.e., if the battery is replaceable. 1st answer is, IT IS. but that would mean i have to buy it from APC. AND that i have to go to their nearest office w/c is still far from cavite. what i did was, open up my UPS, then checked the batt's spec, and took my chance in finding a replacement in Deeco.

i was so glad that a replacement is available. same spec, same dimension (dapat) and same made in China. it cost me half the price of what APC is asking me. the new battery will be a year old this oct. no problem so far.

Re: Uniterruptible Power Supply (UPS) - are they repairable?

i know i'll be contradicting myself but instead of just letting the ups lie unused in one corner you can try using the SLA battery sold in SM Hardware. i'm not very sure but if its a 500VA ups the battery might be 12V 7AH.

the battery sells for a little over Php1000 in the hardware section of SM Quiapo. i cannot remember exactly the brand but i think it's Nexcell. the battery terminals looks like the ones used in the ups. do double check though just to be sure.

if you're using replacement batteries not from APC, i suggest you check the battery once in a couple of months especially when the ups operates in battery often.

things to look out for are bloated or bulging batteries (signs of overheating during charging - it will be difficult to get them out next time you make a replacement) and liquid (acid) on top of the battery air vents - also a sign of overheating during charging.

i hope this helps 🙂