OT: UPS manufacturer

Can't you replace the battery? I have an APC unit in a domestic situation. APC don't publish any information about changing the battery but there are YouTube videos explaining how to open up the case to do it. I'm on my third battery now.

Yes, I can, and I have, but they don't seem to last very long. You only find out that the battery is dead when there is a power cut and no power available. The last time there was a power cut, it kept power output, and there was an alarm. Not today, nada.

What model UPS? there are some "hidden" commands to alter the float voltage, there's also the periodic self-test which you can enable, but I tend to find that hurts battery life ...

It is a BE550G/BE700G. I just looked up the manual, it says a battery should last 3-5 years, depending on usage etc. It has had a pretty easy life, and I bought this battery from APC at the end of March 2022, so it's basically 3 1/2 years old. Not very good. I think, without digging into the archives, that the original battery lasted longer, but I can't be certain. Hence my search for a different brand. It has the power-saving sockets enabled to only power the loudspeakers when the system is running. Today, the power cut was over an hour long, the UPS didn't even run for

I have three APC units, all about 20 years old (probably more, thinking about it).

I change batteries about every 3-5 years, with no problems. In all of them, there were instructions available for changing the battery.

I recommend MDS Battery, as the batteries are the same ones that APC rebadge at a mark-up.

I run an automatic test once a week. I can see the capacity dropping before the battery fails.

No, it doesn't. But Linux will support NUT (whic I use on FreeBSD, never being very keen on Linux).

As I mention elsewhere, I have changed the battery once already, and I have used other APC units in the US. They all seem to have short battery lives. This one, with a stated life of 3-5 years, has managed 3 1/2 years, which I consider on the low end of 3-5 years, and matches my US experience. I will look up MDS, as that would be good if there is no recommended alternative.

But nobody has yet answered my original question, about other manufacturers.

In the cases described below, APC not only made battery replacement easy, but sold replacement batteries themselves. Warranty void if other batteries were used, etc.

There is another way of finding out: you are supposed to test them at least annually. I've only ever dealt with two UPS installations, for the same client. Both were APC, both batteries died on testing in under two years. Not just died, but were swollen and difficult to remove from the chassis. Literally, both were the cause of more unscheduled server shutdowns than they prevented.

I've since encountered SLA batteries in another context, and I know for certain that the only thing that causes SLAs to swell is overheating, which is pretty much always caused by overcharging. Since UPS batteries do not provide current except in the case of mains failure, these two did not overheat their batteries by excessive discharge. It became obvious that considering APC are *the* big name in UPS, they don't seem to know how to charge SLA batteries correctly, or at least not for float use. Also, both UPS units, different models, supposedly had battery temperature monitoring, which certainly did not provide any warning in either case.

That echoes my thoughts for some time.

It is interesting to have somebody familiar with the industry agreeing.

I note that the rechargeable batteries in my Panasonic DECT 'Phone handsets lasted for years and years, and I only replaced them when I bought 2 more used handsets, which needed batteries, so I renewed them all.

They're NiMHs, aren't they? Much more tolerant of overcharging and indeed, continuous trickle charging. SLAs are not, and absolutely must be charged, in the final stage at least, constant-voltage. The relevant voltages for either float or deep-discharge use are normally marked on the battery label.

When I buy a replacement battery from the UPS manufacturer, and install it as instructed, I expect that it should take care of itself.

I can do a Self-test every year, but one last December would have said it was ok, but it didn't even get to December this year. We have had a couple of power cuts during the summer months, and the UPS worked for them. Is there any way to perform a Self-test other than powering it down and back up? .

Well, I have a Cyberpower BR1200ELCD which has caused me no problems. However it's only 20 months old, so that is only to be expected.

Indeed, yes. Even the APCs were all still working at that age. But thanks for replying.

Most UPSs, including APC ones, can be set to automatically test the battery under load periodically and should warn you before the battery has lost more than a certain fraction of its capacity. I expect the test reduces battery life, but I think its worth it.

I don't know if apcupsd is still being maintained, but I always found it easier to use and more reliable than NUT. Now I have an Eaton UPS which seems very dependable and the batteries have lasted 3 to 4 years. Until Lithium batteries become routine (and UPSs more hazardous) I think that is as long as you can expect SLA batteries to last.

Interesting. I searched the manual for my APC, and I could not find anything that mentioned auto. testing of the battery. Assuming that that is enabled, how does it warn of a problem?

It's done by the software, which can email you.

It does depend on temperature, as well as the charge setting in the UPS (there are sneaky ways of altering that).

I find that the rack mounted units kills batteries quicker, probably for that reason.