Typical APC UPS Replacement Battery
As computer service technicians in the field, all to often we see an UPS (Uninterruptable Power Supply) in use at a client location which is simply not going to function when the time comes for it to do the job it was designed for.
Many times the “Replace Battery” indicator has been on for a while, and the alarm has been silenced because it was annoying to the workers in the office.
When should you replace your battery? Most UPS have a battery that is good for at least 2 years. In mission critical installations, such as for servers, data centers, T1 / cable / dsl & network gear, access control, alarm systems and VoIP phone systems, you may wish to replace the batteries every 2 years on a rotating schedule. For less important equipment, such as a single workstation, the “Replace Battery” indicator can be your guide. When you see that LED come on, or should the UPS be alarming, then replace the battery or battery pack at the first convenient moment.
Modern power protection systems like the APC and Eaton line of UPSs perform automatic tests, but you can check your manual for how to initiate a manual test. One way is to simply cut the power to the UPS and see if it has adequate backup time, but the best way is to use the software that will allow you to perform a calibration on the UPS and view a graph of power events. Performing the calibration will give you the best idea of how long the unit can provide power in an outage to the equipment attached.
Be friendly to our planet and replace the batteries instead of the entire unit, unless you have a very old UPS. You can save up to 50% over the cost of a new UPS by renewing the batteries! Also, be sure to dispose of the battery properly, and please do not just dump it in the dumpster. The supplier of the battery or battery pack will generally take your old battery and recycle for you.
Homeland Secure IT provides sales, service and support for UPS and power protection equipment in Greenville & the Upstate. Should you need a new UPS or a battery replaced, please call us at 864-990-4748 or email us at info@homelandsecureit.com for more information.