6 Second Battery Backup

Anonymous user · ‎2021-06-29

Good afternoon APC Community,

Our Smart-UPS 1000 XL provided 6 seconds of backup to a server prior to shutting it down during a power failure yesterday. The "Last Battery Replacement Date" was November 2004. "Runtime Remaining" according to PowerChute averages about 70 minutes. I believed that the UPS would provide about an hour of backup time, and was thus surprised by its near instantaneous capitulation. We have 5 other Smart-UPS that functioned as expected during the duration of the 40 minute power failure.

Should I assume that the battery needs replacing, or this there anything else that could be wrong?

BillP · ‎2021-06-29

Hello,

Do you have frequent outages or power events? I ask because when the UPSs are online, the runtime remaining is a really good estimate. When you operate on battery for at least a few minutes (like during a power event), then it begins to recalculate based on battery health, age, UPS load, etc. This also happens when you do a runtime calibration.

If the battery is from 2004 and does not really get used that much, then it may explain why the estimate is so far off. The battery replacement date is something the user sets. Are you able to see if the battery has any date codes or serial numbers on it? It could've been replaced after 2004 and someone forgot to update the date is why I ask. If it truly is 10 years old, then as it gets older, the risk of issues, like thermal runaway, goes up. I would plan on replacing the battery. Typically, you should get 2-5 years, depending on usage, environment, etc.

If the battery is newer, then I would definitely want to verify there was no configuration in place that caused the UPS to turn off before it's runtime capacity. Reviewing the PowerChute log and configuration may help with that. And by PowerChute, not sure if you meant Network Shutdown or Business Edition so I'd want to verify that. If Network Shutdown, then you'd also have a Network Management Card which is where we'd want to look too.

See Answer In Context

BillP · ‎2021-06-29

Hello,

Do you have frequent outages or power events? I ask because when the UPSs are online, the runtime remaining is a really good estimate. When you operate on battery for at least a few minutes (like during a power event), then it begins to recalculate based on battery health, age, UPS load, etc. This also happens when you do a runtime calibration.

If the battery is from 2004 and does not really get used that much, then it may explain why the estimate is so far off. The battery replacement date is something the user sets. Are you able to see if the battery has any date codes or serial numbers on it? It could've been replaced after 2004 and someone forgot to update the date is why I ask. If it truly is 10 years old, then as it gets older, the risk of issues, like thermal runaway, goes up. I would plan on replacing the battery. Typically, you should get 2-5 years, depending on usage, environment, etc.

If the battery is newer, then I would definitely want to verify there was no configuration in place that caused the UPS to turn off before it's runtime capacity. Reviewing the PowerChute log and configuration may help with that. And by PowerChute, not sure if you meant Network Shutdown or Business Edition so I'd want to verify that. If Network Shutdown, then you'd also have a Network Management Card which is where we'd want to look too.