APC SU1500I battery run time issues.

[Anonymous user]

Hi, I am being driven mad by this UPS, a few weeks ago the replace battery light came on so seeing as they were a few years old I replaced them, I did a hot swap which went OK except the replace battery light stayed on, so after a few days I finally found time switch it off and then back on which cleared the replace battery light, now my problem is that it will only hold a charge for a few minutes when powering a single work station.

I have been through and run a calibration which only took about 10 minutes from start to finish.

I have seen whilst searching a thing call brain-deading, hope I have the process right but the UPS is fully charged I then unplug everything and then press and hold the 0 button until I hear a faint click - if that's correct the only click I hear is when I press the 0 but its as soon as I press that button.

Has anyone any other ideas? I feel like its a calibration problem but I have been through a calibration.

I have been searching through the forums as well.

Any help greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Message was edited by: bluetba

[BillP]

Hi bluetba,

To brain dead it you have to have the unit unplugged and off, then hold the O button until it clicks.

Do you have any of the software installed to see what the runtime is showing as? If so whats the load and runtime showing? Also, whats the model and serial numbers off the white sticker on the back?

[Anonymous user]

Thanks for replying powerman, brain deading properly had an interesting consequence as now I have the replace battery light back on again.

As requested

model no is SUA1500I
S/N is AS0417133169

The battery is on 80-100% charge at the moment with no load - so what's my best plan of attack now? go through a normal battery replacement procedure (the battery is only a few months old)??

Thanks again.

[BillP · Accepted solution]

Hi bluetba,

I am assuming these batteries are APC RBCs. Going off that, if the Replace Battery LED (RBL) is on solid then try running a self test on the unit. This can be done by holding the test button until the unit switches over to battery power then releasing the button. It will run the test, when done the RBL should go off. If the RBL doesn't go out I would call in to tech support there, 0800 2799254, 8:30AM-5:30PM (Monday-Friday).

If the RBL is flashing then that means the UPS doesn't see a good contact with the battery. I would double check all the connectors and see if that helps. If not then you well need to see if its the battery or the UPS. Best way to test this is just unplug the UPS from the wall, if it stays running and switches to battery (even though it doesn't think it has one) then the UPS has a fault. If it drops the load when you unplug the UPS then you will want to check the voltage on the battery. If its a good 24-28Vdc then the UPS has a fault. If the battery voltage is low then you might just need to replace the battery again. In this case, since it is a new battery you should call tech support.

Let me know how it goes.