Apparently Dead SURTA1500RMXL2U

[Anonymous user]

Hello,

I have a 2012 SURTA1500RMXL2U which recently came in from a remote site where it had been out of service for some time.  I have plugged in the unit and both before and after pressing the ON button there is absolutely no lights, front or back, no fan noise, no sign of life whatsoever.  I pulled out the battery tray to verify that the connector is secure and that the batteries look visually ok - they do.  I checked battery voltage at the main connector and received a reading of 11.1 volts.  I believe, correct me if I'm wrong, that the pack (RBC57) should provide 48 volts.  Additionally, I've verified that the ribbon cable connected to the front control console is secure, though, the small metal plate which screws to the chassis behind the control panel has left a pretty good crimp in this cable.

Given the information provided above, are there further troubleshooting steps that can reasonably be taken? 

Does collective experience suggest this unit is irreparably damaged?

Thank You,

Dale

[BillP]

Dale,

Since the battery voltage is so low the DC Bus will not be powered and the UPS will not turn on. A good battery pack would read 52v DC to 56v DC. You need to get a good battery pack to test the unit with. 

[Anonymous user]

Bill,

Thank you for the prompt reply.  Out of curiosity, do you know what the threshold battery voltage is for UPS to actually power up? 

I have a hunch that this unit saw some prolonged exposure to cold, perhaps subzero, temperatures, which may explain the demise of the batteries.

I'll see what we can do about procuring a replacement battery pack.

Thank You,

Dale

[BillP]

You could always use a small car smart charger to see if the pack will come up to the correct voltage before you spend money on batteries to find out the units dead.

[BillP]

Dale,

Sorry for the delay. I had to research this. Minimum Voltage is ~40v in order to be recognized.

[Anonymous user]

Bill / Gareth,

Thank you for the further information and suggestions.  Looking back at our records more closely, I see that we purchased a replacement battery pack (APC) for this unit in July of last year.  It appears that failed to bring the UPS back to life and pretty much guarantees we have an issue other than bad batteries.  Unfortunately, this unit was purchased with a three year warranty which would have expired in July of last year as well.

Thank You,

Dale

[MarkC_apc · Accepted solution]

Couple of questions:

Do you still have the spare battery pack?  If so, what is the voltage?  The only way to charge these packs (outside of the SURT) is to have a 48 volt charger.  If it is not fully charged, it may not pass the startup test (or if there is one bad battery in the pack!).  Breaking down the packs is another possibility, but takes knowledge of batteries in series/parallel.

Have you continuity tested the crimped cable? - if you have any type of continuity tester, you can disconnect the cable at both ends and check each ribbon conductor separately to determine if the cable was damaged - not likely as the unit worked for quite some time - but maybe.

My experience has been that these units are so robust, there usually is a battery and/or connector problem of some type.