Help
  • Explore Community
  • Get Started
  • Ask the Community
  • How-To & Best Practices
  • Contact Support
Notifications
Login / Register
Community
Community
Notifications
close
  • Forums
  • Knowledge Center
  • Events & Webinars
  • Ideas
  • Blogs
Help
Help
  • Explore Community
  • Get Started
  • Ask the Community
  • How-To & Best Practices
  • Contact Support
Login / Register
Sustainability
Sustainability

Join our "Ask Me About" community webinar on May 20th at 9 AM CET and 5 PM CET to explore cybersecurity and monitoring for Data Center and edge IT. Learn about market trends, cutting-edge technologies, and best practices from industry experts.
Register and secure your Critical IT infrastructure

Batteries heated up and melted inside the APC unit

APC UPS Data Center & Enterprise Solutions Forum

Schneider, APC support forum to share knowledge about installation and configuration for Data Center and Business Power UPSs, Accessories, Software, Services.

cancel
Turn on suggestions
Auto-suggest helps you quickly narrow down your search results by suggesting possible matches as you type.
Showing results for 
Show  only  | Search instead for 
Did you mean: 
  • Home
  • Schneider Electric Community
  • APC UPS, Critical Power, Cooling and Racks
  • APC UPS Data Center & Enterprise Solutions Forum
  • Batteries heated up and melted inside the APC unit
Options
  • Subscribe to RSS Feed
  • Mark Topic as New
  • Mark Topic as Read
  • Float this Topic for Current User
  • Bookmark
  • Subscribe
  • Mute
  • Printer Friendly Page
Invite a Co-worker
Send a co-worker an invite to the portal.Just enter their email address and we'll connect them to register. After joining, they will belong to the same company.
You have entered an invalid email address. Please re-enter the email address.
This co-worker has already been invited to the Exchange portal. Please invite another co-worker.
Please enter email address
Send Invite Cancel
Invitation Sent
Your invitation was sent.Thanks for sharing Exchange with your co-worker.
Send New Invite Close
Top Experts
User Count
BillP
Administrator BillP Administrator
5060
voidstar_apc
Janeway voidstar_apc
196
Erasmus_apc
Sisko Erasmus_apc
112
TheNotoriousKMP_apc
Sisko TheNotoriousKMP_apc
108
View All

Invite a Colleague

Found this content useful? Share it with a Colleague!

Invite a Colleague Invite
Solved Go to Solution
Back to APC UPS Data Center & Enterprise Solutions Forum
Solved
BillP
Administrator BillP Administrator
Administrator

Posted: ‎2021-06-30 06:59 PM . Last Modified: ‎2024-03-07 02:15 AM

0 Likes
4
3809
  • Mark as New
  • Bookmark
  • Subscribe
  • Mute
  • Subscribe to RSS Feed
  • Permalink
  • Print
  • Email to a Friend
  • Report Inappropriate Content

Link copied. Please paste this link to share this article on your social media post.

Posted: ‎2021-06-30 06:59 PM . Last Modified: ‎2024-03-07 02:15 AM

Batteries heated up and melted inside the APC unit

apc 700 smartups

So we start smelling something on the first floor and finally trace it down to the APC when I touch it and it's burning up.
Plastic was soft as could be they were so hot when I pulled them out.
Even had the usual inline fuse between them. Batteries aren't that old. What caused this and why is there no failsafe?

http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/6283/apcbatter.jpg

Attachments
Labels
  • Labels:
  • UPS Management Devices & PowerChute Software
Reply

Link copied. Please paste this link to share this article on your social media post.

  • All forum topics
  • Previous Topic
  • Next Topic

Accepted Solutions
Erasmus_apc
Sisko Erasmus_apc
Sisko

Posted: ‎2021-06-30 06:59 PM . Last Modified: ‎2024-03-07 02:14 AM

0 Likes
0
3809
  • Mark as New
  • Bookmark
  • Subscribe
  • Mute
  • Subscribe to RSS Feed
  • Permalink
  • Print
  • Email to a Friend
  • Report Inappropriate Content

Link copied. Please paste this link to share this article on your social media post.

Posted: ‎2021-06-30 06:59 PM . Last Modified: ‎2024-03-07 02:14 AM

Assumed answered due to lack of customer update/response.

See Answer In Context

Reply

Link copied. Please paste this link to share this article on your social media post.

Replies 4
BillP
Administrator BillP Administrator
Administrator

Posted: ‎2021-06-30 06:59 PM . Last Modified: ‎2024-03-07 02:14 AM

0 Likes
0
3809
  • Mark as New
  • Bookmark
  • Subscribe
  • Mute
  • Subscribe to RSS Feed
  • Permalink
  • Print
  • Email to a Friend
  • Report Inappropriate Content

Link copied. Please paste this link to share this article on your social media post.

Posted: ‎2021-06-30 06:59 PM . Last Modified: ‎2024-03-07 02:14 AM

How old are the batteries, exactly? If they are original to the UPS, they must be at least 3-5 years old, since the 700 model has been discontinued for quite some time. If they're newer, did you replace them with APC batteries? The model & serial number for both the batteries and the UPS would help - there should be a white sticker with barcodes on the UPS (usually on the back) and somewhere on the batteries as well.

Old batteries will experience this issue if left unattended for some time. The unit should have given an alarm about the batteries - either a flashing or solid light on the replace battery indicator on the front display - long before they reached this state. Charging produces heat, but dead batteries don't hold much charge. It becomes a cycle of increasing heat, which causes the gases inside the battery to expand and, eventually, leak out of the battery casing. That's the smell you detected, and that's why the casing is misshapen.

See [kbase 564|http://nam-en.apc.com/cgi-bin/nam_en.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=564] for the MSDS sheets for APC batteries.

Reply

Link copied. Please paste this link to share this article on your social media post.

BillP
Administrator BillP Administrator
Administrator

Posted: ‎2021-06-30 06:59 PM . Last Modified: ‎2024-03-07 02:14 AM

0 Likes
0
3809
  • Mark as New
  • Bookmark
  • Subscribe
  • Mute
  • Subscribe to RSS Feed
  • Permalink
  • Print
  • Email to a Friend
  • Report Inappropriate Content

Link copied. Please paste this link to share this article on your social media post.

Posted: ‎2021-06-30 06:59 PM . Last Modified: ‎2024-03-07 02:14 AM

They are not old and not originals.

We have about 20+ APC units and sure batteries die and the thing beeps and I replace them.
No beeping here.
From reading online

"In fail short situation the low battery will absorb the energy and the
voltage will not raise and the batts will slowly heat up. It should be
detected."

Sounds like what happened and the APC unit has no temp sensor so it isn't smart enough to know something is wrong.
Makes me worry about the other 20 units. I mean this happened here on friday. A few more hours and we'd have been gone for the weekend. What would have happened in that length of time.

Message was edited by: Aaron91RS

Reply

Link copied. Please paste this link to share this article on your social media post.

BillP
Administrator BillP Administrator
Administrator

Posted: ‎2021-06-30 06:59 PM . Last Modified: ‎2024-03-07 02:14 AM

0 Likes
0
3805
  • Mark as New
  • Bookmark
  • Subscribe
  • Mute
  • Subscribe to RSS Feed
  • Permalink
  • Print
  • Email to a Friend
  • Report Inappropriate Content

Link copied. Please paste this link to share this article on your social media post.

Posted: ‎2021-06-30 06:59 PM . Last Modified: ‎2024-03-07 02:14 AM

I'm not sure where you're reading or how it relates to APC, but the battery alarms are more related to the capacity and self-test results than temperature. However, the Smart-UPS units do have temperature sensors and alarms associated with exceeded thresholds - assuming you are using the free software or a network card. Are you?

The event is described as "UPS Internal Temperature Threshold Exceeded" and it has a logging, notification, email, command file and shutdown option for this event. It's smart enough to recognize it, but unless you provide a means of notifying someone of the issue, it can't do much.

You haven't mentioned the model & serial numbers of the unit or its batteries. If they are 700va units, they are definitely more than a few years old. If they aren't the original batteries, did you replace them with APC batteries or other brands? It's difficult to tell from the picture you provided since I cannot see the APC logo on the batteries.

It's difficult to offer explanations of what happened with an incomplete version of the story.

Reply

Link copied. Please paste this link to share this article on your social media post.

Erasmus_apc
Sisko Erasmus_apc
Sisko

Posted: ‎2021-06-30 06:59 PM . Last Modified: ‎2024-03-07 02:14 AM

0 Likes
0
3810
  • Mark as New
  • Bookmark
  • Subscribe
  • Mute
  • Subscribe to RSS Feed
  • Permalink
  • Print
  • Email to a Friend
  • Report Inappropriate Content

Link copied. Please paste this link to share this article on your social media post.

Posted: ‎2021-06-30 06:59 PM . Last Modified: ‎2024-03-07 02:14 AM

Assumed answered due to lack of customer update/response.

Reply

Link copied. Please paste this link to share this article on your social media post.

Preview Exit Preview

never-displayed

You must be signed in to add attachments

never-displayed

 
To The Top!

Forums

  • APC UPS Data Center Backup Solutions
  • EcoStruxure IT
  • EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert
  • Metering & Power Quality
  • Schneider Electric Wiser

Knowledge Center

Events & webinars

Ideas

Blogs

Get Started

  • Ask the Community
  • Community Guidelines
  • Community User Guide
  • How-To & Best Practice
  • Experts Leaderboard
  • Contact Support
Brand-Logo
Subscribing is a smart move!
You can subscribe to this board after you log in or create your free account.
Forum-Icon

Create your free account or log in to subscribe to the board - and gain access to more than 10,000+ support articles along with insights from experts and peers.

Register today for FREE

Register Now

Already have an account? Login

Terms & Conditions Privacy Notice Change your Cookie Settings © 2025 Schneider Electric

This is a heading

With achievable small steps, users progress and continually feel satisfaction in task accomplishment.

Usetiful Onboarding Checklist remembers the progress of every user, allowing them to take bite-sized journeys and continue where they left.

of