Repair or replace?

[Anonymous user]

Hi

I just started with a company that has an APC SURT8000RMXL. This unit is out of warranty and failed sometime last year. I know all 4 of the batteries were replaced at that time but did not solve the issue, the unit is still dead. So now I have inherited the problem and have been looking in these forums for some answers. Found some answers but also created more questions.

So here are my questions:

1) Do you offer repair services for these units, and would it be cheaper to simply buy a new batteryless unit?

2) Now that some of the batteries have been discharged, is there a way to charge/test them to know if ordering a batteryless unit would actually work (due to the dead battery no worky quirk)?

3) If I have no way to charge/test the batteries could I also return them with the unit to be checked/charged and used in the new/repaired unit?

4) I see there is a trade option for dead equipment, and I am wondering if this can be applied to the batteryless unit I have seen available?

5) Do you see any other options that would let me utilize these 1 year old battery packs (for sure considering the quirk) instead of buying a new unit with batteries?

Steve Jensen

[Anonymous user]

While I don't work for APC, I do know that they don't usually offer repair (or replacement) services...unless you have your unit under extended warranty or service contract with them or one of their 3rd party maintenance providers. It would be good to know what the actual fault was on the UPS at the time it failed...that would have been represented or diagnosed either from management card alerts, or the front panel - on the RT ups the battery charge bar graph LED's are illuminated in a certain way depending on the fault. Do you have any history ?

[BillP · Accepted solution]

Hello,

Here is my feedback on your questions below. I also agree any history you might know may help determine if the UPS itself is salvageable, rather than just focusing on the batteries. If the unit still has a Network Management Card installed, you may be able to move that to a different UPS to check the logs from the dead unit.

1) Do you offer repair services for these units, and would it be cheaper to simply buy a new batteryless unit?

As Battman mentioned, repair/replace options differ in each region. For North America, APC does not offer repair directly, only replace in some form (RMA if under warranty, purchase new, or trade in). Based on your profile, it appears you're in North America. Our certified repair partner in NAM is CoastTec ()http://coasttec.com/. Other third party service options in NAM are more commonly offered with 3 phase applications.

2) Now that some of the batteries have been discharged, is there a way to charge/test them to know if ordering a batteryless unit would actually work (due to the dead battery no worky quirk)?

I am not a super duper expert on batteries at the granular level beyond just measuring voltage on them and that is all we'd ever have a user do. That would be the first thing because these SURT units will not turn on if they do not have good batteries. You'd want to measure the voltage on each string/connector and you're looking for at least around 85vDC to be considered "good" - if they are below that, then it is likely they won't be good enough to turn the unit on. If they were stored "disconnected" from the UPS so that they couldn't discharge, then you might be in luck.

3) If I have no way to charge/test the batteries could I also return them with the unit to be checked/charged and used in the new/repaired unit?

We don't offer a service like this for this type of unit but a local shop might offer something like this, something like a Batteries Plus or similar. Don't know if you have those there. Otherwise, they'd like need to be replaced. The answer to this question will be determined by how and where the batteries were stored to see if they are salvageable.

4) I see there is a trade option for dead equipment, and I am wondering if this can be applied to the batteryless unit I have seen available?

What battery-less unit have you found? Do you have a SKU? We sell these in other regions but I did not think they were available for NAM. I'd like to verify what you found to let you know if you'd be able to get it here, assuming your batteries are salvageable. For the "Trade UPS" option we offer, you can typically trade in a UPS and get a new one up to 1.5X the VA level of your current one I think and any SKU available in the region should be available.

5) Do you see any other options that would let me utilize these 1 year old battery packs (for sure considering the quirk) instead of buying a new unit with batteries?

Again, it all comes down to if they are usable or not. It is possible they could be damaged beyond a recharge depending on how they were stored and where.