SMT2200RMI2U very high VA Load% & overload on self-test

[Anonymous user]

We have a SMT2200RMI2U ups that started acting funny and I think its failing, but I don't know if its the batteries that are bad or the ups.

It was working perfectly fine for almost 2 years now but on recent weekly self test it shut down saying that it was overloaded, but our typical Load% is only about 30-40% while not on battery. It also triggered the RCD breaker.

So I did some tests and it seems that the VA Load% is always way higher than W Load%, for ex.:

- When there is about 100W usage, the ups says the VA Load is ~300VA while on battery.

- When the Load% while on mains is ~20%, the VA Load% grows very fast while on battery, like 10% -> 20% -> 40% -> 80% -> 103% in the span of 10 seconds.

- What's strange is that I tried connecting a heater fan and it was using 60% Load while on mains and on battery and it was just working fine.

I took a look at the batteries and half of them have slight bulge, but it is only noticeable when you touch them and you can barely see it.

So what could be happening here?

Is the ups bad or the batteries? Or is it possible that the PDU is shorting?

Thanks for help.

[BillP]

Hi John - 

It is unlikely that this behavior is related to a UPS fault and is more likely related to the load attached. When you applied the 60% heater load, did you also remove the normal IT load? If so, did the load reported stay steady or did you see the same issue with the load unexpectedly increasing/decreasing? Was it able to run a self test with the heater load attached?

As far as the batteries - Bulging is definitely not good. Do you know when they were last replaced? If there is a serial number sticker on your battery module that would allow us to determine the age.

I'm more than happy to try and assist here, but you may find that this issue is a lot easier to handle on the phone with your local tech support team.

Thanks

Liam

[Anonymous user]

Hi Liam,

Yes, I only attached the heater load and it was steady 60%. It also passed the self-test. But I connected the heater to one of C13 sockets not the C19 that the PDU connects to. If I put low load on the PDU that does not cause the VA Load% to increase it also passes the self-test.

The batteries are not original APC I think, but should only be 2 year old in 3-4 months. I still have 2 year warranty on them. The bulging is very minimal but you can definitely tell a difference between a flat one, but only with touch.

The PDU connected devices did not change for a year now, well we did replace our NVR with a new one this week but I'm pretty sure I tested without it connected and the VA Load% was still increasing. Because that was the only thing that changed, this was my first thought.

So my only guess other than the UPS, would be that the PDU got somehow damaged. But how could a PDU cause increasing VA Load% and not trip the breakers? Right now im bypassing the UPS and everything is working fine.

Thanks for help.

[Anonymous user]

Hi Liam,

I've been testing the UPS a few times and Im pretty sure its the UPS that is broken. I've tested everything and every combination I can think of, and every time I had the same issue. It seems that the VA Load is about 5x the W Load.

The heater load still works fine, and I think the issue might have something to do with grounding because the heater does not have a ground connection. Every other device in the rack has a ground pin.

I have made a video which maybe can help with diagnose. In the video only both PSU's of a dell R710 are connected to the PDU. The R710 is not even on but I guess it still takes 70-100W while off.

You can see how the VA Load is increasing, and hear how the UPS is struggling when I switch off the power, it does not do that when I connect the heater load event though is uses way more W, it is way quieter and the sound is "smoother".

I would appreciate any help.

[BillP · Accepted solution]

Hi John - 

The sound definitely seems unusual and is possibly the beginning of a hardware failure.

For the display issues about the only other thing I could suggest would be a firmware update, but I can't guarantee it will resolve the issue.

Information on UPS firmware updates can be found here:

https://www.apc.com/us/en/faqs/index?page=content&id=FA164737

If you want to contact the tech support team in your local region, you can find info here:

https://www.apc.com/us/en/support/

Thanks,

Liam