Smart-UPS 1000 RM: Battery Installation Message

[Anonymous user]

I have a Smart-UPS 1000 RM at a facility with a network management card installed. On a fairly routine basis (every 7 days), the battery goes from an incorrectly installed state to a correctly installed state. I am guessing that this means the battery itself needs to be replaced but I wanted some other opinions before I make any hasty decisions.

[BillP]

inside your network management card, can you check and see what your self test schedule is set to? if its set to every 7 days, that means that this message is matching up with when the UPS is doing a self test.

it may also be helpful if you could paste some of the events in the log before and after this "battery not installed correctly" message as well. is it passing self tests? the battery should last 3-5 years so if its past that point, perhaps when the UPS is doing a self tests, it is causing this message when there is an extreme voltage drop during the self test.

i would suggest double checking what the battery voltage is reported as too through the interface.

these are good starting points that will hopefully lead us to the actual issue. they are mainly assumptions at this point though.

let me know what you find out.

[Anonymous user]

The first time the issue started happening, on the 23rd of December, there was a scheduled self test that was supposed to happen but we did not get notification that occured. Instead on the 6th we got the first "UPS: The battery is not installed properly." Since the 6th the message has occurred at random intervals. The log, from what I can see, is simply filled with the "UPS: The battery is not installed properly," messages followed by "UPS: The Battery is now installed." It appears like I get 2 of the "UPS: The Battery is not installed properly" messages on the same day, one at 12:45pm (average time) and one at 1:30pm. Then the following day the "UPS: The battery is now installed" message comes across.

The self test is set to every 14 days.

Message was edited by: Khue

[BillP]

how old are the batteries? you can try to reseat them to see if it clears the message up. the batteries are hot swappable.

you could also try braindeading the UPS which will usually clear up any strange issues. I'd try this after you try a battery reseat ask this requires the UPS to be turned off.

to do this:

You need to power down all attached equipment and unplug it from the UPS. You then need to power down the UPS and unplug it from the utility power. Also, make sure that all communication cables are removed. Now, you want to hold down on the "off (o)" button until you hear an audible click (if not, proceed after 10 seconds anyway). Now, the internal circuitry of the UPS is reset, and you should be able to plug the UPS in, turn it on, attach all your equipment and power everything up.

[Anonymous user]

Whats the most accurate way to retrieve the age of the battery? I have a couple different dates listed in the management application. I am not sure which one is the physical hardware and which one is the battery. Under UPS and the About section I see an 5/9/06.

By the way, thanks a bunch for the advice.

Edit: Self check took the entire unit offline. The router and the switched hooked up to the device took a dive. Probably means I should replace the battery. Is there any sort of indicator I can use to determine if it's just the battery that needs to be replaced or the entire unit?

Message was edited by: Khue

Message was edited by: Khue

[BillP · Accepted solution]

the battery replacement date should be indicated under the UPS tab->Configuration->General. If its never been replaced, it will match up with the manufacture date of the UPS which I believe is what you saw.

there is no SURE way to diagnose a unit versus battery in this situation i dont think. from my experience, i'd recommend a battery though since there is nothing else going on with the UPS that raises a red flag.