Smart-UPS 3000 RM XL low runtime even after battery replacement

[Anonymous user]

I have a Smart-UPS 3000 RM XL with an extra battery pack. A year or so ago the power went out and this device worked properly. 22% load and a runtime of around 2.5 hours. A few weeks ago we had another event and it only lasted for 38 minutes. I did a hot swap of the batteries in the extra battery pack, since I was concerned about pulling all of the batteries at the same time, and did a runtime calibration through the web interface and still got 38 minutes. Last night I pulled the battery pack out of the main unit and my multimeter only showed 38V so I figured they were really bad. The batteries were bulging very badly. I put in new batteries, let them charge and ran another runtime calibration and it still shows 38 minutes. What else can I check to get the runtime back to where it should be on this unit?

[Anonymous user]

Even though the unit is 5 years old?

[Anonymous user]

SU300RMXL3U

[Anonymous user]

So I didn't actually buy the APC branded batteries, but instead bought the individual units that go inside the metal casing from Batteries Plus locally. I bought 27 batteries to replace everything in the battery cartridge in the main unit and the two cartridges in my extra battery pack. This came out to $550 total. I called APC this morning to get help with the runtime but since I didn't buy RBC-27 cartridges, they won't help me. Each one of these cartridges is $400 and I need 3 of them, so I would end up paying a lot extra.

I know everything is wired correctly and I used a multimeter to make sure that everything is reading correctly, but no luck.

Any other ideas other than returning the batteries I bought (if possible) and paying twice as much?

[BillP]

do you have a case number that i could refer to? they should be able to help you do a runtime calibration to have the UPS recalculate how much runtime it has, no matter what type of batteries that you bought.

[Anonymous user]

They did not give me a case number. I have done the runtime calibration through the web interface. They should have something different though, right?

[Anonymous user]

It almost seems like the unit isn't seeing the external battery pack. I have an older AP9617 card, and I have to specify how many external battery packs I have installed. I have it set to 1 as I have one unit plugged into the UPS. When I unplug it, I don't get any notification or indication from the UPS that anything changed.

This is a 3000 VA unit with a 22% load, and according to the runtime calculator on APCs site with 700 watts, I should get 40 minutes with the base unit and 2:22 with the external battery. Since I'm getting only 38, it seems like the external batteries aren't being used. As I've said before, I've metered the plug from the external unit and I got 50+ V from it, so they are wired correctly.

In the web interface, I can tell it that I have 2 or 0 external batteries and the runtime estimation changes to 1:12 or 12 minutes respectively. Does the runtime estimation use this as part of the formula or does it just wait until the voltage gets to a certain point and then stop the test?

[BillP]

the external battery pack field on the management card is used for the calculation of runtime. the UPS unit is not smart enough to know when the XL battery is unplugged or replugged because there is no actual communication between the battery pack and UPS - if you notice, there is no communication cable that goes between them.

we need to know also whether your figure of 38 minutes of runtime is the actual amount of time you saw the UPS run while on battery or it is just the figure that the web interface of the AP9617 only and you dont know how much runtime the unit actually provides on battery.

the figure in the web interface is an estimate. generally, this estimate becomes more accurate while the UPS is actually operating on battery but it can also be corrected by a runtime calibration (completed correctly) so the UPS knows how long it can run on battery for.

tech support should be able to help you complete a manual runtime calibration (or there may be instructions on the forum some place) or provide a cal key for you to automatically calibrate the UPS via a special little tool tech support can send out.

please clarify the questions above and we can make a recommendation.

[Anonymous user]

I guess I'll see what I can come up with soon. When I run the runtime calibration from the web interface, it completes in about 30 minutes saying it was finished and gives me an estimate of 38 minutes. I'm trying to find out if the batteries are actually depleted, and if all of them are, or if it is incorrectly thinking that something it wrong.

[BillP]

runtime calibrations via software on that particular model are not as reliable as a manual calibration i would say. if you can, I would follow these instructions OR email/call tech support and request a calkey so that you dont have to keep running down the battery with the software calibration.

A manual runtime calibration is the process of completely discharging a battery by simulating a power outage (pulling the plug of the UPS from the AC power circuit). This process is sometimes necessary in order to reset the estimated runtime calculation if it does not appear to be correct. In order for the calibration to "work", and for the runtime to be estimated correctly, there are four conditions which must be met when initiating and running the calibration. They are as follows:

*1. Battery must be at 100% capacity when the Runtime Calibration is initiated/started.*
*2. The UPS must have at least a 30% load on it during the calibration.*
*3. The load cannot fluctuate more than +/- 5% during the calibration.*
*4. The battery must be discharged to at least 25% capacity (it is best to allow the UPS to shut off due to a discharged battery).*

In addition to the abovce conditions, any UPS monitoring/shutdown software should be stopped from running in the background, and the serial cable should be detached from the UPS. This is necessary in order to prevent the software from shutting down the server/UPS due to an on-battery or low-battery condition.

[Anonymous user · Accepted solution]

I have a Smart-UPS 3000 RM XL with an extra battery pack. A year or so ago the power went out and this device worked properly. 22% load and a runtime of around 2.5 hours. A few weeks ago we had another event and it only lasted for 38 minutes. I did a hot swap of the batteries in the extra battery pack, since I was concerned about pulling all of the batteries at the same time, and did a runtime calibration through the web interface and still got 38 minutes. Last night I pulled the battery pack out of the main unit and my multimeter only showed 38V so I figured they were really bad. The batteries were bulging very badly. I put in new batteries, let them charge and ran another runtime calibration and it still shows 38 minutes. What else can I check to get the runtime back to where it should be on this unit?