Smart UPS SUA2200 XL - intermittent blinking red battery indicator

[Anonymous user]

Hello Angela, I have a Smart UPS SUA2200 XL that has been a work horse on a video editing system for me. Today, suddenly, the red battery indicator started blinking and the unit started chirping. The red light and chirping come and go at no constant interval, sometimes every other minute for just 10 seconds, and sometimes after as long as 10 minutes or more. The battery level LEDs show full.

I'm aware that this may indicate a battery replacement, but I really do not have the $ to do this. Could it be a false warning? Is there anything that I can do to test the real status?

Thank you!

TahoeTodd

[Terry_Kennedy_apc]

As an end user, my experience is that UPS batteries are good for about 3 years, as long as they are kept charged, the UPS never stays on battery until it goes into "low battery" shutdown, and temperatures are normal (high temperatures will reduce battery life).

How old is the UPS? You can tell from the 3rd and 4th characters of the serial number - for example, xx12nnnnnnnn where nn can be any character, 12 is the year of manufacture, and nnnnnnnn can be any digits.

Note that the batteries may have been replaced one or more times already and this may or may not have been recorded in the UPS config by whoever replaced them. The battery pack(s) will have a serial number in the same format if they are genuine APC, or will have a date / lot code in a manufacturer-specific format if they are aftermarket ones.

Of course, there is a risk that the problem is not with the batteries but with the UPS itself. If you buy a replacement battery pack and it doesn't fix the problem, you're stuck with a battery pack and a UPS that is still broken. Angela can probably provide detailed info on tests you can perform - I just wanted to provide some info so you can check to see how old your batteries are.

The "X" UPS models support optional external battery packs. I (as an end user, I am not an APC employee) recommend replacing all of the battery packs at the same time. The reason for this (skip if you don't care about technical stuff) is that all of the battery packs are in parallel. If any one of them reports "low charge" (for battery packs that report this individually), the UPS has to apply charging voltage to all of the battery packs.

[BillP]

Todd,

Knowing the exact beep pattern would assist in diagnosing this further, but I believe your issue to be one of the below listed:

The Replace Battery/Battery Disconnected LED is illuminated - The Replace Battery/Battery Disconnected LED flashes and a short beep is emitted every two seconds to indicate the battery is disconnected. Check that the battery connectors are fully engaged.

Weak battery - Allow the battery to recharge for 24 hours and perform a self-test. If the problem persists after recharging, replace the battery.

Failure of a battery self-test: Replace Battery/Battery Disconnected LED illuminates and the UPS emits short beeps for one minute. The UPS repeats the alarm every five hours. Allow the battery to recharge for 24 hours. Perform the self-test procedure to confirm the replace battery condition. The alarm stops and the LED clears if the battery passes the self-test. If the battery fails again, it must be replaced. The connected equipment is unaffected.

Regards,

[Anonymous user]

Thanks Jordan. It's a very fast chirping and a solid red light for a minute when I first turn it on. Then it changes to a pattern of short continuous 1-second chirps with a steady blinking red light for a few minutes. Then that pattern stops for 10-30 seconds (this varies with no consistency) and begins again, but only for a few seconds. Then the chirping stops and there is a solid red light. Then after another minute the inconsistent chirping and blinking pattern repeats.

I removed both connectors and re-seated them. The unit is always plugged in to AC power, so it's charged.

Any other thoughts, besides replacing the batteries?

Thanks!

[Anonymous user]

Thanks Terry. The unit and batteries are from late 2007.

Angela, if you can provide more detailed info on tests I can perform, I might be able to avoid the expense of new batteries or replacing a faulty unit. Please respond.

Thanks!

[BillP]

I know it can't be good when everyone thinks I am the only person here that can help and respond to posts  I've been wrapped up in training today.

What Jordan said is accurate. The batteries are of age where they likely need replacing. The only thing you can try is putting the UPS on battery (like pulling the plug on the UPS) understanding that if the batteries have indeed failed or are very close to, the UPS may turn off. Alternatively, you could also try to do a self-test on the UPS by holding the test button on the front panel and seeing what it does to see if it will complete and/or fail the self test. This UPS does not have a "quick battery disconnect" like some older units do which is used to disconnect the batteries internally for shipping purposes. If that was loose or disconnected, it could cause this issue.

We generally see this when the UPS can't "see" the battery anymore - whether physically disconnected somehow or voltage being too low to detect.

[Anonymous user]

Actually there are the quick disconnects on the 2 batteries, with a plug and pull-string on each. Ok, I guess new batteries it is. Am I correct that there are just 2 batteries in this unit (Smart UPS 2200XL)?

Question, if I get the new batteries and there is something actually wrong with the unit, what are my options for returning the batteries?

Thanks,

Todd

[Anonymous user]

BTW, today there are no "battery charge" LEDs at all.

[BillP]

By quick disconnections, I meant on the rear of the UPS. The smaller UPSs have a plug to "open" the battery bus. You're just referring to the standard battery connectors.

Your UPS is here based on what you've said for the model - SUA2200XL - http://www.apc.com/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=SUA2200XL 

This UPS uses qty (1) of our part number RBC55. This part number is indeed two physical modules.

I can speak for our return policy when you purchase directly from APC. I believe that we'll accept returns within 30 days but there may be a % restocking fee for something like this. You could certainly check some other sources/resellers/suppliers close by or online to see what they offer as far as pricing and return policies.

Just based on the age and what you've described, it does sound like this is just a battery isssue.

[Anonymous user]

Thank you so much for your time and attention Angela! I'm sure you are swamped with questions all day long.

Last question... I tested the 2 battery modules and they each show 26.4 volts DC. The stickers on them state the same 26.4 voltage when tested by the factory. If they are no good wouldn't that voltage be lower?

Thank you.

[BillP · Accepted solution]

Hi Todd,

I am by no means a battery expert but in regards to lead acid batteries, good voltage does not necessarily mean the battery is in good health. We have some white papers that explain different types of battery failures you can see with these types of batteries which would cause them to not work properly or support any load on them even though good voltage may be present.

Here is a link to our white papers and search term "vrla" referring to valve regulated lead acid:

http://www.apc.com/prod_docs/results.cfm?DocType=White+Paper&query_type=99&keyword=vrla

#30 is pretty good and goes over some of the failure types in depth.