Symmetra Power Array 4kv charge time

[ocgltd_apc]

I have a 10 year old Symmetra Power Array UPS (4kv) which I'm bringing back to life.  I just put a couple of new (aftermarket) SYBATT trays into it, and replaced a failed SYPM with a used one.

Everything came alive, and the batteries showed 40% FUEL on the display.  After 2 hours the batteries are at 50% FUEL.

Is this too long?  At this rate it will take 12 hours to recharge 2 trays from 40% to 100%.  This seems much longer that it used to take (I think).  Any ideas what could be going on?

[BillP]

Hi Michelle,

How many total SYPM do you have in the system? I believe the more you have, the faster it will charge. If you only have the one SYPM, it could be slow. Once we know how many power modules are in there (and also how many batteries - 2?), we can give you more details on recharge time.

[ocgltd_apc]

I have 1 SYPM and 2 SYBATT.  Thanks

[Terry_Kennedy_apc]

Just as an observation from another user - I would expect new batteries to arrive showing at least a 70% charge. Unfortunately, a number of sellers (of both used / refurbished units and new units) think that a battery can sit on a shelf for an extended period of time and still be good. They can permanently lose capacity if not charged regularly.

If you purchased "naked" batteries, you've had the SYBATT apart and know how to work on it safely. In that case, please check one of the individual batteries for any markings. If you post all of the manufacturer's label(s), any other sticker(s), and any embossing/stamping on the battery I can probably decode the manufacture date for you. These can be rather cryptic, like "08J18YJ".

If you purchased the SYBATT as a refurbished complete unit from a seller, hopefully they put a date code on it somewhere, but you'd have to ask them. Any APC barcode/serial number sticker on a refurbished pack likely refers to the original manufacturing date and the individual batteries that are no longer in the unit.

Of course, none of the above is supported / recommended by APC. They suggest you purchase new complete battery packs from an authorized source. That usually costs more, but in that case if you get stale batteries APC can assist you with replacements and also talk to the various companies in the distribution chain to find out where the batteries are going stale and correct that seller's inventory issue.

[BillP]

Four power modules with four batteries installed would have a typical recharge time of three hours. So realistically it should not be taking so long to charge them in your case. Has it slowly gone up to 100% at this point? Or are they still below 100%? It could be an issue with the battery charger in the power module.

[ocgltd_apc]

Hi David - thanks for that info.  Is that 4 hours to charge from empty (0% FUEL) or 50% charged?  Since you have for PM to four batteries, thats 1 SYPM : 1 SYBATT ratio in four hours.

Sincre I have 1 SYPM : 2 SYBATT ratio then I should expect 8 hours.  Which is actually pretty close to what i encountered.  (Assuming you meant charge from 50% FUEL level).

[ocgltd_apc]

Terry - I rebuilt the SYBATTS using 12v 9AH AGM batteries.  I do a lot of electrical work so pretty straight forward.

The date code on the battery box shows 06155-LJ (Power Sonic brand which uses data code  MM/DD/Y)

So that should be June 5 2015.  Still reasonably fresh I think?

[Terry_Kennedy_apc]

That should be fine. I'm still surprised that they were only showing 50% charged at installation, though. PowerSonic specs show a nominal discharge to 83% of full capacity after 6 months storage at 68 degrees. I normally take a few random batteries from the cases and check them with a voltmeter before I install them. I'm not sure if the original Symmetra will give you a battery bus status (I have a Symmetra RM), but if it does, check the status (usually in "View system raw status data") and confirm the battery bus voltage seems reasonable (120V nominal, so 136V or so actual) and that there is no current flowing into or out of the battery packs (will say something like "I-0.0").

[ocgltd_apc]

My display shows:

Nominal 120v

Actual 137.1v

So sounds ok.

I'm not sure why FUEL showed 40% on initial insertion of batteries.

[Terry_Kennedy_apc · Accepted solution]

Normally I don't recommend doing a runtime calibration (it prematurely wears out the batteries if done too often). However, since this was a unit that was sitting unused, which now has a different SYPM and SYBATTs, I'd suggest doing a runtime calibration on it once you have it sufficiently loaded, just to make sure.