BACK-UPS BX1400UI red and green lights flash

[BillP]

I have had the BACK-UPS BX1400UI for about 18 months. It seemed to be working fine until this afternoon, when suddenly it started making a continuous high pitched alarm. The "On Line" light flashed green and the "Replace Battery" light flashed red alternately.

I have searched the APC Technical FAQs but it doesn't show any results for my model.

The paper user guide which came with it says this means either "The battery is disconnected" or "The battery needs to be charged or replaced".

It seems unlikely that the battery would have disconnected itself.

The unit is permanently plugged into the mains, so it's unlikely that the battery needs to be charged.

So that only leaves the 3rd option, that the battery needs to be replaced.

18 months doesn't seem long for the battery life.

And how do I get it replaced?

[BillP]

Hi Antony,

From what you describe it does sound like the battery is due for replacement. Unfortunately on these BX models, the internal battery is not replaceable.

The good news is that if the UPS is only 18months old, you are entitled to a 2 year factory warranty. Contact your local APC Support team and provide them with the description of the fault, any troubleshooting performed already, the model and serial number, delivery name, number & address, and they will most likely organise a free warranty replacement. As it's outside 30 days of purchase, you'll need to dispose or return the faulty UPS at your own cost.

Good luck,

Brendan  BDC Services 

[Anonymous user]

I have the exact same problem. So if you say the BX models don't have replaceable batteries, why then does the unit have a "Replace Battery" light in the front of the unit?

[BillP · Accepted solution]

I guess it would be to let you know the batteries are going to fail so you can purchase a new UPS. As a reseller we’re constantly told by APC support that these are not replaceable batteries and it’s quite difficult to get inside the ups to access the battery compartment. From memory they use 2x 12v 7.2 or 9.0ah battery blocks. 

Because of this I’d normally recommend the BK or BR models over the BX.