Back-UPS ES 550 Load Data?

[Anonymous user]

I have a few questions regarding a Back-UPS ES 550 and PowerChute PE 3.0.2.

1. When we unplug the voltage from the unit, the battery is able to power the setup for around 15 seconds. Does this occur to prevent battery damage due to overload conditions? When we bought the 550, we hadn't picked a load yet.

2. The Estimated Battery Time from PCPE is showing 2 minutes left at 100% charge. The unit has a green light (red indicates replace battery), so is there something I need to do to either update the battery information in the software or check the battery?

3. Does my Back-UPS ES 550 and PCPE 3.0.2 have the ability to show a "Load on Battery Backup" Bar? I have seen a couple screenshots of this (running on AC while battery charges), but mine does not display the information under "Current Status".

I have attached a screen shot showing relative information for both questions. Unfortunately, the setup is a long-duration test that we should not shut down (power outages aside), so physical troubleshooting might be limited.

Thanks,
Brett

[BillP · Accepted solution]

Hi Brett,

Please see my responses below:

1. It depends on how PCPE was setup to shutdown/hibernate your computer. Using PCPE, kindly click on Runtime and let us know if this was setup as Keep My Computer On or Preserve Battery Power.

2. The UPS performs a calculation of the runtime that it can provide depending on the load that is attached to it. Have you tried removing the load and then refreshing the PCPE screen to see if the runtime would increase?

3. Unfortunately, the ES 550 that you have has limited capability when it comes to PCPE. The information that you are looking for is not available.

[Anonymous user]

Thanks Jon!

Below are my responses:

1. PCPE was set up to "Keep my computer on as long as possible", so it shouldn't turn off immediately (unless the load is too large).

2. I have not tried that because the load needs to remain running until testing is finished. I can when finished, but that will be in 20 days.

3. #1 is also why I was wanting to see load estimates. We also have a ES 650 that is currently not in use. The models numbers are close, but for future testing, would this have the capability to show the load on the battery?

Thanks,
Brett

[BillP]

1. Though it was setup that way, did you check the runtime remaining value that was selected from the drop down box? PCPE shows that it has an available runtime of 2 minutes. So if ever the UPS switches to battery and it has determined that the runtime left is equal to or lower than the value set it will then call a a shutdown/hibernate.

2. I guess we would need to schedule it then.

3. Unfortunately the ES 650 would not display the load estimates as well. Other BackUPS family will such as the BackUPS RS/XS/CS and our latest BackUPS Pro LCD series and the BE750G.

[Anonymous user]

1. The runtime remaining was set to the minimum value of 5 minutes, so it should initiate a shutdown. However, we were not using PCPE at the time of testing. The software was installed so a load estimate could be gathered while the test is running and determine whether the shutdown was an overload or the battery (unit does not say to replace battery).

2. We have a Kill A Watt somewhere, so I'll get load information based on that once the test has finished.

3. Based on that load information, we will probably need to upgrade to a higher-power UPS. I'll ensure that we select one of the models that you mentioned so we can get additional information during run-time. I'll probably post back to ensure the model I've selected will have this information if I can't find it in documentation.

Thanks,
Brett