Back UPS ES 725 only providing 37V when on Battery Power

[Anonymous user]

I bought this UPS (ES 725) from Microcenter less than a year ago and we haven't had any power problems while I've been home. When it does go off it usually stays off long enough to drain the batteries on our other APC units (two LS 700's that we'vve had for years) so I just assumed this one has been working. I just found out last night that when it switches to battery power my computer system goes dead immediately. I've checked the connections on the battery, and tested the DC voltage of the battery (13.6V) and the Powerchute says the battery is fully charged. I've done the checks in the KB article and everything works, except that when it does switch to battery power it is only providing 37V at the outlets on the UPS. I've tried disconnecting everything and only running a lamp with a 40W bulb and this doesn't work either. When I measured the voltage at the outlets on the UPS everything was disconnected and the unit was on battery power. Any ideas? I don't have the receipt anymore so I don't know the exact date I bought it, but it was sometime around Christmas 2006.

Roger

[Anonymous user]

Thanks for the help Sarge. I'll give tech support a call. Will it be a problem if I don't know my exact purchase date? I no longer have the receipt.

Roger

[Anonymous user]

I bought this UPS (ES 725) from Microcenter less than a year ago and we haven't had any power problems while I've been home. When it does go off it usually stays off long enough to drain the batteries on our other APC units (two LS 700's that we'vve had for years) so I just assumed this one has been working. I just found out last night that when it switches to battery power my computer system goes dead immediately. I've checked the connections on the battery, and tested the DC voltage of the battery (13.6V) and the Powerchute says the battery is fully charged. I've done the checks in the KB article and everything works, except that when it does switch to battery power it is only providing 37V at the outlets on the UPS. I've tried disconnecting everything and only running a lamp with a 40W bulb and this doesn't work either. When I measured the voltage at the outlets on the UPS everything was disconnected and the unit was on battery power. Any ideas? I don't have the receipt anymore so I don't know the exact date I bought it, but it was sometime around Christmas 2006.

Roger

[Anonymous user · Accepted solution]

Does the UPS emit the 4 beeps every 30 seconds while it is on battery? Have you tried just reconnecting the internal battery leads?

You may want to try reconnecting the internal battery, and then powering the UPS on its own battery power. To do this, make sure the UPS is off and unplugged. With the battery connected, push and hold the On button until you hear a short beep, followed by a second longer sustained beep. During the second sustained beep, let go of the button. The UPS should power up on its own battery power. Try a lamp in the battery backup outlets while in this state.

How old is the battery? What is the serial off of the UPS, and is it the original battery?

[Anonymous user]

I did remove and check the battery leads, and I also used some electrical contact cleaner on the terminals of the battery. The battery is the original battery that was supplied with the unit. I tried the part about powering on the unit while holding the power button, but I never got the second long beep. Could this be because I have all alarms/beeps disabled through powerchute? I will reconnect it to my system and enable the alarms to make sure. I do have the green "on" LED on steadily, I just assumed this indicated that the unit is under power from the battery. When it is in this state, I measure ~37V AC on the battery powered outlets. As soon as I plug something into another battery powered outlet, the voltage on my multimeter goes to 0.

The unit was purchased new approx. 9 months ago, and it has the original battery, which powerchute says is fully charged, and my DMM showed having ~13.4V DC. The serial is 3B0639X63372 and the unit is a BE725BB (right above the serial number).

Roger

[Anonymous user]

I just re-enabled the alarms and tried the "cold start" process. I get the short beep and the green LED comes on. While still holding the button in, the green LED goes out for about one second and I get the 4 beeps indicating loss of power. I never get the second long beep. I even continued to hold the button long enough that 30 seconds later the 4 beeps sounded again. Nothing was plugged into the unit during this time, and it was disconnected from the wall outlet.

Roger

[Anonymous user]

OK, just leave the UPS in the state with the 4 beeps every 30 seconds. There may not be a second sustained beep with this model. Try plugging a lamp into the Battery Backup outlets after starting the UPS from its own battery power.

[Anonymous user]

Nothing happens, I get no power to anything I've tried plugging into the battery powered outlets. I've tried the original computer, a lamp, and a power supply for a USB hub that has an LED power indicator on the transformer. My DMM shows only ~37V AC while it is in this state, and if I plug something into another outlet the DMM shows that the voltage drops completely to 0 volts.

Roger