Back-UPS XS 1300 does not "see" battery connected

[Anonymous user]

I have four APC Back-UPS XS LCD units. Two are model 1300 and two are 1500.

The 1300 units have been on continuously for nearly two years with never a problem. Now, one of the units can no longer detect the battery as connected. I removed the battery and checked the voltage with a DMM and it shows 26 VDC. Nevertheless, when I re-connect the battery and turn the unit on, the LED battery symbol is empty of bars and blinks while the unit emits a chirp-chirp sound every second. This is the same symptom if the battery is disconnected.

Any recommendations on things to check? I'm an electronics major and would like to check the simple stuff before I chuck it in the trash. I paid around $100 for this thing brand new, and it simply isn't worth the money to ship this heavy thing back and forth.

Thanks!
Mike

[BillP · Accepted solution]

Hi Mike.

Since you have mentioned that you have two (2) 1300's
and only one of them shows the flashing battery icon, you can remove the
battery from the working unit and put it on the unit that is chirping
or shows the flashing battery icon. If the condition clears, you can
replace the batteries. Also, the BackUPS units that you have is covered
with a 3 year warranty on it. Can you send me the serial numbers and model numbers of your UPS's thru PM along with your contact details?

[Anonymous user · Accepted solution]

My XS1300 was fine until I removed the battery because we were moving and I didn't know how long it would be in storage not connected to AC power.

I reconnected the battery and it's just flashing, not charging. When I plug something into the back, it shows the load.

8B0823R27183

My other four APC UPS units are working fine after being reconnected.

[BillP]

Hi Erik,

Are the working UPSes of the same model? If they are, can you try using the working battery on the UPS that shows the problem? If the replace battery LED is flashing it means that the UPS is not detecting the battery.

[Anonymous user]

JonPro Said: "I would suggest that you order the battery that comes with your BackUPS 1300."

I did - pulling of the APC sticker revealed: "Vision CP 1290" - nothing special about that.

Less than $20 versus $80 from APC.

It's working great.

[Anonymous user]

I don't have another one of the same model, but I tested the voltage of their batteries and the ES-650's one battery is close to the same voltage as one of the XS-1300 batteries.

Each of the two batteries in my XS-1300 show 27.5 volts
The battery in the ES-650 is 26.6 volts.

I connected each of the batteries from the 1300 into the 650, one of them triggered the battery fault.

I then connected the good battery from the 1300 bundle with the battery from the 650, connected them to the 1300 and all is good.

So I just need to order a single replacement battery for my 1300. I only see them being sold a pairs. Any way round this or just order a battery for the ES-650?

Message was edited by: hacker-pschorr

[BillP]

I would suggest that you order the battery that comes with your BackUPS 1300.

[Anonymous user]

I would love to, but as I already explained this unit has a double battery setup and only one of the batteries is bad:

http://www.apc.com/products/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=APCRBC109

Why spend twice the money and toss out a perfectly good battery????

I guarntee you APC uses the single battery in something, and I would like to purchase that unit.

[BillP]

Ok you cant mix old and new YOU JUST SIMPLY CANT! (i dont have time to explain...)

[BillP · Accepted solution]

We only recommend buying our RBC's. Although I'm sure it's possible to replace one of the two batteries, we don't recommend doing that for a few reasons. First of all, there are dozens of options for batteries of this size out there and the one you buy may not be the correct size,specs etc. We don't make these batteries directly so we only sell batteries for our units. So if a UPS requires two batteries connected in series, we only sell those two batteries together. Also, connecting a brand new battery to an older battery is likely not a good idea as well. At the very least, it will not give you a 100 % accurate runtime although that's not to say it will not work.

[Anonymous user]

Most manufacturers recommend that you only buy replacement parts from them. They also charge considerably more than do aftermarket parts. I'd like more substantial reasons to plonk down the extra cash than physical dimensions or being able to choose a 9.0 Ah battery over a 7.0 Ah one. Yes, you get what you pay for - sometimes.

Like many others on these fora, my UPS just started blinking an empty battery. Like many others I don't want to drop $50 on new batteries in the hope that it will fix the problem. The batteries in series measure 26.25 VDC - I will try the 12V bulb test tomorrow and I will check each cell individually. The power leads to the battery measured 27.6 VDC. Is there a way for the average user to determine if the charging circuit is working properly?

Message was edited by: Fenris

[Anonymous user]

I have the exact same issue, except when mine failed it just turned off completely. I turned it back on and get the exact same thing as the original poster. Mine are about 2 years old as well.

[BillP]

Hi Chuck,

Can you provide the exact model number of the UPS? And can you also tell us the exact scenario that is going on with your unit? Does it support the load when it goes on battery? What kind of beep, LED or LCD patterns are you seeing on your unit?

You have mentioned that the unit turns off completely, does it do it while it is online or when it transferred to battery? Do you have any APC software installed on the unit?

[Anonymous user]

I found that one of the two 12 volt Gel Cells in the battery pack was bad. Oddly, both batteries show the proper voltage (13.1VDC) on my DVM, but when a 12VDC auto spotlight is hooked up to each, only one of them will light the bulb.

I've heard the Gel Cell batteries can become "cooked" by a faulty charging circuit. So, I'm wondering if it makes sense to invest in replacement batteries and, if so, if it's advisable to replace both cells, or just the faulty one?

I would hate to invest $50 in two replacement gel cells, only to find out the UPS has a bad charging circuit and cook another battery. Any advice?

Message was edited by: mikebo

Message was edited by: mikebo

[BillP]

An advice that I can give you is swapping the batteries or getting a known working battery and give it a day or two to see if it would cause any problem.