Battery Connection Problem

[Anonymous user]

Hello,

I just purchased a BX900R. When I removed the battery cartridges so I could connect the leads, I found that the negative lead was already connected (the positive lead was not). I wanted to disconnect the negative lead, then connect the positive lead before reconnecting the negative lead. The positive lead was too short to allow me to do that, so I was forced to connect the positive lead last. As you might expect, as soon as I connected the positive lead, it sparked. Are the battery leads designed to be like that, or did I get a unit that was incorrectly assembled? The proper procedure is to always disconnect the negative lead first and connect it last, but the length of the positive lead prevented that.

In the "User's Manual" that comes with the UPS, the pictures that demonstrate how to hook up the batteries shows both leads disconnected when the battery is removed. It also shows the battery completely removed from the UPS while connecting the leads, which I was unable to do. However, there is a "1" next to the negative lead (indicating perhaps to connect that lead first) and a "2" next to the positive lead. This is an unsafe procedure and I wonder if anyone else has experienced this situation? Thanks for any replies.

[TheNotoriousKMP_apc · Accepted solution]

Hi Patrick,

This is perfectly normal operation. The negative lead is always connected to the battery of a UPS where there are terminals. The positive lead will create a small spark upon connection, but no damage is done by doing so.

It should state this in the fine print in the manual. If not, I'm sure I can dig up something here that states that.