Battery error

[Anonymous user]

hi,

   I bought an Apc Ups 1000i 3 years and 3 month ago amd yestarday, without any alarm, the pc turn off suddenly, this morning happens again, I check the ups and the battery charge is 35%, I restart the ups and  it displays something like "battery not connected". I tryed to reconnect the battery and the charge is 0% but start to rise, I wait until it was near 80% to start the self test and had success, the charge jumps to 100% but after some time I heard an allarm and a message on display "replace battery".

1. The problem is the battery or also the ups?

2. Have you a solution without spending money?

3. It is possible to use the ups without battery to protect from external overload?

Thanks

[BillP · Accepted solution]

If the UPS is 3 years old, it may be time for a battery replacement based on the behavior.

I would remove the computer and any other critical load from the UPS and plug in something like a lamp or clock radio to the battery back up outlets. After the UPS has attempted to charge for a little while, unplug the UPS from AC power and see if it is able to support the lamp or similar device. If not, does the UPS turn off too? If it does not, I'd suggest a battery but if it does, it could be that the UPS itself.

Either way, I lean towards battery if you can try one since it is 3 years old and if not, consider trading in your UPS for a new one with a new battery and new three year warranty. Trading in a UPS gives you credit towards a new one. Sometimes for smaller UPS units, the battery can cause just as much as a new UPS and if you find that's the case, you won't have to worry about wasting money on a battery to find out it's the UPS.

[Anonymous user · Accepted solution]

Thanks Angela,

          but I can't try the ups without a proper cable and I know only pc with this type of plug.

However I tryed the apc with the battery plug detached and it "worked" for 2 day without problem but some minute ago, the Ups made a noise and cut the energy. Now I think is a problem of the ups, is it possible that the fans are dirty and made this problem?

[BillP]

What is the exact model of UPS from the white sticker on the rear? I had assumed it was a Back UPS which does not have a fan but regardless, I don't think that is likely.

It is really hard to tell and be 100% sure based on what your describing but I am still sticking by the problem being the battery based on the age and the behavior you have been able to describe.

If you don't want to try a new battery and waste money on that, you can consider trading your UPS in for credit towards a new one with a new battery and a new warranty.

[Anonymous user]

The model is smt1000i.

The battery is disconnected so why the Ups stop to working?

The battery is disconnected so why the Ups stops to work?

Sincerely, buy an ups for 400€ was a hard sacrifice for my wallet and I expected at least 5 years without problems and not 2 years and 5 months (out of warranty becouse production date over 3 years) and I'm very annoyed. This time is unacceptable so I don't save sufficient money for a new battery nor for a new ups.

If you buy a car, a smartphone, a tv, a printer, etc, you expect to change all you have in less than 3 years? I'm a normal man with a normal work!

If APC considers it appropriate that I waste my money for a product so breakable I don't think APC is a serious company and I will never buy nor a battery nor an other ups knowing that I have to buy an other in two years, this is an ups or a tax?

I thank you Angela, I hoped to find in this forum someone that had my same problem and solved it, I will try to repair the ups alone otherwise this will be a thing to forget

[BillP · Accepted solution]

If the issue is with the battery, then keep in mind that these batteries are made of chemicals and they can only do so many chemical reactions. Their lifetime also depends on many factors including how it was manufactured, the environment, how much use it has been through, etc so your typical battery last 3-5 years.

The error you described appears to just indicate a battery problem at this time where the battery voltage may be too low to detect the battery (i.e. battery not connected) and then I know you also saw a replace battery.

I don't think it is realistic to expect a lead acid battery to last 5 years unless it is very lightly used and kept constantly at float voltage. So, the 3-5 years again depends on usage. You might see closer to 3 if you have frequent power outages and closer to 5 with very light usage. This is the nature of a consumable product like lead acid batteries.

I agree the UPS should not need to be repaired within 3 years as the typical UPS design life for most models is around 10 years with a few battery replacements. But, these UPS units (if the UPS was at fault) has moving parts and is constantly on so depending on the usage and environment there too, you can see varying results.

Since from what I read, you're saying this UPS is around 3 years old, a battery replacement is definitely something that could come up.

If you buy that car, do you expect the gas tank to never need a refill? Or the brakes to be replaced? If you buy a smartphone, do you expect to never have to replace the battery after every day use? That is how I think of it.

What is the expected life of my APC UPS battery? | FAQs | Schneider Electric US

[Anonymous user]

Yes, also my car have a battery or better still a powerfull battery but it costs 50€ and the duration is up to 5/6 year; my phone have a battery but It is 10 years old and I payed only 80€, my problem is not the price but the ratio price/duration and only in part.

As I said I use the ups without battery and It crash, this is my real problem, and it crashed also before battery problem so there is the possibility that there is or is not a problem with the ups and this problem had compromise the battery or the battery detection?

I can hardly reach the concept to change a battery (only a monitor and a single pc for only 2 year and some month) but I don't accept to change the ups or to risk to buy a new battery and then see it damaged by the ups, can you understand me?

A fact is 150 €, an other fact is 400 € and again an other fact is 550 € there is a very big difference, I don't change the battery if I can't resolve the crasch without battery and from this concept of price/duration

You will buy a car if you know to change the battery in some years but NOT all the car in little more than 2 years or as in my case, can you accept to change the battery of a plane and ignore the computer crash? and then travel with it?

There's a test that I can make without battery to assure me the ups works? And a test for the battery alone without the ups?

It is acceptable that I must be blind in front of a problem, I prefer to find a way to diagnose and if there is a way is not my fault but a serious APC fault and this is an error for 400€, almost half salary of many people in Europe!

[BillP]

Hi again,

Yes, I can understand what you mean. I can only go by what you've told me and information provided to determine what I think the issue is. I am not saying there is definitely no problem with the UPS itself but what you've described sounds just like a battery problem to me.

Since the device is an "uninterruptable power supply," you can run it without a battery and use it as a surge protector or voltage regulator but you cannot test the battery function of course. For the battery itself, you can measure the voltage but beyond that, there is not much you can do. Good battery voltage also does not mean the battery is in "tip top" shape.

The UPS self test (every two weeks by default automatically) is designed to test system operation on battery with your current load. It is supposed to test both the UPS operation and battery operation.

I know you don't want to "guess" at the problem here but I can't tell you for sure 100% it is the battery and definitely nothing wrong with the UPS but it is my educated guess at this time.