Is a garage too hot/cold for a BackUPS?

[BradS_apc]

I have a number of APC units around the house (2 TV/DVR, computer, router/VOIP/phone/cloud drive all on batteries).  I had a FIOS ONT box (Optical Network Terminal, or something like that) in the garage with its own backup and replaced the battery every few years.  I got a new one, and it no longer has the backup... plus I was told that it specifically turned off cable and internet when on the battery, only powering phone.

I'd like to just get one BackUPS (or get a new battery for one of my older units), and put it on the garage floor and use it in-line with the FIOS ONT.  However, my garage gets quite cold in the winter (maybe in the 30's), and quite hot in the summer, 'specially when I first pull the car in (guessing in the 90s or above).

I didn't question this with the built-in battery since Verizon delivered it with that... plus that unit was wall mounted.  I wouldn't do that with an APC unit (weight, plus it has to be removed every few years to change the battery), so likely it will be on the floor (radiating even more cold in the winter).

Is this safe, and will it significantly degrade the life of the battery and/or whole unit?

[Anonymous user]

I don't know what APC's official stance is, and I'm only an end user. The owner's manual for your APC UPS may have more details about what temperature ranges are considered acceptable.

All of that said, I've had several APC UPS products operating in completely unconditioned spaces (most of them garages) for many years. They are, and must be, protected from the elements (rain, snow, tornadoes  ). I do try to get them at least a couple of feet off the ground. One is anchored to a ceiling beam. They see temperatures from around 0°F to probably 105-110°F or so. Most of them have been in service for about a decade.

None have ever given me the slightest trouble. Even though warmer conditions are supposed to shorten the life of the sealed lead acid battery in these units, and probably do, I've never noticed since they're all pretty lightly loaded. I use them to do much the same thing you're looking to do -- keep small network devices alive for a decently long period of time during power failures. One keeps a security camera DVR running.

Edit: you may find that your service provider only keeps limited services running when the power goes out. I have my DSL connectivity equipment plugged into an APC Smart UPS 420 and it keeps right on going when the power fails. By comparison, this area's cable company does not keep all of its services operational during a power failure. (I have reason to believe that this even includes their landline phone service, as none of the cable modems they provide come with the needed batteries any longer.)

[SamirD_apc]

I have similar experiences.  We have an 1990s SU1000NET in an attic space that has garage-like temperatures and it has done quite well.  It is also lightly loaded.

[Anonymous user]

I have my NVR in my garage and recently bought my first UPS and attached it to it.

Although, I have insulated my pitched roof and the back of my garage doors with YBS SuperQuilt insulation. The floor has rubber mats across it. My walls are single skin brick though. It still gets chilly in there.

Had no problems with my NVR though.

[BradS_apc]

I noticed mounting holes, so I'm going to look into hanging it on the wall.  Easy lift-up to take down (battery replacements), likely can be done hot as long as I have enough slack to reach the ground... or put it on top of something for the change.

[Anonymous user · Accepted solution]

Sounds good.

Mine is on a shelf. Yeah I would have it raised from the ground.

Be surprised how cold the floor is plus all the elements, risk of water etc.

[BradS_apc]

A bit late; forgot about this post, but I had someone build me a shelf by the ONT and have been using it.  Was going to refresh all my units and bought almost enough (waiting for restock), but discovered the new units I bought (while hunting for the battery replacement procedure) state that they are NOT user replaceable.  I'll likely return all but the one I need now and will keep replacing batteries in the old units, and unless I'm very wrong, will not get another APC backup.  Very disappointing and unexpected.

[SamirD_apc]

Strange that the batteries were not replaceable on the new units.  What model numbers were they?  I definitely don't want units that don't have user-replaceable batteries.  We typically will purchase a new unit while we wait for a replacement battery for an older unit if we don't have one in inventory.

[BradS_apc]

APC Back-UPS 650VA (BVN650M1) and 900VA (BVN900M1).  One of my Backups-600 BN600G (not the one in the garage, and that.s a 750 anyway), the battery went bad (likely overdue, so wasn't surprising).  But it was unprotected, also that alarm wouldn't shut up, so I tried urgently to get it replaced.  I found that it is end of life and will have no serice in a couple of years, so I figured I'd replace them all rather than change the batteries.  (The place I order batteries from didn't have it anyway.)  Went to get one at Staples, found 3 of the 650s and one 900, good sale.  Bought what they had and was going to go back next week (sale still on, should come in by then).  Before I buried it in wires and crawled around to plug it in, I tried to see how to open the battery door.  WHAT battery door?  Read the instruction "manual" or skimmed through at least twice without finding the procedure.   Finally found it.  "The battery in the Back-UPS is not user-replaceable.  Contact...".  Are you kidding?  Paying for service to replace a battery would cost more than a new unit.  Plus it would involve unplugging a bunch of things I never wanted to be without power.

I will try calling to see if I am right, and maybe they have changed their philosophy about letting customers replace batteries.  I hope not, because then I will have to change my policy of always buying APC backups and telling anyone who asks the same.

It caught me by surprise so I didn't check (not really announced anyway, so unless I asked someone who knew, how would I find out).  That is a MAJOR disappointment, and unless I find out that no decent backups have replaceable batteries, it looks like I'm returning them and never buying APC again.

[BradS_apc]

OK, I called.  No idea why but those units do not have user replaceable batteries.  The following do, along with the replacement batteries:

BE600M1: APCRBC154

BE650G1: RBC17

BE850G2: RBC17 (same)

BR1000MS (tower): APCRBC160

And it's not for form factor; some of those are the flat-ish form factors of my old ones, and some are "mini towers like the ones I just bought.  I'll have to shop around and likely will NOT get the kind of deal I got from Staples (about $72 for the 650, sale ended, and about $92 for the 900, sale should still be on this week -- in-store only).

(I asked if they were hot swappable; the sales rep I called said only the Smart-UPS lines are hot swappable.)  I'll have to hunt around for some of those units.

[SamirD_apc]

Thank you for the updates--looks like the value on the older units just went up since they have replaceable batteries.  Newer isn't always better and this type of forced obsolescence is precisely why.