New Back-UPS Pro 900, 230V; but it's been sat on the shelf for 7 months. Is it OK?

[Anonymous user]

I have just purchased a new APC Power-Saving Back-UPS Pro 900, 230V (UK).  When I unpack it there is a QA certificate dated 31 March 2013 taped to it.  It was manufactured 27 March 2013.  This rather implies it has been sat on the shelf in the warehouse/distribution for 7 months.  Everything I read in this forum from APC employees seems to say that batteries should not be stored longer than 6 months, otherwise the battery is damaged.  Have I been sold a dud?  Should I return it?  Thanks.

[BillP · Accepted solution]

I think this will be OK as long as you let it charge for about 24 hours before trying to do any testing with it (unplugging it, doing a self test, etc).

So, I'd give it a chance and connect the battery, and plug the UPS in and you can turn it on or not and it will charge either way as long as connected to AC power. If you turn it on though and you have a power event/outage, this could disrupt the charging process and slow it down if the UPS goes to battery power. So, you may just want to turn it in and leave it off for 24 hours and then turn it on later (and the UPS will do a self test when you turn it on) and you can see if it passes or not.