Problem with battery not charging on a XS1300LCD

[Anonymous user]

We had a power outage that completely drained the battery on the XS1300. Then, the power came back, the UPS got back online but the battery won't charge. The battery indicator is flashing as long as the UPS beeping every second or so. I checked the manual to see if it could be that the battery is at its end of life but the online battery bad indicator is not displayed. The word "LOW" is not displayed next to the battery charge. I couldn't find this specific condition described in the manual.

So, what could it be? The battery?

Thanks in advance!

[Anonymous user]

I have been having the very same problem. Flashing battery indicator and all. The only power outage I know of was on 9/11, over a month ago. Why it's malfunctioning now, I don't know.

After viewing this thread, I called APC and spoke to "Ron." Moderately accented -- overseas tech support? I had to get down on hands and knees and physically get the numbers off the UPC label on the bottom of the unit (note: Why does APC put it in the most inconvenient and hard to get to spot?). The numbers were essentially identical to the numbers that displayed on the Powerchute software. So why did I have to get on my hands and knees? Still don't have an answer to that....

So then, I had to turn the unit over, remove the battery cover and visually confirm that the battery was connected. Probably necessary, but again, a pain in the neck.

So then, "Ron" offered to send a replacement battery. To which I replied, what if the unit itself is defective? I advised that, in this very thread, the user confirmed that APC had sent a new unit right away. He said he could do that, but I would have to pay shipping to return the defective unit. Given the weight, I said, "no way!" He put me on hold for about 5 minutes, came back and agreed to send me a whole new unit with a call tag for shipping return. 5-7 business days "lead time" which means I won't expect to see it for a couple of weeks minimum.

End result [so far]: I should be getting what I should have gotten in the first place. I had to be slightly unpleasant, though, and the whole experience was like having a root canal.

[BillP]

Hi Laurent,

Can you provide the exact model and serial number of the UPS? These details can be found either at the back or bottom portion of the UPS we would need these numbers to properly troubleshoot the issue. Generally, if the UPS shows a flashing replace battery indicator it means that the battery is not connected/ detected. We would start with checking the battery connection and condition, try reseating the battery wires/ connector and you can also try unplugging the UPS from the power source and see if it will drop the load.

JonPro

[Anonymous user]

Jon,

The serial number is 880750R17630 and the model is XS1300LCD.

I have tried to reseat the battery. Strange thing is that when I turn on the UPS, it seems to work for maybe 5 minutes. I see that the battery charge is about one quarter. Then, after about 5 minutes, it starts beeping and the battery charge indicator gets empty and starts flashing. No other indicator of a bad battery or any system fault appears. I did the test to connect one cell at a time to the UPS, just for a test. One of the cell does seem to register with the UPS who starts charging it while the other cell doesn't show up on the UPS, the UPS still thinks there is no battery connected. Is it possible that one of the cell has turned bad, which would prevent the UPS to report a bad battery?

[BillP]

Laurent,

If you have another UPS of the same model you can also swap their batteries to see if it follows the unit or the battery. There's also a possibility on why did the UPS shows that it cannot detect the battery is due to a damage/ broken battery cell.

Our Back-UPS product line has a 3-year warranty on it, I suggest that you call the APC Support Team to check if the unit is within warranty and to further help you with the troubleshooting. You can reach them at 800.800.4272

JonPro

[BillP]

You're welcome Laurent, let us know about the outcome.

[Anonymous user]

Someone from the support team has already taken steps to ship me another unit. I had opened a support ticket parallel to this forum post. I'm really surprised and pleased at APC support. It's not very common these days to get that kind of support. I'm glad I did choose APC when I bought this UPS!

[BillP]

Thanks Laurent. Let us know when you receive the replacement unit.

jonPro

[Anonymous user · Accepted solution]

We had a power outage that completely drained the battery on the XS1300. Then, the power came back, the UPS got back online but the battery won't charge. The battery indicator is flashing as long as the UPS beeping every second or so. I checked the manual to see if it could be that the battery is at its end of life but the online battery bad indicator is not displayed. The word "LOW" is not displayed next to the battery charge. I couldn't find this specific condition described in the manual.

So, what could it be? The battery?

Thanks in advance!