Questions about UPS's.

[Anonymous user]

Hello, I run a few servers for game servers, web servers, file servers, databases, etc from my home. Ive had these older APC 1500va units for going on 8 years and ive went through 4 sets of SLA batteries in them. Sick of doing this i looked into LifePO4 batteries as replacements to just shove into the APC UPS's.

Ive watched many videos, guides, articles, etc. On how they work no different from a SLA battery in the unit, and they simulate the same voltage as a SLA battery in the UPS.

So i bought a new APC unit and 2 new LifePO4 12v 10AH batteries to try out. My results were not what i expected. 24v @ 10AH should give me 240wh which should run a 35w load for 6+ hours. Battery manufacturer also confirmed this is correct. But that 35w load only got 1 hour and 40 mins runtime...

I recharged for 48 hours and tried again, got 2 hours this time. Still far off from what i could be getting. So i bought a different brand of batteries to test to see if it was the battery itself. Same results. Both brands of batteries were only charged up to 13.25v or 26.5v for the pack in each UPS. The battery is supposed to be charged up to 14.8v, just like a SLA battery would. But both units aren't doing that...

Whats going on? Is there a fix to this? Or is there a different brand/model of UPS i can buy that has better support for lithium batteries then these? Im not looking to spend thousands of dollars, I don't have a rack, just a shelf i put these on. Im just using consumer grade UPS's. APC's "Lithium" units are massive rack mounted units that cost $1500 for the same output as the $200 unit i have now.

APC BR1500MS2 are the UPS's im using. Im using MightyMax and ECO-Worthy LifePO4 12v 10AH batteries.

[LarryK]

I have read your post twice now and I'm confused, but I'll give it a shot.

"Whats going on" - The firmware for the BackUPS is simply not designed to support the advanced functionality of the Li batteries.

"Is there a fix to this" - Yes, you could purchase a device that is specifically designed to properly support the functionality of Li batteries.

"Is there another brand" - Yes, E**t*n, for example, makes a P5x series.  I'm sure there are others.

"I'm not looking to spend thousands" - Well, then you won't be buying Li products for quite a while.  The aforementioned goes between $1250 and $1500.

Long before Schneider Electric took over, APC had a "3-5-7" approach for UPS devices.  Batteries will usually last from 3 to 5 years, so they wanted to make sure you purchased an extended warranty.  If the battery went during initial warranty, you were covered with a free replacement. If it went during the extension, you were also covered.  At 7 years they wanted you to use the Trade-UPS program to replace the device with a newer one, offering a slight discount.  That program eliminated BackUPS devices earlier this year - only SmartUPS are eligible.

I've been reselling APC UPSs for over a decade and my clients have never had to purchase a replacement battery outright.

The stated goals of Li batteries are longevity and the elimination of replacement batteries over the life of the unit.  The technology - at least for now - is expensive.

Bottom line:  I don't think you are going to achieve what you want from an ad-hoc solution, especially using consumer-based products.