This was originally posted on APC forums on 2/13/2011
Hey everybody,
I've got a problem with my RS-800 (230V, 2004 model). At the beginning, an ethernet switch, an AP and a home server were connected to it, about 150 watts max in total. In spring 2009 I had to replace the batteries for the first time, in October 2010 I swapped the server, the access point and one switch, now totaling about 45 watts. Last December the UPS constantly dropped to battery (every 3-5 seconds). I saw strange fluctuations in the voltage displayed in PowerChute (sometimes dropping to 210V)...after having exchanged the power cord and checked voltage levels with appropriate equipment, I didn't know what else to do and set the sensitivity to medium - there wasn't a single drop in all those years due to fluctuations with high sensitivity and the narrowest voltage range possible before that. In fact, there was only one short power outage event recorded at all. About two weeks ago, the server had no power when I came home. Turning it on lead to immediate shutdown after booting up, so I disconnected the USB Cable and successfully connected remotely and changed the shutdown settings. The battery light was red, so i tried to do a battery test. Unfortunately, this lead to an instant power-off, so I was pretty sure the battery was completely broken. A 2A test load confirmed that one of the two 12V batteries dropped to 8V when loaded.
Although the UPS itself didn't try to switch to battery at that time, I unplugged it and connected in- and outlet cables directly.
Yesterday I got a new RBC32 and installed it, but the UPS is staying on battery while trying to switch to ac power about 3 times in two seconds in 5 second intervals. The power is completely spike-free and not fluctuating at all. Setting the sensitivity to low didn't solve the problem. Are there any chances my UPS isn't broken? And why does this happen after replacing the battery? I'd love to keep my UPS, but due to lack of power outages, I don't think I'd replace it if its broken. Especially when I can't rely on it and it causes more problems than it solves 😕
Thanks in advance,
woody
P.S.: A second UPS powering router, DSL modem, cable modem and telephone system in the basement is running just fine 😞