Wait, that can't be right....

[ginbot86_apc]

My Back-UPS BX1500LCD and the load is only 112 watts and only 40-42 minutes of power. Is something wrong with my UPS or is the estimated timer inaccurate? I bought this specific UPS because of the large VA's and the "max runtime of 154 minutes" and the fact it's an APC UPS. Should I fully discharge the UPS then recharge it? I'm confused...

[ginbot86_apc]

But even with the warranty, I still cannot replace it because the UPS still works, right?

[Anonymous user]

I think everything is okay with your UPS. My 600VA unit, with the same load, about 125-135W can run for 15-18minutes. The numbers on the box are always based on a very light load, like 50Watts or so. They're basically "fake" numbers!

[BillP]

rau is right..on the box it says UP to 154 minutes or whatever if you have a small load on it such as 50 watts. at 100 watts it says you should get 39 minutes and you have 30 more watts and are getting 36 minutes.

[BillP]

[here is a link to the runtime chart|http://apc.com/products/runtime_for_extendedruntime.cfm?upsfamily=23] (Just a note, the XS is the retail only model but is the same as the BR1500LCD)

looking between 100 watts and 200 watts, the timing ranges from 1hr 26 min to 39 min. so seeing that you have closer to 100 watts, I'd assume something around an hour or so..

if the UPS hasnt been used on battery, it may take a discharge to calibrate itself. i recall seeing a similar issue on here a couple of weeks ago. you can discharge the battery in the UPS by pulling the AC power plug and let the UPS turn off. then let it charge back up and see what you get.

before you even do that, if you just pull the plug for a couple minutes, you may see it readjust itself while on battery for only a couple of minutes, then can plug it back in. obviously, all discharges affect the battery life but one time wont be that significant.

[ginbot86_apc]

Hmm. All I got was 36 minutes and 18 seconds when I pulled the plug. And only at 12% load.

Message was edited by: ginbot86

[BillP]

ok, lets see what it reports when it charges back to 100%. but yes, hmm.

[ginbot86_apc]

It's at 100% (not yet 16 hours) and the load is 130 W (desktop w/ monitor and laptop) and only 35 minutes. Without laptop in a faked outage test it reported 35 minutes. True, 36 minutes and 18 seconds. Not even close to what I expected. It passed the quality test, though.

Excerpt of test paper: (not sure if it'll help though)

QUALITY ASSURANCE TEST
Rev. 62.67.441.35

Date: Jan. 24, 2008 (wow, that's recent)
Time: 17:42
Station ID: FT853
Operator ID: 315

Model: BX1500LCD
S/N: BB080R25321

UUT Visual Inspection/Setup: passed (along with everything else)
...
Overall passed!

[Battery OK stamp|http://www.apc-forums.com/]

[ginbot86_apc]

Even so, at 100 W I should get ~60 minutes. And I only get 30 minutes. Something's not right. I expected at least an hour out of this UPS.

[BillP]

as long as the UPS has been fully discharged and charged back up, we can try a new battery..unfortunately with this model, since its within 3 years of release, the batteries arent manufactured yet to sell cause they are still under warranty.

you'd have to speak to tech support and they'd have to swap the entire UPS out for you.

[ginbot86_apc]

Thanks. I'll try that!

[ginbot86_apc]

Because I bought this two days ago, that means it's under warranty and APC will check it and possibly replace it?

[BillP]

its under warranty yes. you'd have to call tech support (you can refer to this thread if you need to) and tell them the runtime isnt sufficient. you can tell them what you did. as mentioned prior, the internal battery isnt released so the entire UPS will need to be replaced. APC will ship you a new one first and since its within 30 days of purchase, will provide a return label for the old one.

let me know if you need anything else 🙂

[ginbot86_apc]

Haven't replied for a while, but is it possible to replace the battery?

The RS 1500LCD has a replacement cartridge purchasable at "http://www.apc.com/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=APCRBC109" and will it work with my UPS model, and does the 1-year standard battery warranty cover this?

[BillP]

i just checked on this today actually. the battery is listed on the website but if you try to add it to the card, it wont let you. these are due to be released soon for sales. until then, the entire unit would need to be replaced unfortunately.

batteries themselves have one year warranties. so down the line, if you buy a battery, if that battery fails, APC will replace the battery itself. the one year warranty on the battery does not extend to the UPS or anything like that. the UPS still has a three year warranty only.

[BillP]

if there is something wrong and the UPS is not actually providing the runtime it should, you can ask for a replacement. that would be if its determined the battery is bad or of low capacity.

[ginbot86_apc]

Would this replacement be issued by APC, or the retail store?

[BillP · Accepted solution]

you should contact APC for a replacement. the retailer wouldnt be obligated to replace it but may out of goodwill.