On Tue, 29 Jul 2008 11:11:30 -0400, Al Patrick wrote:

Well, I got my "contact" from Sam's Club this a.m. and the gentleman seemed somewhat
disappointed at having to tell me this but....

Sam's Club can't set this up for service unless I first replace the batteries as they are
not covered. This would indicate a *different* problem - something other than the
batteries. But that is almost certainly the problem.

Replacement batteries cost about the same as replacing the entire unit!

Check Allied Electronics - they have the special high-discharge-rate
batteries for a reasonable price. http://www.alliedelec.com

The UPS makers buy the batteries and stick their markup on them.

I *could* go back to the store and *seek* a refund on the "unused portion" of the
warranty. It would have to be prorated. I'd probably get about $10 to $14 back, as it
probably cost about $40 initially. It would cost me about three hours and 120 miles to go
back to the store where I purchased it. Doesn't make economic sense to me. I guess I'll
trash it or save it for parts.

He got online while we talked and stated that the batteries currently would be more than
the estimated ($140) I paid for it initially.

I suppose I'll shop a little closer to home and save my Sam's Club membership costs. The
local Staples has an APC 1300 (VA) for $180 and an APC 1500 VA / 865 Watt for $209.

I suppose it's good sense after all to save the costs of an "extended warranty" when
buying UPS's ! :-)

I have a larger 2400W UPS and replaced the smaller batteries once,
18AH IIRC, and they recently went out again - this time I'm going to
get 24DC trolling motor batteries at 90 AH, which will be about the
same price. It's long out of warranty...

If you feel like scrounging, see if you can find some old Telco
UPS's - wicked big (5 or 10 KW) and bomb-proof, but you need a -48V
string to run them. Iggy had one that he broke down for parts, but if
you can get it for scrap value and it works...

You'll need 8 golf cart batteries minimum, and a CO Style inverter
charger. If you need lots of run time, get a battery rack and a
string of 2400 AH to 4200 AH tank cells.

Here's a 5KW Lorain ConstAC that a Google found - built in battery
charger even! Just add a battery string and you're good to go.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Lorain-UPS-Inver...07021841r35468

-- Bruce --