On 03 Feb 2009 01:34:13 GMT, Warren Post wrote:
I just replaced the battery in my UPS, and notice that the old one was
swollen and hard to remove. Searching this NG and elsewhere on the net, I
see this means that the battery had reached the end of its life some time
ago and should have been replaced sooner. Okay, replacing the battery
when it reaches the end of its life cycle instead of waiting until it
obviously fails is fine by me.
So how do I know when to replace a UPS battery? This particular UPS has
no self test feature and no com port with which to communicate with the
computer, and I don't want to toss perfectly working equipment into the
landfill just because it lacks bells and whistles to make my life a
little easier.
I have several ways to test batteries. The easiest is to install one
or two 100 watt incandescent lamps into the UPS output, unplug the UPS
from AC power, and see how long it will run. I do this when the UPS
is brand new, and again at erratic intervals. I also measure the
charging current to the battery, which is sometimes higher than I
would consider acceptable. These are also the ones that suffer from
premature battery death from overcharging and/or overheating.
You can also test the batteries outside of the UPS by using a 12v
automobile headlight or similar load. Again, compare operating time
with a new battery.
I recently purchased a West Mountain Radio CBA-II battery tester:
http://www.westmountainradio.com/CBA_ham.htm
Charge the battery and then run it through the tester. Compare with
a new battery of the same type. The problem is that the basic unit
does not work well with large batteries yielding odd results due to
connector contact and cable losses. The voltage is measured at the
tester end, not the battery.
I also plan to use the CBA-II to match UPS batteries. I tend to
purchase a fair number of "used" lead acid UPS batteries. The savings
is substantial but there are hazards. One is installing two
mismatched batteries in series.
--
Jeff Liebermann
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060
http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558