I Have a Battery Predicament

[easysurfer]

Kind of embarrassed, but spilled milk now.

So, my UPS backup for my computer was cutting in and out but I could see that the power was still on in room.

So, I figured the battery of my UPS was giving out since it is about 4 years old. Like lead acid batteries of a car, batteries don't last forever.

I then went ahead and bought a replacement (non refundable) battery from Amazon.

Then I noticed at times when my foot would hit the UPS' power cable under the desk, the UPS battery would kick in. Upon further inspection (why didn't I do this before buy the battery ), the power cable was loose and halfway plugged in. Only thing needed was to insert plug back into wall.

Now I have an extra lead acid battery that is just sitting idle in a box .

Guess I could swap the batteries, put the new one in the UPS and let the old one idle instead. Doable, but not fun. But then, I still have one battery sitting and getting self discharged with time.

 

[Jerry1]

I would go ahead and swap out the battery. Why not use the newer one. Alternatively, I’d try to sell the new battery and take the hit that way if the swap out process is going to be too much of a pain.

 

[Sunset]

I say swap the batteries.
That way you will be good for 4+ years.
The old battery might last a year or longer, but keeping the new one maintained for a couple of years while you wait and then swap is some effort and won't have any advantage as the new one will age out.

 

[Ian S]

Swap the batteries. The old one likely has lost significant capacity which means it may not be able to keep your backed up system going for a useful amount of time. Recycle the old one ( I have done that at Batteries+ for free but call before you go.)

 

[OldShooter]

If I had the refrigerator space, I'd put the new battery there. That might slow down self-discharge and other deterioration, though no guarantees on that. I am too much of a cheapskate to discard a battery that is working well, no matter its age.

Also, reduced capacity may not matter if the computers plugged into the UPS are programmed to safely shut down when they get a power fail message from the UPS. That shutdown would take very little time, so even a weak battery might suffice.

 

[skyking1]

The above is dependent on using the communications cable, having the communications cable and installing the software package. Some people never do that. Some people threw the cable away, and some UPS's don't even have a communication port.

 

[target2019]

Your old battery is going to fail soon. Install the new one.

I use old battery as door stop. Lol.

 

[jollystomper]

Does your UPC brand provide you with the capability to monitor your battery and report its strength via connecting to a PC?

 

[MC Rider]

Might as well change it out now that you have it.

 

[pb4uski]

Why not return the battery that you bought by mistake to Amazon and then buy a other one if/when you need one?

 

[Car-Guy]

4 year old batteries... it's time

 

[easysurfer]

Does your UPC brand provide you with the capability to monitor your battery and report its strength via connecting to a PC?

Yes, there is the ability to do a self-test of the UPS. When I run the test, result shows fine.

 

[easysurfer]

Why not return the battery that you bought by mistake to Amazon and then buy a other one if/when you need one?

The battery is one thing that is not returnable, even at Amazon.

 

[pb4uski]

Ah ha... I didn't know that. Perhaps you can sell it as another poster suggested.

Or store it in a spare refrigerator if you have one above freezing and then install it when your current battery fails.

Or I guess you could do the inverse... install the new battery and store the old one as a backup if you have a second refrigerator.

 

[bjorn2bwild]

While you decide what to do, I would apply a soaking charge to the new battery with an appropriate low current charger.
If you don’t have one, there is one built in to the UPS.
Depending on ease of access (does the UPS have a 12v power outlet?), a lead could be run to the terminals of the old battery and extend ~18” outside of the case to the new battery.
Batteries are best matched by age/capacity/brand, so I would not leave them hooked up longer than 24 hours - enough time for the soaking charge.


A quick primer on LA battery longevity -


https://batteryuniversity.com/article/bu-804-how-to-prolong-lead-acid-batteries

 

[Time2]

My slightly educated opinion is that, a UPS battery has a much easier life than a battery in a car. Even in hot Fl, we often get 4 to 5 years from a battery.
I would expect a few more from a UPS battery.

 

[target2019]

How many choose an OEM replacement battery over less-expensive off brands?

 

[Car-Guy]

Reminds me, it's time to replace my UPS(s). I think they are about 4 years old. Power has become much more stable around here in the past few years, but I do here it "clicking" once or twice a week or so. Not so much for momentary outages, but for other voltage anomalies. (e.g. dirty power) So I'll keep them.

Cheap insurance at twice the price! IMO

 

[5Miler]

Change the battery. It is not difficult to replace the battery in a modern UPS. As other have stated, at 4 years old, you are nearing eol for that battery.

I run 4 UPS setups in my home of varying sizes. They tend to alarm at the worst possible time, usually 3 to 4 years after purchase or battery replacement. Having learned my lesson which admittedly took a while, I now follow a replacement schedule of 3 years. Batteries are still relatively cheap.

The last UPS battery I had fail was last year during an extended vacation of over 1 month. Of course the homestead experienced a short power outage and my server running the home security cameras took a dump because of the battery. We like to monitor those cameras remotely for peace of mind but could not the last two weeks of our vacation. Bummer!

 

[easysurfer]

OP here.

I finally got around to replacing the replacing the UPS battery. I'm using a Cyberpower brand UPS. The software with the UPS now shows an estimated 30 mins of runtime which if I remember correctly is about 10 mins more than with the previous older battery.

In the meantime, I'll be using the old battery as a hefty doorstop .

 

[Piper20]

Drop the battery off at Staples if you have one nearby. They’ll recycle for free.

 

[DrRoy]

My last several desktop computers have all been Cyberpower.

 

[frank05]

If your UPS incorporates Surge protection then that circuitry has a life time. Some units may notify you when it is time to replace.

 

[DayDreaming]

How many choose an OEM replacement battery over less-expensive off brands?

I just put a non-OEM battery in my CyberPower UPS, works great so far. Cost was about 1/2 the cost of the OEM battery.

 

[Walt34]

How many choose an OEM replacement battery over less-expensive off brands?

I just go to the nearby Battery Mart and get them there. I didn't notice any difference in lifetime.