UPS Batteries Expensive and do not Last

Fellow Creatures,
Please share your experiences with the various UPS brands and size boxes Watts, Volts, and up times and software OS shutdown process.

My main question is how long have yours lasted?

Here is my history:

Cyber Power SUX! Would not hold a charge very short time before batteries went bad. Sent in and got a replacement through warranty and that one went bad in short period of time.

Belkin lasted 27 months still not sure if it is bad. Storms last night lost power briefly OS rebooted right away . Why? It should have shut down in a couple of minutes and female voice should have told me I was operating on Battery Power. I logged in. Next power flicker Alarm went off and system hard shut down, like it was not even there and/or working . Rebooted checked the settings all o.k. and sytem read normal batteries good. Finally,

APC 325, been running for 15 months as it should. Verdict still out on this one.

How long are these things suppose to last? They are very expensive and seem to last to short of a time before needing replacement.

Share your thoughts and experiences. Thanks.

 

I use APCC BackUPS Pro, which I find very good including the support and service from them.

When my battery needs replacing after say 3-4 years, I usually upgrade my UPS too at a discounted price. The new UPS comes by courrier and I then have a contact for when it is installed. After installation the same courrier collects the old UPS.

With my UPS is PowerChute software (Business Edition as I have Win XP), which shuts down my PC in an orderly fashion, should a power cut happen. My PC is a home one.

Their web site is www.apcc.com, with a drop down menu to find your country.

Hope this helps!

 

APC is the only way to go.

I have been using APC on my networks for over a decade. I can tell you that there is nothing better.

All of my network racks have the 2U rack mountable 750s. The servers have the 1500 version. I keep spare batteries in storage. I rarely have to swap them out. My oldest UPS has needed only 1 battery swap. I think it is at least 6 years old.

 

Re: APC is the only way to go.

Unfortunately, the UPS market is quite bad - most companies I know of have products that need replacement within two years of purchase.

In a nation-wide survey by a magazine in my country, APC was the most satisfactory, followed by MicroTek. Others would fail multiple times in two years.

 

I`ve been running TrippLite 500 office for the last 5 yrs and it`s still running fine. It`ll keep my system up for 15 to 20 minutes after a power failure.

 

Thanks for the replies. My experience is closer to FireCats. Some of you may be running heavy duty ones meaning ones that stay up longer on batteries. I do usually buy the bottom one as far as Watts go. But all I want is one to do orderly unattended shutdown. I am not looking for use if power goes out.

I am wondering if smaller units just do not last. That size of battery makes a lot of difference. I just think one should not have to invest a pile of money for a simple one with orderly shut down after a very short up time.

I have been shopping: APC lower end does not want to make it plain how much joules protection it has. It has a two year warranty on all parts.

Cyber Power low end again has slightly more wattage and 3 year warranty it spells out clearly all of it's stats I think 858 joules protection. Never did like the software on this one and it comes with serial cable, got to send in something to get USB cable. Gee, what is that all about. All priced at about $40..no problem but they should last at least four years.

Tripplite did not see low end one. price. No purchase made as of yet.

Edit: one final comment, low end ones unless under warranty do not seem to justify extra batteries. Just buy a new one perhaps I need to upgrade to heavy duty one at some point using upgrade policies.

 

I have an APC that has been in service for around four years and is still working well. When it is replaced it will be by another APC

 

High end or low end. Watts of power that is?

 

It is a large unit I used in my shop, and is pretty "hot"

 

O. K. Very Good, Thanks BigC.

 

Ronjor,
Yes, that would be correct imo too. That the monitor sucks up the most juice. I use the software to do an unattended shutdown. I am always on and you never know when the power will go off. Thanks for the warranty info too. I am replacing a Belkin and may try to get warrranty replacement too.

Finally found my Belkin Papers: They say 2 year warranty I am at 27 months.

EDIT: I have made my decision I will get APC 200 Watts for about $40. It comes with a two year warranty.

Thanks for your replies Wilders Friends. One last parting comment to those , reguardless of my unhappiness do not misunderstand this for you do not need or not worth headachs or costs. This is an important part of your set up if you can afford it. A smooth even flow of juice to your machine is important. Surge protection is a must but the battery is very important. The UPS companies are not feeding you a line in hyping their wares. Brown outs, Blackouts and flickers on the power side make life hard on your machine.

Gee o.k. enough preaching now.

 

I would specify a larger one. My experience has always been to specify twice what you need. The reason why is that the system will be useful longer. The battery gets weak over time.

ADDED: One other thing. The temperature of the room that the UPS is in affects the battery life. Try and keep it as cool as you can.

 

mercurie

I am running a high-end Belkin UPS (1400W) since two years ago. Had no problem with it till this moment. It comes with a good shutdown software, which I have already tested, and that operates pretty well. I am satisfied with the unit I have, although I have also heard that APC is a very good brand, too.

Regards

Rui