APC Smart-UPS does nothing after non-use

I went to use a Smart-UPS 700 (true sine wave) after letting it sit for a couple of years, and nothing happened -- plugging it in yielded no LEDs, sounds, etc. Pressing the power on, off, circuit breaker, and reset did nothing. The two 120V receptacles (wall plugs) I tried are good.

I disassembled the unit, and found conductivity through the power wires, the circuit breaker, and leads to the mainboard. The two 30A 32V fuses to the batteries are fine, but, as expected the batteries are totally dead after sitting for a couple of years.

I didn't see any obvious damage to the UPS at all -- no hot parts or connections. There was continuity, separately, through the two transformer windings. I jiggled all the connectors and reassembled the unit, and there was no change, even after leaving it plugged in for a half-hour.

What else could cause absolutely no response from this UPS? Anyone else had this experience with an APC UPS, and did you overcome it? Seems like too nice hardware to just trash (after recycling the batteries).

Thanks in advance.

-Brian

Reply to
Brian
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The battery is dead. For whatever reason, this causes a lot of UPS's to behave exactly as described. If it sat for several years, the battery will not take a charge, it needs to be replaced.

Reply to
James Sweet

James Sweet wrote in news:fk6Vj.243$lQ1.229@trnddc02:

Lead-acid batteries sulfate and then will not take a charge.

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Jim Yanik
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Reply to
Jim Yanik

Try BatteryPlex for replacements. The guy who runs it answers the phone, and will make sure you get what you need. Highly recommended.

Reply to
William Sommerwerck

Thanks for the responses.

Really? Absolutely nothing -- no attempts at all to recharge, not even flicker of the lights or a hum of the transformer? Dead as a doornail ...

-Brian

Reply to
Brian

Yep ! Thats exactly what my APC750 did after being stored for six months. New batteries and away it went.

In fact its just started to beep again after about three years. I thought the power had failed, not realising that it does a battery test every 14 or 15 days. Its an early warning of battery failure.

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Best Regards:
                     Baron.
Reply to
Baron

Brian wrote in news:C4WdnU4GYrfKBbjVnZ2dnUVZ_o snipped-for-privacy@kans.com:

when a LeadAcid battery's plates are sulfated,the battery will not accept a charge. It's like they have been insulated from the electrolyte. there's a lot on the 'Net about sulfation,just Google it.

FWIW,Wal-Mart will accept the old batteries for recycling. see the auto department.

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Reply to
Jim Yanik

You might try to charge the batteries with a conventional charger or variable power supply for an hour or so at a low current then replace them in the unit.

Reply to
Meat Plow

Its unlikely that it will work.  The UPS does a self test upon switch on which involves a load test on the battery.  If the battery cannot pass this test the UPS just shuts down again.  Also they are sealed gell types.  Although I must admit that I have in the past cracked off the plastic bung and added water to try and recover them !  Without success I might add.

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Best Regards:
                     Baron.
Reply to
Baron

I would try it regardless of how likely/unlikely it is to work. Who knows the OP might get lucky and it really isn't much trouble to go through knowing the unit he has.

Reply to
Meat Plow

Thanks, I'll give it a try! I have a one-amp 12V trickle charger that I use for cars. Will let y'all know what happens, on Tuesday or so.

Otherwise, I see cheapee replacement batteries on eBay, ~$40 delivered for the needed two batteries.

-Brian

Reply to
Brian

Beware cheap Chinese knockoff batteries, they've been known to fail quickly and/or leak.

Reply to
James Sweet

I've had good luck with their products in recent years, including this newer laptop (at one-third the price of a bare-bones 486 motherboard I bought 17 years ago). But yes, buyer-beware still is a valid philosophy.

-Brian

Reply to
Brian

Gell cells have a bad habit of completely failing if left discharged.

Your question is this. Did the gell cell or charger fail? Use the multimeter. When UPS is plugged in, that battery voltage should increase slightly immediately. If yes, then the charger is working and battery has failed. Battery voltage will rise. Battery voltage may even rise to appropriate value. But then the UPS AC power cord is disconnected, a defective battery will drop to near zero volts almost immediately. This will provide the fasters and most comprehensive answer since other suggestions cannot determine if UPS charger is functional.

Reply to
w_tom

If you are going to buy batteries make sure they are not el-cheapo Chinese knock-offs.

There is a good chance that charging the batteries externally won't do a thing but then you've not lost anything just giving it a try. And if it does work you've saved yourself some money. I don't know if lead-acid gel cells are susceptible to sulfadation as are liquid fill cells but that is a usual cause of failure from liquid batteries being stored without a charge being maintained. Anyways good luck and report back.

Reply to
Meat Plow

I don't want to discourage the OP from trying to recharge the battery -- be sure to cover them with something thick and heavy, in case they rupture or explode (I'm not trying to be funny) -- but when I recently pulled out a Coleman fluorescent lantern powered by an E640 gel battery, I found it dead. The several-years' lack of charging had allowed the battery to die. Lead-acid batteries are fragile beasts.

Reply to
William Sommerwerck

I would advise against it with a SmartUPS 700. Did that when the cat stood on a power strip and discharged the batteries; they wouldn't charge in the unit and I charged them with a Schumacher outside. A few days later we had the gas company out with detectors when our First Alert gave gas alarms and traced the problem to hydrogen outgassing from the UPS,

I've read bad things about the 700 on the web. Mine is out of service and destined for destruction.

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Reply to
clifto

I don't want the OP to blow himself up either but a small current applied long enough to boost the voltage up to where the APC will charge them is fairly innocuous. The Smart UPS 700 was a very popular small server backup solution several years ago and I have experimented with them and their batteries without causing death or dismemberment. And I would tend to disagree with you regarding the fragility of lead-acid batteries in general. They are exposed to some pretty harsh environmental conditions every day in automotive and industrial use.

Reply to
Meat Plow

They're about the most-fragile battery I know of, and this is an excellent example.

What other kind of rechargeable battery can be destroyed by running it all the way down -- just ONCE? This happened to me about 15 years ago with a lead-acid battery pack for a Sony Discman. I carelessly let it completely discharge -- and it was gone. I was out $30.

This is not true of nicads or NiMH cells. I don't know whether it's true of lithium-ion or lithium-polymer cells, about which there's a lot of myth.

Reply to
William Sommerwerck

e

No reason to remove or disconnect those batteries. Simply connect a VDC multimeter to battery terminals. If voltage rises when UPS is connected to AC, then UPS charger is working. Same charger test performed without removing anything also tests other UPS hardware. Procedure tests both items simultaneously. Learn more, faster, by also doing less labor. Use a meter.

Reply to
w_tom

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