How to Replace a UPS Battery

Ever wondered how to replace a UPS battery? This aspect of UPS maintenance is a critical piece of your power management strategy. And it can even save you money - rather than having to replace the entire UPS unit, you can often just replace the battery. If you replace it every three to five years, you'll extend the life of your UPS and enjoy the runtimes you require. This blog post from Tripp Lite gives you the information you need to know about replacing the battery in your UPS.

Battery Best Practices

Battery service and maintenance are crucial to UPS reliability. In order to maximize your battery’s life and get the most out of your investment, it helps to understand how batteries react to different environments and usage patterns.

Here are four tips for extending the life of your UPS:

1) Install your UPS in a cool, dry location.

Rated battery capacity is based on a maximum operating temperature of 77° F (25° C). Any variation from this temperature can alter performance and shorten a battery’s life. When installing your UPS, keep in mind that for every 15 degrees above 77, a battery’s expected life is cut in half. Leave at least two inches of space on each side of the unit for proper airflow, and do not place the UPS near an open window or high-moisture area.

2) Store replacement batteries properly.

It’s a good idea to keep replacement batteries on hand, but you shouldn’t store them for extended periods of time. New batteries can be stored for up to 12 months; if kept too long, they will have a shorter lifespan. To maximize life expectancy, store batteries in a location with a temperature of 50° F (10° C) or below.

3) Perform preventive maintenance.

Without regular maintenance, your UPS device battery may experience heat-generating resistance at the terminals, reduced protection and premature failure. Preventive maintenance extends battery life by preventing loose connections, removing corrosion and identifying bad batteries before they affect your application.

4) Use energy-saving devices.

When connecting devices to your UPS, make sure they are efficient. Devices with low power consumption keep the temperature of your UPS at a manageable level, thus extending its lifespan.

Battery Replacement

Despite effective maintenance practices and favorable operating conditions, battery capacity depletes over time, reducing the amount of runtime a UPS delivers to equipment. Humidity, ambient temperature, depth of discharge and frequency of recharge all contribute to the loss of battery capacity. Most sealed lead-acid batteries have a lifespan of three to five years, and providing a new battery restores the UPS to its factory-fresh state.

A common sign of battery depletion is decreased runtime when operating in battery mode. If your battery is at least three years old, is installed in a high-temperature environment or constantly operates in battery mode due to consistent utility problems, it may need to be replaced.

Contact your local Accu-Tech representative to learn more about Tripp Lite.