Like so much of my stuff lately my UPS failed a few days ago. A battery test was planned for the next week, but one evening it would not turn on anymore. Red Fault LED on. Nothing more.
This didn't come as a big surprise. Like much of my equipment this UPS was old -- roughly 20 years. Ten years ago the same thing had happened when the original batteries dried out from permanent trickle charge and high age. I replaced them... After having ripped off the on/off switch in the process of opening
, since it was made in a way you would pull on a cable without knowing. A lot of cursing and a few minutes of soldering the switch was back on and replacement of the cheap and standard 7.2AH lead-acid batteries was easy.
I said to myself: "If it lasts another 3 to 5 years (like the data sheet for the replacement batteries said) this is way better than one could ever have expected from a 50€ UPS with 750w output power." Well. Those super-cheap replacement batteries have left the 5 years behind for long. Last year they passed the rundown test. Now they are done for.
I took them out for giving them to recycling separately and got my hands wet with brownish goop. Luckily there is not much sulfuric acid left, so no chemical burn (not used protection gloves since not expecting liquid -- BAD MISTAKE!!). These batteries are deformed more than one would have expected (click on pictures for full-sized version to actually see it):
Have you ever seen lead-acid batteries in such a condition?
This UPS will go to the recycling now. Dirty, burn stains inside, worn. Makes no sense cleaning everything up and getting new batteries.
Thanks for reading.
This didn't come as a big surprise. Like much of my equipment this UPS was old -- roughly 20 years. Ten years ago the same thing had happened when the original batteries dried out from permanent trickle charge and high age. I replaced them... After having ripped off the on/off switch in the process of opening
, since it was made in a way you would pull on a cable without knowing. A lot of cursing and a few minutes of soldering the switch was back on and replacement of the cheap and standard 7.2AH lead-acid batteries was easy.I said to myself: "If it lasts another 3 to 5 years (like the data sheet for the replacement batteries said) this is way better than one could ever have expected from a 50€ UPS with 750w output power." Well. Those super-cheap replacement batteries have left the 5 years behind for long. Last year they passed the rundown test. Now they are done for.
I took them out for giving them to recycling separately and got my hands wet with brownish goop. Luckily there is not much sulfuric acid left, so no chemical burn (not used protection gloves since not expecting liquid -- BAD MISTAKE!!). These batteries are deformed more than one would have expected (click on pictures for full-sized version to actually see it):
Have you ever seen lead-acid batteries in such a condition?
This UPS will go to the recycling now. Dirty, burn stains inside, worn. Makes no sense cleaning everything up and getting new batteries.
Thanks for reading.
