Replacing a RBC4 UPS SLA battery

KevinL

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My APC BackUPS PRO 650 is hinting to me that the time has come to change its battery (last replaced 4/13/99 according to it). 60 seconds of run time at 55% load is quite unnerving because it takes two minutes to reach the electrical panel and reset the breaker under ideal circumstances /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

APC sez use the RBC4 replacement battery.

Have any of you replaced batteries, specifically, in an APC UPS? Any issues with OEM/third party maintenance-free SLAs? Any issues I should be aware of? APC has given me the whole nine yards (actually, five reasons) why I should buy their battery. The only one that caught my eye was :

APC supplies the appropriate instructions for your UPS, along with any needed wires and connectors. All connections are made with high current gas-tight crimps for high reliability.

What's that about the gas tight crimps?

Anyway, that notwithstanding, the dimensions are 5.9 x 3.7 x 3.9". I'm looking at Batterystation's HZS12-12 Haze-British 12V/12AH battery with .250 connectors. By my estimate it should give me 30 minutes of runtime on a 70% load, which is quite an improvement over the current situation. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
 

MoonRise

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I've replaced batts in a UPS. Stock to stock though.

Step one: Be careful!!!! Do NOT short anything out. Space is often tight in the battery compartment and you do not want to short out a SLA battery. (They can usually supply HUGE amounts of amps).

If the Haze-British will fit in the compartment and you feel comfortable snipping off the old battery connector and making up the connection, then go for it. Remember that the connections and wiring will be drawing double-digit amps in use (based on your run-time estimate, the battery will be supplying 25 A for 30 minutes), so make sure the connectors and workmanship is good for those current levels.
 

KevinL

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Yeah, I remember my last battery misadventure. That was already bad enough. Blew a charger into the next reality.

The APC uses slip-on connectors, I handled them when I first cabled the UPS - it ships with the batteries disconnected (story to follow). It should be slip on, slip off.


This UPS has travelled a lot. On its last journey as a friend returned it to me, I discovered WHY they ship with batteries disconnected. I didn't feel like telling him to disconnect them, assuming they would be ok, and besides, I didn't think he had the technical expertise to do it.

I'll remember the day it arrived - my folks were telling me "There is this huge package for you that just arrived, and it is beeping like crazy..."

uh oh. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/huh.gif

Thank god that was way before 9/11, or the UPS may never have made it home - it would probably entail a visit to the airport by the bomb squad. Batteries, electronics, lots of metal and a beeper sure as he|| look like bad news on an x-ray machine. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/str.gif

But really, even in the pre-9/11 days, I'm really surprised Customs or whoever handled it didn't complain to me for such a noisy package, I was fully expecting an earful or at least a strongly worded letter. You can bet that from that day onwards, I never skipped that step again /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 

LitFuse

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Replacement SLAs from APC are insanely expensive!

I've always used aftermarket batteries and I've never had any issues. I just re-used the stock cables and connectors, never had to cut anything.

Peter
 

turbodog

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Never had any problem, and I have replaced batteries on everything from tiny 200va models to the 400lb battery arrays that the smart ups xr models use.

Actually...... on the popular smart ups 1400/1500 models I have had a problem. They use 2 12v batts in series. The apc batteries had a larger cutout for the terminals than some aftermarket cells. I had to bend the connectors a little to make them fit, but no problems after that.
 

KevinL

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What brands of SLA are you guys using?


litfuse: Price...that's why I'm NOT using a RBC4 /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif I don't feel lucky after The Incident. Say, have you received the lil demons yet?
 
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