UPS Replacement Batteries

Rossymeister

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We had a power outage this morning, and one of my apc ups's failed. Ive got 3 of these powering various things around the house. Anyways, im looking for suggestions on what brand of battery i should look into for replacement. Ive got duracell lead acid batteries in them now. Are those still a decent brand? Or should i look for something else?
 

PaladinNO

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I cannot speak for 3rd party battery replacements, but I am in the same boat.
I have 4x APC UPSs around the house (server, main network equipment, office PC and gaming PC), and I fear for my main one (an older APC Back-UPS RS1500 LCD).

A new unit would for me be the APC Back-UPS Pro BR1500G, but I would like to replace the whole unit with something that supports external batteries and charging. And I have been looking into a solar setup, since APC couldn't give me any guarantees regarding adding external charging and batteries to their existing lineup of UPSs.

A solar setup would be at least twice as expensive as a new UPS, but it would be almost infinitely scalable, and offer much, MUCH more utility than providing power to just a single piece of equipment in case of a prolonged blackout.
 

Rossymeister

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Yeah a solar setup would be pretty sweet. Would you wire in a dedicated outlet? Or somehow run it through with the mains?

We get frequent power blinks during thunderstorms. No surges or brownouts that i know of.

I just need something to bridge that 1-2 second gap.
 

PaladinNO

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Yeah a solar setup would be pretty sweet. Would you wire in a dedicated outlet? Or somehow run it through with the mains?
I am considering something...I guess it would be both separate and dedicated. As in, having the production parts (solar panels) on the outside, and the converter and capacitor / battery on the inside, together with the UPS I already have.

What I am looking at is essentially a Jackery (it will be different brand for me) on the inside, that I connect my UPS to (while it lasts at least). And have both the main AND solar connected to the Jackery for power. So pretty much a redundant backup.

What I am looking at, depending on how much scaling I want, will be $1000-1500 all-in. For comparison, a new UPS will cost me about $500.
Performance wise, the $1500 solar setup will be able to handle 3-4 times the power of the UPS, with 3-4 times the runtime. So on paper, where the UPS will give me 15 minutes on battery, the solar setup will give me well over an hour.

The obvious downside is the solar setup will require an upfront cost I currently don't have the cash to cover. Apart from the solar panels, I am envisioning something completely portable. If there is a prolonged power outage, for whatever reason, I would much rather be able to power the fridge to keep the food cold, than power my PCs: If I do invest in a solar setup, having enough Jackery's to power both the fridge AND the PCs will of course quickly be on the wishlist. ^^
 
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PhotonWrangler

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We had a power outage this morning, and one of my apc ups's failed. Ive got 3 of these powering various things around the house. Anyways, im looking for suggestions on what brand of battery i should look into for replacement. Ive got duracell lead acid batteries in them now. Are those still a decent brand? Or should i look for something else?
We have a lot of UPS units at work. I've seen Yuasa batteries in many of them and they seem to last for their rated 4-5 years without causing any trouble.
 

aznsx

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If OE didn't meet my expectations originally, and I wanted to go with aftermarket, I have no direct experience with replacement UPS batts but...

I've seen Yuasa batteries in many of them and they seem to last for their rated 4-5 years without causing any trouble.

I believe the best lead-acid batts I've ever used in vehicles have all been from Yuasa, so if I wanted a starting place, personally I'd look at them first if they offer something applicable.
 
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