UPS Battery Dilema! Can I do this?

[Mike Lynch]

I have several CyberPower UPS 1350 Units.
Because of their age, some or all of the Batteries are failing.
Since I purchased them at the same time and began to use them on the same date, they have served their purpose well.
My Dilema, is there a way to test the batteries in them to cull out those that are failing?
I have a simple Multimeter that I have used to test flashlight batteries with.
Will this type of Multimeter work for testing the CyberPower's internal batteries?
If so, once I have culled out what appear to be failing Batteries, can I expect to get any service life out of the remaining ones?
The cost of replacement Batteries is quite high vs rebuying a new UPS Unit.
I'd like to save money where I can!
Thank everyone in advance for your responses.
Mike Lynch

 

[flavallee]

Mike:
CyberPower has several 1350 models.
Which one(s) do you have?

 

[Mike Lynch]

The sticker on the back says:

CST135UC2
S/N: CDZMZ7012400

There are no other external markings on the exterior, front or back.

I SIT CORRECTED. Under the 1350 are the following three letters - AVR!

 

[flavallee]

This appears to be the CyberPower UPS unit you have.

CST135UC2 - Battery Backup - Product Details, Specs, Downloads | CyberPower

All the battery information is in the "Specifications" section.

You're right about them not being cheap to replace.

I know nothing about using a multimeter, so I'll leave you with the others here.

Good luck.

 

[file3456]

Your battery is more than likely one of these and is a 12 volt 7 Amp battery. Measure it.

Sort from lowest price from highest. A couple years ago I replaced my UPS battery with one on eBay. This one looks to be the cheapest. MIGHTY MAX ML7-12 | 12 Volt 7.2 AH, F1 Terminal, Rechargeable SLA AGM Battery $18.99 - PicClick

As to testing the battery, I do this mostly by unplugging the UPS and watching the battery indicator on the UPS whie the computer and whatnot runs. I do this every now and then to make sure my UPS is going to actually work when I need it. The other way using your multimeter is to set the meter to the 12 volt scale (very important) and connect the positive probe to positive on the battery and negative probe to the negative on the battery. If you see a voltage lower than 12 volts you can assume the battery is either on its way out or dead. Would definitely be dead at 10 volts. Due make sure your voltage range on the meter is for 12 volts. Any lower and you can blow the meter's fuse or worse. Been there, done that...

The real way of testing the battery is its Amp capacity. That pretty much means using a resister on the battery and taking note of discharge over time. An easier way is to use a load meter like this one. But that's for 100 Amps + I have something like this, but they aren't very user friendly to program for the right battery to be tested.

Need to test USB? Amazon link I have something similar, too. LOL

SLA: Sealed Lead Acid

 

[Megahertz07]

I have several CyberPower UPS 1350 Units.
Because of their age, some or all of the Batteries are failing.
Since I purchased them at the same time and began to use them on the same date, they have served their purpose well.
My Dilema, is there a way to test the batteries in them to cull out those that are failing?
I have a simple Multimeter that I have used to test flashlight batteries with.
Will this type of Multimeter work for testing the CyberPower's internal batteries?
If so, once I have culled out what appear to be failing Batteries, can I expect to get any service life out of the remaining ones?
The cost of replacement Batteries is quite high vs rebuying a new UPS Unit.
I'd like to save money where I can!
Thank everyone in advance for your responses.
Mike Lynch

A battery has two basic characteristics: Voltage and Ah.
Ah is the capacity to deliver (at nominal voltage) a current for an amount of time (Amps x hours). For example 30Ah can be 30A for one hour, 15A for 2 hours, 10A for 3 hours etc
A degraded battery can have nominal voltage but Ah much lower than nominal.
The only way to test is to discharge the battery at a constant current and measure how long it takes. Multiply the current by the time and compare to the default Ah.

Some UPS batteries can be replaced with larger and cheaper car or stationary sealed batteries.

 

[maxseven]

...Because of their age, some or all of the Batteries are failing...

Mike this is not the place to nitpick individual batteries. If the UPS test cycle indicates failure or "too short" backup times then you need to replace both/all of the batteries inside.

MightyMax (New Jersey I think) has good batteries at the best prices. If your multiple units are old i.e. 3 years or more since the batts were placed in service, buy replacements in bulk.

Keep a diary of when you replaced these.