UPS Battery Replacement

Your UPS system is as important as the critical load you rely on it to protect. It must be remembered that irrespective of the number of times your UPS is called into action, the batteries only have a limited useful lifespan.

UPS systems contain either 3-5 or 7-10 year design life VRLA batteries, or 8-10 year design life Lithium batteries. Even under perfect environmental conditions, they age and degrade and will eventually require replacing. Proactive replacement is recommended once the batteries approach the end of their design life to ensure the continued effective and efficient operation of the UPS system.

While UPS battery manufacturers state a specific design life for their products, a number of factors can affect and impact upon this.

• Ambient Temperature. The ideal ambient operating temperature of a UPS battery is between 20 - 25^oC. Variations to this temperature may alter the battery performance and reduce its expected design life. Every 10^oC above the ideal operating temperature sees the battery life reduced by 50%.

• Preventative Maintenance. Scheduled maintenence of your UPS system can help increase the battery life and resilience. Visual inspections and testing of the UPS batteries can highlight potential issues allowing for early resolution reducing the risk of failure.

• Cycling. During a utility mains failure, the UPS supports the critical load through its battery solution. Once the utility mains returns, the batteries are automatically recharged by the UPS system. When a battery is first installed, it is deemed to be at its maximum rated capacity. With each discharge cycle, the battery's life is shortened ever so slightly.

• Storage. New UPS batteries should not be stored for extended periods and should be installed asap. Batteries are shipped from the manufacturers at around 75-90% charge. If unused for a long period of time, (we recommend no more than 5 months from the date of purchase), the batteries will lose a great deal of their charge and will result in a greatly reduced life expectancy and poor performance.

• Replacement UPS batteries. We carry most lines from the world's leading battery manufacturers such as Yuasa, Fiamm, CSB, Exide, Varta, Trojan and Enersys. We can deliver next day on replacement battery kits for smaller UPS systems, (usually up to 3kVA), which can be replaced by the end user.

• Battery replacement services. For larger UPS systems, we offer a comprehensive battery replacement service which includes delivery and installation of the new batteries, testing of your UPS system and the safe removal and disposal of the exhausted batteries under current legislation. This can be carried out in normal working hours or outside of hours.

• Load Bank Testing. Load bank testing checks the operational performance and battery autonomy of a UPS system. The UPS is tested under load conditions using specialist loadbank equipment. It can be carried out during scheduled preventative maintenance visits or as a dedicated service.

• Battery Impedance Testing. This determines the internal resistance of each UPS battery, is non-intrusive to the UPS operation and will identify any batteries approaching the end of their working life (or are about to fail).