How Long Does a UPS Battery Last For?
“Well, how long is a piece of string?”
This is probably one of the most frequently asked questions by customers who are planning to purchase an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS). While it is understandable for consumers to be concerned about the capacity of their power source, determining the exact life span of a UPS battery is pretty hard to do.
Unlike the typical alkaline batteries, the life a UPS battery depends on a number of impacting factors such as environmental conditions, maintenance, and the number of discharge cycles. However, the standard capacity of a UPS battery is three to five years, depending on the factors that may affect the performance of the UPS.
All UPS manufacturers never fail to remind their consumers that the UPS battery is the most vulnerable part of the entire system. Thus, learning how to manage and maintain your UPS batteries properly will extend their overall capacity and will also help you save time and trouble in the future.
When it comes to environmental conditions, there is a set of standards that need to be met to get the maximum life out of your battery. We have listed some of these factors:
- Room Temperature
It is essential to recognise that ambient temperature can alter the performance of a UPS battery and can potentially shorten its expected life span. The optimum temperature to store a UPS in is 21°C – 25°C. The maximum temperature to store a UPS in is 50°C, however when the temperature increases or decreases from the optimum range, this is when it begins to affect the life span of a battery.
PSS Distributors sell a range of 19”racking systems, as well as fans and aircons to help keep critical equipment and UPS at their desired temperature.
- Regular Maintenance
No matter how well-kept your batteries are, they still need to undergo proper maintenance. Neglecting to do such safety measure may cause your UPS batteries to experience improper loading, heat-generating resistance at the terminals, loose connections, premature failure, and reduced protection. Some UPS models require extensive maintenance since regular checkups are critical to their overall reliability.
- Cycling
During a power outage, UPS operates using its own battery power. Once that power has been fully restored, the battery will then get recharged for future use. This process is called a discharge cycle. When the UPS was first installed, the battery’s rated capacity is at a hundred percent. However, each discharge cycle reduces the relative capacity of the battery by a small percentage.
- Battery Chemistry
Unfortunately, UPS batteries are electrochemical devices and are not designed to last a lifetime. Even if your UPS batteries are well-maintained and meet the specific standards for proper storage, your batteries will still run out of power, and you will be required to do a replacement after a particular period of time.
Overall, even though UPS batteries don’t last forever, following the guidelines that we have provided above, you will surely be able to maximise your UPS life span.
If you’re currently planning to replace your UPS batteries with new ones, we can service and maintain a wide range of UPS, we are now fully staffed nationwide;
