View Single Post - UPS battery backup questions

Blue|Fusion · Rated XXX

So I got that UPS that was shown in the RAID0 thread (decided I should stop getting off topic in there, hehe). It came in yesterday, plugged it and all my computer stuff in, and gave it atleast 20 hours to charge up (half of which the PC was off).

So it seems to be working pretty good...until I test the battery. The software that comes with it has two tests - the 10 second test and the deep battery test. I ran both and both passed, however when I run the tests, the battery level only shows at 52% once switched from AC to battery. I figured maybe it's just the tests... I give it two hours to see if it will go up or down or anything at all since the tests, and I unplug the UPS from the wall. The UPS is working as it should - keeping everything running, however the battery level indicater jumps from 100% when AC is plugged in to 52% again. What's got me even more confused is the battery drops about 2% every 10 seconds according to the software (and I'm not ballsy enough to get it down to 0 with my computer on). This 2%/sec drop, even if it were at 100%, would fall very short of the rated 120 minutes of battery backup time. And according to the specs sheet in the package, that rating is for fuill load (1500VA/830 watts). According to the software, it's at only 27% load idle and 42% load when running intensive graphics, so it should get more that 120 minutes, shouldn't it?

Could this be an indication of a battery problem? Maybe a failed battery cell? I figure this has been sitting in a wharehouse for a long time (between 2003 and 2004)...would it need new batteries every 3 years, despite not being used? Any other thoughta you have on testing this or maybe I'm completely not correct in assuming how these UPSs work?