UPS Battery Upgrade

andre1809

andre1809

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Good day and a happy new year to you.
  • I have this 1000VA UPS that houses 2 x 7AH 12VDC lead acid batteries connected in series. Can I replace these with 2 x 12AH 12VDC batteries?​
  • If the 12ah batteries are a little larger (like my garage door motor backup battery), I can modify the enclusure to fit them, or, I can put them in a housing outside the UPS and extend the leads if necessary.​
  • I suppose that charging time will probably also increase, which shouldn't be a problem.​
  • My main question is: Will it work?​
ups1000.jpg
 
Charging times are slow on these things, adding more capacity will likely result in the batteries never really getting charged up enough during heavier loadshedding.

My recommendation would be to rather keep the smaller batteries in the UPS and add a portable power station to the mix that uses LFP batteries and then run the UPS from that.
 
Do you have a link or info on such a portable power station?
 
Will it work,likely
Will it work well,depends

What's the problem being fixed?
 
I have 4 of these around the house, for PCs, DSTV decoder, Routers etc. However, in my main bedroom I have a secondary DSTV decoder, router and hub. I just want to extend the life of this UPS a little, to give me a little more time. Sometimes it makes the 2.5hr loadshedding, and sometimes it doesn't. I reckon that with the slightly bigger batteries it should run for the duration without a problem.

My budget is basically non-existant by choice. I want to spend as little as possible. I will buy the batteries and do the upgrade myself, but just need to know whether it will work. I also have an 8KVA generator on an auto-changeover contactor system that I run between 20h00 and midnight. This UPS is to only ensure that I can record the Grand Prix races and practice sessions next year if I am not at home.
 
andre1809 said:
I reckon that with the slightly bigger batteries it should run for the duration without a problem.
Click to expand...
It would extend the duration - on a full charge. But your charge rate is limited,and these batteries do not do well constantly discharging without charging up to float. So you'll in essence likely just have a longer capacity worsening battery
 
Yes, I understand that charging will be slower due to the increased capacity. So I need to get a charger with a bigger charge rate. I currently have a 24vdc/3.5Amp smart charger that I use to charge another 2x12v batteries in series, and this works fine. I guess the next question is whether I can buy another of these smart chargers to charge the new 12ah batteries while they are connected to the UPS. I mean, the ups comes with its own internal charger too, which I don't think is possible to disconnect.
 
andre1809 said:
Yes, I understand that charging will be slower due to the increased capacity. So I need to get a charger with a bigger charge rate. I currently have a 24vdc/3.5Amp smart charger that I use to charge another 2x12v batteries in series, and this works fine. I guess the next question is whether I can buy another of these smart chargers to charge the new 12ah batteries while they are connected to the UPS. I mean, the ups comes with its own internal charger too, which I don't think is possible to disconnect.
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The problem is not charging. They are not meant to be discharged for a long period. They simply won't last long.
For a router and hub or anything DC, rather get a mini DC UPS or a powerstation with DC out.
 
Will work fine, as long as you have enough time inbetween loadshedding, as has been mentioned. I have done exactly this with the Mecer 650VA as well as 2000VA cousin, that incidentally have 2 x 24v 200AH batteries connected to them now. The internal chargers are quite weak, so I advise adding extra cooling as they will be engaged a bit longer with larger batteries.

But @Dan C has a point, for your DC items (routers etc), rather get a mini UPS. Cost about the same as what a replacement set of 12AH batteries will cost you, if not cheaper
 
The crux of the issue is that these kinds of UPSes were never designed to run for prolonged periods, they're meant to be run on rare occasions and for a few minutes at a time.

I'd just say stop wasting money replacing lead acid batteries and get a proper backup solution that will last far longer and safe you money and time in the long run (loadshedding isn't going away anytime soon).

You can get some of the well known brand units like Ecoflow, Bluetti, Anker, etc. in 250Wh units for around R4k or lesser known brands with double the capacity for the same price. Or you could spend a little more on a inverter trolly solution (with the LFP batteries) and get a much more capable solution.

The UPS should be there for changeover only.
 
Dan C said:
The problem is not charging. They are not meant to be discharged for a long period. They simply won't last long.
For a router and hub or anything DC, rather get a mini DC UPS or a powerstation with DC out.
Click to expand...
But why will the batteries be discharged for a long period? I intend having the smart charger connected to them permanently, while they are in the UPS.

Sorry, but I just want to get a deeper understanding of the dynamics surrounding what I am trying to do. :)
 
you're throwing good money after bad.....
I will never use lead batteries for emergency power again
 
ld13 said:
Will work fine, as long as you have enough time inbetween loadshedding, as has been mentioned. I have done exactly this with the Mecer 650VA as well as 2000VA cousin, that incidentally have 2 x 24v 200AH batteries connected to them now. The internal chargers are quite weak, so I advise adding extra cooling as they will be engaged a bit longer with larger batteries.
Click to expand...
Say I replace the batteries with 12ah ones like I woulkd like to. Can I then leave these connected as normal in the UPS, AND also connect the smart charger to them permanently?
 
Bundu said:
you're throwing good money after bad.....
I will never use lead batteries for emergency power again
Click to expand...
My UPS has been working without any problem through the 2.5hr loadshedding period now for almost 3 years since replacing the old 7ah batteries with new 7ah ones. These batteries only cost like R350 each, so it eally isn't very expensive. All I want to do is just extand my loadshedding time by 30-60 minutes for a DSTV unit and a router.
 
DrJohnZoidberg said:
The crux of the issue is that these kinds of UPSes were never designed to run for prolonged periods, they're meant to be run on rare occasions and for a few minutes at a time.
Click to expand...
My UPS has been powering the DSTV unit for around 5 years now during loadshedding without a problem. Its just the beeping that's annoying. But if a grand Prix race is extended or something like that, THEN the UPS runs out of gas
 
The short answer is yes, it should work.

The not so short answer is, it's a bad solution to the problem.

Also just make sure that if you do this that the UPSes have sufficient airflow/cooling as you'll be running the charging circuit a lot longer.
 
andre1809 said:
My UPS has been powering the DSTV unit for around 5 years now during loadshedding without a problem. Its just the beeping that's annoying. But if a grand Prix race is extended or something like that, THEN the UPS runs out of gas
Click to expand...
in that case, YES, any Ah size will work, but you will need more time to recharge the batteries
 
andre1809 said:
But why will the batteries be discharged for a long period? I intend having the smart charger connected to them permanently, while they are in the UPS.

Sorry, but I just want to get a deeper understanding of the dynamics surrounding what I am trying to do. :)
Click to expand...
I was referring to the time during loadshedding when the batteries are not charging. LA batteries do not like prolonged drainage. Also why convert DC to AC and then back to DC ? Very inefficient.
 
Short answer Yes it will work if that is what you want to do.
 
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