UPS Battery Upgrade

andre1809 said:
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.
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Your cheap mini DC-DC UPS units are about R350 each. I have 2 x Gizzu 8800mah's, each dedicated to my ONT and router, that is more than ample for prolonged half-day+ outages. My neighbour and many other people run their ONT and router on el-cheapos, for about 4 hours plus. It is a no-brainer for R350 vs buying a replacement battery for your existing UPS.

andre1809 said:
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?
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The question here is would your UPS be happy with the voltage that the charger puts out? My charger does 29V and I have simply never dared to try it.
 
Dan C said:
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.
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  • I honestly don't understand what you mean. My setup will be as per the attached diagram.
  • I will upgrade the 7ah batteries to a little higher 12ah, and I will put a permanent smart charger on the batteries so as to recharge them quicker when loadshedding is over.
  • My concern is what will happen if I connect the smart charger to the UPS batteries, because the UPS's internal charger will also want to charge the batteries. Won't this cause a short circuit or overload somehow?

UPS.jpg
 
andre1809 said:
  • I honestly don't understand what you mean. My setup will be as per the attached diagram.
  • I will upgrade the 7ah batteries to a little higher 12ah, and I will put a permanent smart charger on the batteries so as to recharge them quicker when loadshedding is over.
  • My concern is what will happen if I connect the smart charger to the UPS batteries, because the UPS's internal charger will also want to charge the batteries. Won't this cause a short circuit or overload somehow?

View attachment 1641575
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I'm not concerned about the charging. My concern is the lifespan of the LA batteries when there is loadshedding i.e. no AC power from the grid. LA batteries are not meant to be connected to a continuous draw unless you have deep cycle ones. Even those don't last long.
 
ld13 said:
The question here is would your UPS be happy with the voltage that the charger puts out? My charger does 29V and I have simply never dared to try it.
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THAT is the only question I would like an answer to by someone who have done this exercise before. :)
 
Dan C said:
I'm not concerned about the charging. My concern is the lifespan of the LA batteries when there is loadshedding i.e. no AC power from the grid. LA batteries are not meant to be connected to a continuous draw unless you have deep cycle ones. Even those don't last long.
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OK, I get you now! :thumbsup: If I can get 2 years out of the batteries it will be enough, as by that time I will have a full inverter setup with solar panels etc.
 
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ld13 said:
Your cheap mini DC-DC UPS units are about R350 each. I have 2 x Gizzu 8800mah's, each dedicated to my ONT and router, that is more than ample for prolonged half-day+ outages. My neighbour and many other people run their ONT and router on el-cheapos, for about 4 hours plus. It is a no-brainer for R350 vs buying a replacement battery for your existing UPS.
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Is this what you have below? You say they will power my DSTV decoder for 4 hours+ ? It seems like the power draw from the DSTV power supply pictured below draws 2.5A from a 12VDC supply.
Gizzu 8800mah.jpg
DSTV Decoder Power Supply

DSTV-power-supply.jpg
 
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Your decoder should draw less than 30W and your router probably about 6W.
Both are probably 12V, so you could actually just hook a 12V battery and charger to them..... No UPS
 
Bundu said:
Your decoder should draw less than 30W and your router probably about 6W.
Both are probably 12V, so you could actually just hook a 12V battery and charger to them..... No UPS
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Hmmm, this is an interesting scenario you are putting into my mind. Definitely something to look at. :unsure:
 
andre1809 said:
Hmmm, this is an interesting scenario you are putting into my mind. Definitely something to look at. :unsure:
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I don't go that route. A mini UPS is way far more convenient. You plug the UPS in the wall, plug the stuff into the UPS and then forget about it. And it's so small it can be hidden anywhere. Plus side is there is no noise, no fans or beeping. It just works.
 
Dan C said:
I don't go that route. A mini UPS is way far more convenient. You plug the UPS in the wall, plug the stuff into the UPS and then forget about it. And it's so small it can be hidden anywhere. Plus side is there is no noise, no fans or beeping. It just works.
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So if I were to go this route with a Gizzu, which is likely what I'm going to do now, what wattage are we looking at? Which one will give me 4hrs+ for a DSTV decoder and a WiFi router?
 
andre1809 said:
  • My concern is what will happen if I connect the smart charger to the UPS batteries, because the UPS's internal charger will also want to charge the batteries. Won't this cause a short circuit or overload somehow?
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If they both are running compatible voltages it *should* make no difference,just don't exceed the batteries rated charge current from the combined charge
 
andre1809 said:
So if I were to go this route with a Gizzu, which is likely what I'm going to do now, what wattage are we looking at? Which one will give me 4hrs+ for a DSTV decoder and a WiFi router?
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Let's wait for @ld13 . I'm not familiar with the Gizzu.

I think a DSTV decoder is in the region of 15w and the router most likely the same.

I have this one https://www.takealot.com/netogy-mini-14400mah-dc-ups-power-bank/PLID90006784 and it powers 2 routers and a switch for well over 4 hours.
 
ld13 said:
Your cheap mini DC-DC UPS units are about R350 each. I have 2 x Gizzu 8800mah's.
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I want to thank everyone for contributing to my thread, with special thanks to Id 13 and Dan C for their informative replies, and entightening me about the effectiveness of DC UPS units. I have just received 2 x Gizzu 60Watt Pro 21600mah DC UPS units and will connect them up later on. My existing inline UPS units will be put into storage for backup since they still have fairly new batteries. :thumbsup:

gizzu101.jpg
 
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andre1809 said:
Very interesting thank you. BUT, is it worth it? This will be Internet based obviously, so isn't there lagging, lost feeds etc?
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The coverage is better than what's available on DStv, multiple streams, on board cameras, timing screens etc. You can also watch past races, and highlights. The biggest downside for me is that there is no TV app and you have to cast from a mobile device or PC, not an issue if you have an Android TV box though.
 
andre1809 said:
THAT is the only question I would like an answer to by someone who have done this exercise before. :)
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Still catching up with the tread, but did the test over the weekend for those that might be interested. My Mecer was happy all the way to 29V when it faulted out. I disconnected the charger, waited a minute for the voltage to drop, and turned the Mecer off and on. Still working fine.
 
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