Re: seeking recommendation: UPS for Freebsd

On 9 April 2023 2:12:23 pm AEST, Olivier <Olivier.Nicole@cs.ait.ac.th> wrote:

 > >> 	I have an older APC UPS (BackUPS RS 1500) that after years of 
 > >> excellent service _may_ need to be replaced.
 > >
 > > Do check the batteries first. The lead-acid gel cells used in UPSes
 > > don't last forever, and will need to be replaced now and then. If your
 > > UPS is 10-ish years old or more, I'd suspect the batteries first.

 > From experience, my batteries usually last 2 to 3 years in APC. That may
 > be due to cheap quality... So I know I have to change the batteries
 > on a
 > regular basis, to the point I have the batterie installation date on a
 > sticker on the front of the UPS's so I can know when I need to change
 > them.

We've had a couple of smaller Eatons, and found decent quality 12V gel cells tend to last 3 to 5 years, depending on how often they're discharged toward exhausion - maybe a dozen times some years, in a rural high-thunderstorm area.

Even if rarely discharged I'd be surprised to get 10 years from a gel battery, apart from large stationary (e.g. solar) setups.

When we remember, we do an annual measurement exhaustion test, to be sure.

cheers, Ian