Batteries and potpurri

[jdhurst]

I have an APC Smart UPS 3000 Rack Mount protecting my home network and Desktop computer. I got it for free some years ago and put in new batteries at the time at the expense of the company who gave it to me.

Fast forward to now.

My desktop (normally reliable to an utter fault) started shutting down unceremoniously. I rebuilt it with a larger hard drive, changed some network equipment and continued to have a problem. I concluded UPS (and, ultimately, that was a correct diagnosis).

I took the top off the UPS, and noticed that one cell had bulged significantly up. I called my vendor and we tried to get an upgrade from APC, but they wanted me to purchase too much gear, so I said "replace the batteries".

So I had to remove the batteries (just pull them out). Remember one had bulged vertically. There was no way to pull them out.

Starting with a big screwdriver and finishing with a long 1 inch dowel, I was able to lever out the front pack. I had loosened the internal frame and removed internal connectors to get this far.

Now I see that the cells are bulging at the sides as well. Further, they are too large to come out the front opening (which is a hole stamped in a heavy piece of metal forming the front inner panel).

I now have enough room, and pick up a foot-long two pound sledge hammer and start whacking the front battery from behind. It moves. I whack harder. It moves again. Stop and look. The front metal panel is bending around the hole on one side. Past the point of no return. Hit harder. Still harder. I HIT the [censored] thing, hard. Out it comes (very slowly). Still one pack to go. Lever it forward with the screwdriver and dowel (remember I had loosened the frame) and get it forward to the front hole. Does not want to pass. Now I am frustrated with this thing. I hit it hard, again and again and again with the sledge hammer. Out it comes (very slowly).

I was able to swage the metal around the front hole flat and correct, reassemble the frame, reassemble the connectors, check it, and slide in new batteries. It is working fine again.

The batteries? At least they didn't explode or catch fire, but they did the next best thing.

I shall have to pay more attention to my UPS. ... JD Hurst

[mattbiernat]

Now I am frustrated with this thing. I hit it hard, again and again and again with the sledge hammer.

now i wouldn't try this with the DELL batteries - you look at them wrong and they explode

[jdhurst]

I should have been more observant back then, because the red "Replace Batteries" light was on. I just was not paying attention. Now I do and no red lights since.

However all is not well. Monday night we came into the house, and I said "what smells?" . We head downstairs and I go to the furnace and water heater (natural gas), make sure both are fired up, check them and I don't think this is the problem. My wife points to the UPS and says "it is this thing". She is bang on. I go upstairs, shut off my desktop, turn off the network, power down the UPS and disconnect it. I get the computing gear going on house current, get the UPS into the centre of the floor, take of the cover and the transformers are hot (much too hot). The batteries (at least one) has buldged to leaking.

Now, the light goes on. The UPS is running too hot which destroys the batteries. I disconnected the batteries to make the UPS inert and take it to the local recycle yard.

Today, I put in a new APC Smart UPS 750XL. It will go for about an hour during a power outage, and it is running (internal temperture) at 16 degrees C in on the concrete floor in the basement. Nice and cool.

The software however did not install. After an hour on the phone with a nice gentleman from APC support, it turns out that Power Chute 8.0.1 will not coexist with any VMware product. He found V8.0.0 and that worked just fine.

So it was a pile of work, but now I have a shiny new UPS and yet another bag of experience that will someday earn points at Experts-Exchange. ... JDH