Can UPS Battery Life be extended?

May 7, 2015 0 Comments

Can UPS Battery Life be extended?
Any doctor will agree that exercise is the key to a long and healthy life. Believe it or not , the same advice holds true for the batteries in your UPS units. Before you go out and buy a “Thigh Master” for your UPS…read on.

The batteries in the UPS are Sealed Lead Acid (SLA). The reaction between the acid and the lead produce electricity that is used by the UPS in the case of a power outage. However, there is a dark side to this chemical reaction: Sulfation.

As time goes by, and the battery is not used, a white powdery substance starts to adhere to the plates of lead in the battery. This is called sulfation and is a by-product of the lead-acid chemical reaction. If enough sulfation occurs the acid can no longer make contact with the lead and the battery can no longer produce electricity.

There is a way to prevent sulfation. You guessed it, exercise! If the batteries are regularly exercised, the build-up of sulfates is minimized and the battery life is extended. Here’s what you do. Two to four times a year (I suggest when you change your clocks), cut the power to your UPS by simply pulling the plug. Make sure you are not in the middle of any processing on your computer. Let the UPS run on battery for about 3-5 minutes. As the battery heats up the sulfates will release from the plates and fall to the bottom of the battery case. Now the battery has clean lead for the acid to react with, so as to obtain the maximum output.