Where to buy APC battery?

[DrWho]

I think that in-line fuse is a 30Amp fast blow.

One nice thing about having multiple UPS's is that if one dies, you've not lost your entire system.

I have four of them. Plus a 1800W inverter connected to TWO HUGE deep cycle batteries, that I use to power up my Kitchen Appliances when there is an Area Wide power failure.

I can recharge any of my batteries off of my car, with jumper cables. I did that for five days, during Hurricane Frances, when we had NO line power at all.
I had TV, light, a personal fan and all my kitchen appliances, while the neighbors sat in the dark.

Portable power! (1800W inverter and two Deep Cycle batteries, on a mover's dolly, so I can move it anywhere in the house)


Cheers Mates!
The Doctor

[DrWho]

OH.....and APC does not make batteries.

I have a defunct APC battery here, and when I peeled off the APC label, it said "Long" on the battery.
It's a standard brand, used in lots of DC equipment.

So don't hobble yourself, by thinking that you have to buy a battery with the APC label on it.
Anybody at any battery store can tell you all about it.

Just get a battery of the same physical size, voltage and Amp/Hour rating and you'll be just fine.

Good Luck and Happy Shopping!

The Doctor

[Banyarola]

Here's a video I found on how to use a car battery..http://revision3.com/systm/hackedups

[DrWho]

I didn't get to see the video, but here's a little experience:

My old APC 600va UPS works with larger batteries with NO problem.
I've had a few other OLDER APC's, the ones in the long, steel, cream colored, case,
that would work just fine with car batteries.
A friend of mine, had an APC 1500w unit, where the original batteries had gone bad.
He replaced them with two 8D truck batteries. Those batteries weigh over 100# each.

But I tried something similar with a "Cyber Power 500" and it would not work at all,
with anything but the original battery. Somehow, it sensed the difference and just
refused to work.

I don't have a NEW APC UPS to experiment on, but I'm suspicious that they too
would not like a car battery. The new APC's all come in a sealed plastic case, that
could get pretty hot if run for extended periods of time.

The one APC UPS most commonly bought for home use would be the 350va (200watt) unit.
http://www.google.com/products/catal...d=0CPMBEPMCMAY

Cheers Mates!
The Doctor

[DrWho]

HOW WEIRD IS THAT???

I had no more than hit SEND on my last post, and we had an area-wide power failure.
Power went out, cable went out, phone (magic jack plus) went out and here I sat with
four UPS's beeping at me. Well, at least now, I know that they all work.

We had no power for about 15 minutes, or so, but my four UPS's just kept on truckin'.
It's a beautiful clear day, so I figured it was something that would quickly be fixed,
and I was right, it was.
Had that not been so, I would have shut down all the UPS's except my big one.
Once it's shut off, it can be hard to get started again, so I just let it run.

Weird! Really Weird!

The Doctor

[CLiNT]

Interesting setup you have there Doc, I know your from an area of the country that gets frequent storms and power outages.

I especially like the kitchen setup.

[Doc Brown]

HOW WEIRD IS THAT???

I had no more than hit SEND on my last post, and we had an area-wide power failure.
Power went out, cable went out, phone (magic jack plus) went out and here I sat with
four UPS's beeping at me.

I'm curious, is your power above ground or below. In my area the trend has been to move bury lines instead of putting them on poles. Our neighborhood has underground and we rarely lose power. Then again, we don't get the kinds of storms you do.

[DrWho]

In the Sr. housing settlements, most utils are underground. But out here in the country, only phone and cable are underground.(sometimes)
Line power is still overhead.

Every time the wind blows, the trees start swaying, banging into the high power lines and we get anything from Glitches to downright outages.

The power company line crews have been in the area for the last week, trimming back the trees along the main lines.

When the power and cable go out, I can switch over to the outside TV antenna and still get my news, weather news, etc.

If you live in the lightning capital of the Americas, it helps to have a good backup system. Works for me!

[Banyarola]

Where I am everything is above ground..
I'm hooked up to the main transmission line which goes through my property..

Pretty rugged country here and they patrol the lines with helicopters because it's all mountains.

I got hit real bad last year with the after affects of Katrina and my power was out for 5 days.
But, usually it's pretty reliable.. A sub station got washed away with the flooding from the creeks overflowing...
I'm high up so any flooding doesn't effect me.

I got a generator after Katrina but usually don't need it. I do feel better knowing it's ready to go in case things go out.

[cloudsandskye]

Batteries Plus is another store where batteries can be recycled, replaced and they will install them for a small fee. I am a bit wary of replacing lead-acid batteries myself in any recent UPS, but if you feel more confident, by all means do what you feel is most economical. But do make sure you recycle the old batteries.

I second the motion for Batteries Plus. If you're fortunate enough to live near one of their stores you get the benefit of a good price, no shipping fee, and recycling of the old battery.

[bobprimak]

I second the motion for Batteries Plus. If you're fortunate enough to live near one of their stores you get the benefit of a good price, no shipping fee, and recycling of the old battery.

With dozens of stores and locations in most US States, Batteries Plus has locations in most urban and suburban areas of the US. There's likely to be a store near almost anyone who reads these forums. And being able to recycle the old batteries is a real plus, as they are banned from landfills.

[DrWho]

Besides all the UPS batteries, car batteries, heavy truck batteries (4D & 8D), they also sell Cell Phone batteries, computer batteries and if you have a hard to find battery pack, they can replace the cells in the pack.
I once had them re-battery two battery-operated Screw Drivers, with larger and more powerful cells.

They are not always the cheapest supplier, but they are local and they have the products.

End of Testimonial.

[Banyarola]

I took these in Feb.