My UPS is running very hot...Bad battery or...?

[Kwad Guy]

I was cleaning up the stuff that has piled up around my PC, and when I got to the UPC (at the bottom of the pile), I found it was VERY hot. It's shouldn't be doing much of anything (power hasn't gone out in weeks, it's not in under or overcurrent mode, it's supposedly just sitting there). It's a Belkin 1000VA model that's 2-3 years old.

I've used a lot of different UPS devices over the years, and I've never had one that ran very hot when it wasn't actually doing something...I have other UPS devices (different brands) elsewhere in the same room and they aren't running hot...A bit warm, but that's it.

Suggestions? Is this a sign that the battery is biting the dust?

 

[shoRunner]

is it still working?

 

[Kwad Guy]

Yeah, it still works. I don't know how well. I only tested it (so far) to see if it was working at all...I guess I should do a test to see how long it will run...

Kwad

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

Do your UPS a big favor. Let it cool down before it's load tested. Don't pile soiled
laundry on it


...Galvanized

 

[pkme2]

All UPS devices need proper ventilation and restricting air flow will result in heat buildup. So do as Galvanized Yankee said.

 

[JimPhelpsMI]

Hi, Most UPSs have indicator lites on the front panel. Check the User's Manual. It should be telling you if the Battery is bad. Jim

 

[Minerva]

Shut it down and pull the battery. Our SmartUPS did this once (the battery alarm was going off every day during the test and we just ignored it for months) where the room smelled like a rotten egg. The bottom of the unit was so hot it scorced the rug so we pulled the plug. Found the battery cooking and melted like it was in a fire. Replaced with a new SLA and the UPS is good as new.

 

[cherrytwist]

Most likely the battery is going bad. Proper ventilation is important, too. If the UPS doesn't cool down, then it's time to replace the battery.

 

[Navid]

What is the brand and model of the UPS?

Disconnect everything from the UPS. Connect a 100W lamp to it. Turn on the lamp. Pull the UPS plug from the wall. How long does it take the lamp to turn off?

If the lamp turns off shortly after you unplug the UPS, the battery is dead and the UPS thinks that it needs to be charged. So, it is constantly charging it. But, because the battery is dead, it does not take any charge. Yet, the UPS consumes power constantly trying to charge it. That is why it heats up.

That is only one possibility. That is why I asked the brand and model.

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

Batteries can short out internally and will never stop trying to take a charge.

As a battery charges, resistance builds to the incoming current. Once shorted, this will
never happen.


...Galvanized

 

[Kwad Guy]

Originally posted by: Minerva
Shut it down and pull the battery. Our SmartUPS did this once (the battery alarm was going off every day during the test and we just ignored it for months) where the room smelled like a rotten egg. The bottom of the unit was so hot it scorced the rug so we pulled the plug. Found the battery cooking and melted like it was in a fire. Replaced with a new SLA and the UPS is good as new.

Funny you should mention that rotten egg smell. I came home yesterday (which is the first time I noticed how hot the thing was running) and thought: "Why does it smell like rotten eggs in here..."?

It's a Belkin 1000va unit, and it seems like the battery must be fried.

It's been in service for just over two years and has rarely had to kick in (decent power around here). That sucks and this is gonna be my last Belkin UPS...

Kwad

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

I'm not running to Belkin's defence. Any UPS can have a battery short out internally.
I just replaced the batteries in a 1200 Belkin I have, after 4 years of good service.

EDIT: Oh! That's right. Bury your UPS in a pile of junk, denying it needed cooling air.
Then blame it when it goes belly up. That does make sense Not!



...Galvanized

 

[Minerva]

Lucky lucky lucky you know that?

I don't sit them on carpet any more since then. Good thing you found it as you probably averted a disaster. There's a limit on the charger so it can't get caught into a feedback loop (thermal runaway) but honestly I would not trust it as far as I could throw it.

 

[MWink]

I would never trust any Belkin power protection product. I think the rotten eggs smell is the battery venting hydrogen. I believe it is explosive so you may want to open some windows. I would recommend replacing the UPS with one from a better company like APC or Tripp Lite.

 

[Operandi]

Originally posted by: Minerva
Lucky lucky lucky you know that?

I don't sit them on carpet any more since then. Good thing you found it as you probably averted a disaster. There's a limit on the charger so it can't get caught into a feedback loop (thermal runaway) but honestly I would not trust it as far as I could throw it.

I can speak to that...

One of the APC Pro series at work had a battery go bad and subsequently overheated. All the status LEDs showed everything was A-OK but I knew something was wrong when the cabinet it was housed in was noticeably warmer then everything else in the room. The UPS itself was nearly too hot to touch.

 

[Kwad Guy]

Originally posted by: GalvanizedYankee
I'm not running to Belkin's defence. Any UPS can have a battery short out internally.
I just replaced the batteries in a 1200 Belkin I have, after 4 years of good service.

EDIT: Oh! That's right. Bury your UPS in a pile of junk, denying it needed cooling air.
Then blame it when it goes belly up. That does make sense Not!



...Galvanized

Actually, the side vents on the UPS were free and clear. There was junk on top of the UPS, but there are no vents on top (and I wouldn't have expected it to be running so hot in any case). Yeah, I know, passive cooling by radiating heat through the top...

At any rate, I just remember that I have a pile of brand new (and factory fresh) APC RBC2A replacement batteries, which are apparently compatible with this UPS. So I guess I'll pop a couple in and see if that clears things up. (If not, I guess it's a circuit board issue).

Of course, Belkin, while claiming the batteries are replaceable, doesn't actually provide any instructions for doing so. Anyone know of an instruction manual for replacing the batteries? (Other than: Open it up and it will be obvious, which will be my next mode of attack).

Kwad

 

[Kwad Guy]

I opened the UPS up tonight. The two batteries in the UPS were melted (well the plastic covers, anyway). No wonder it smelled like crap!

I replaced the batteries with some new Tripp-Lite compatible replacements (RBC2A). Man, whoever engineered this thing SUCKS. I've replaced UPS batteries before and they were mostly: Remove cover, pull battery, replace battery, done.

For this thing, you need to remove the circuit board (which means unplugging everything from it and then pulling it), and unbolt AND unscrew a cage that surrounds the batteries. I don't think they could have made it harder to replace the batteries!

Anyway, I replaced the batteries, ran the self-test, which says AOK (of course, it didn't alert me before when it was cooking the old batteries, so I'm not impressed...) and now it's charging. I'm going to keep a VERY close eye on it until the batteries charge, to see if if starts to cook those too (bad circuit board)...

Kwad

 

[soydios]

The smell of rotten eggs would come from sulfur. As in the sulfur that comes from the sulfuric acid in the battery. So, if you smell rotten eggs, the stuff that makes your battery go is disappearing.

=\

 

[nippyjun]

What do you do with the old batteries?

 

[Kwad Guy]

You are supposed to recycle them.

Incidentally, for those of you waiting for an update (I hear one hand clapping), replacing the batteries in my UPS fixed the problem. The unit is running at normal (only slightly warm) temperature.

I'm not impressed at the electronics, in that they didn't seem to be able to figure out that the old batteries weren't taking a charge and continued to charge until the batteries started to melt. Could a fire have been in the future if I hadn't noticed the problem?

Kwad

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

That even happens with some APC units.

I load test the batteries every three months. Load testing will be found in the UPS's
software


...Galvanized