# UPS batteries need replacing. Should I just replace entire unit?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ups-batteries-need-replacing-should-i-just-replace-entire-unit/948939
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [August 16, 2021, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ups-batteries-need-replacing-should-i-just-replace-entire-unit/948939 "2021-08-16T13:31:08Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)
#### Post date: [August 16, 2021, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ups-batteries-need-replacing-should-i-just-replace-entire-unit/948939/1 "2021-08-16T13:31:08Z")
I have a Tripp-Lite UPS for my computer setup. After a recent power blink in our area, I ran a test and learned that the batteries need replacing.
The unit is 4 years old. A new one costs about $150ish. Two new batteries cost $110ish. Should I save the $40 or so and just replace the batteries? Or is it more prudent to simply replace the entire unit? I know surge protectors, etc., degrade over time…
---
### Author:  [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)
#### Post date: [August 16, 2021, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ups-batteries-need-replacing-should-i-just-replace-entire-unit/948939/2 "2021-08-16T13:40:52Z")
All kinds of companies make batteries–not just the high-priced “genuine, original equipment batteries”. So you might see if you can find some cheaper ones which are well reviewed.
I don’t know how long surge protectors last, but I don’t consider 4 years old electronic equipment as old.
---
### Author:  [@MindsEye\_Watering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MindsEye_Watering)
#### Post date: [August 16, 2021, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ups-batteries-need-replacing-should-i-just-replace-entire-unit/948939/3 "2021-08-16T13:43:21Z")
> [@PastTense](#):
>
> All kinds of companies make batteries–not just the high-priced “genuine, original equipment batteries”.
Second this. Amazon probably has replacement batteries for much less than the genuine ones.
---
### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [August 16, 2021, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ups-batteries-need-replacing-should-i-just-replace-entire-unit/948939/4 "2021-08-16T13:44:26Z")
Isn’t the battery most of what a UPS is? You’ve got a battery, plus a bit of electronics to convert it to AC, to switch it to battery when needed, and to show a few blinkenlights for its status. And all those other electronics should be just a couple of dollars.
---
### Author:  [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)
#### Post date: [August 16, 2021, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ups-batteries-need-replacing-should-i-just-replace-entire-unit/948939/5 "2021-08-16T13:48:11Z")
I am wary of third party batteries because they can be hit or miss. For something that will be in your house and be charged 24/7, it is better to avoid fire hazards and buy a new unit which is better integrated.
Newer units may also have battery health monitors / safety locks which may have been absent 4 years back.
---
### Author:  [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)
#### Post date: [August 16, 2021, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ups-batteries-need-replacing-should-i-just-replace-entire-unit/948939/6 "2021-08-16T14:06:07Z")
I run four 1500VA UPSs in my house. Some of them are over twelve years old. I’ve never replaced an entire unit…just replaced the batteries with whatever reasonable batteries Amazon had available. Never had a problem at all and I haven’t noticed much difference between the different batteries I used. (I’m sure there ARE differences, but they all last about the same amount of time and perform reasonably well.) It’s never made financial sense to me to replace an entire UPS because the batteries went bad/weak, even the smaller units I’ve used.
---
### Author:  [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)
#### Post date: [August 16, 2021, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ups-batteries-need-replacing-should-i-just-replace-entire-unit/948939/7 "2021-08-16T14:14:51Z")
Thanks, all. I’m going to split the difference and get some Tripp-Lite brand batteries (rather than get random 3rd-party batteries or replace the entire unit).
---
### Author:  [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)
#### Post date: [August 16, 2021, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ups-batteries-need-replacing-should-i-just-replace-entire-unit/948939/8 "2021-08-16T14:32:26Z")
In my experience, whether to replace batteries or buy a new unit depends entirely on the unit in question. My main computer is plugged into an APC SmartUPS that I believe retails for somewhere around $600. IIRC, third-party replacements for its dual-battery system run around $50. Well worth it.
The first time I got replacement batteries for it, it was from a large and presumably reputable firm specializing in selling rebuilt UPSs. They worked, but only lasted a few years. So my next battery purchase was from a different place (a place called UPS Battery Center in Toronto – the name of which I know because they gave me a free pen with their name and number on it – good marketing!) and that battery has been solid for maybe five years now and going strong.
I suspect, however, that all these third-party battery places source their batteries from different manufacturers at different times so the quality may not be consistent.
---
### Author:  [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)
#### Post date: [August 16, 2021, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ups-batteries-need-replacing-should-i-just-replace-entire-unit/948939/9 "2021-08-16T20:49:38Z")
For my UPS I tend to get new batteries once or twice, then the next time get a whole new unit. With the one I just replaced, the connectors were all corroded and stuff so it was time for a full replacement. I live near a BatteriesPlus store so I buy my batteries there.
---
### Author:  [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)
#### Post date: [August 16, 2021, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ups-batteries-need-replacing-should-i-just-replace-entire-unit/948939/10 "2021-08-16T20:59:37Z")
Depending on the type of UPS, I’m with this.
Home UPS units usually get a battery or two, office usually gets new batteries until they die which most APC units do. My main work UPS is a 9 year old 3000VA Liebert which has 2 external battery packs. The OEM Liebert batteries seem to be significantly better quality or the charging circuit is significantly better. The APC units seem to end up with swollen failed batteries that require a hammer and prybar to remove from the UPS leading to their eventual replacement.
---
### Author:  [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2021, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ups-batteries-need-replacing-should-i-just-replace-entire-unit/948939/11 "2021-08-18T19:19:25Z")
Please please take the dead battery to a recycling place. Staples or BestBuy should take it for free at the customer service desk.
Lasting for not much beyond 5 years is typical. Looks like you might have a 1000VA model based on your price? At that range its sort of borderline whether it’s worth it as newer ones may have better features etc. while it will be too prohibitive at higher VA. In your case I’d not regret replacing the battery.
---
### Author:  [@MindsEye\_Watering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MindsEye_Watering)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2021, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ups-batteries-need-replacing-should-i-just-replace-entire-unit/948939/12 "2021-08-18T19:24:20Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#):
>
> Staples or BestBuy should take it for free at the customer service desk.
Home Depot, too.
---
### Author:  [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2021, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ups-batteries-need-replacing-should-i-just-replace-entire-unit/948939/13 "2021-08-18T19:26:44Z")
Good to know. They’ll take CFL lightbulbs but not the long ones, you have to go to Batteries Plus etc. and they technically charge you $3 per but they waived it when I brought in just a few.
If you need to get rid of an old CRT monitor, Staples is better than Bestbuy. Though some industries may actually want your old CRT if it’s a decent one.
---
### Author:  [@Dandan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dandan)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2021, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ups-batteries-need-replacing-should-i-just-replace-entire-unit/948939/14 "2021-08-18T22:51:10Z")
My previous UPS was a Cyberpower, which company could not be bothered to return my inquiries about replacement batteries. When I decided to excavate to see what the battery looked like, I was defeated be very deeply-set screws that I couldn’t find a driver to grip, so…scrap.
Dan
---
### Author:  [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)
#### Post date: [August 19, 2021, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ups-batteries-need-replacing-should-i-just-replace-entire-unit/948939/15 "2021-08-19T02:27:15Z")
I just bought an APC UPS this week. The battery is shipped in the battery bay but inverted so it’s not connected during shipping. The user has to slide it out and turn it upside down to engage it. No tools involved. It will be a piece of cake when the day comes to replace it.
---
### Author:  [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)
#### Post date: [August 19, 2021, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ups-batteries-need-replacing-should-i-just-replace-entire-unit/948939/16 "2021-08-19T09:43:15Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#):
>
> It will be a piece of cake when the day comes to replace it.
Unless the battery failure involves swelling so badly it jams itself inside and can’t be removed without cracking the whole case open, which it likely will.
---
### Author:  [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)
#### Post date: [August 19, 2021, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ups-batteries-need-replacing-should-i-just-replace-entire-unit/948939/17 "2021-08-19T13:11:41Z")
> [@FinsToTheLeft](#):
>
> Unless the battery failure involves swelling so badly it jams itself inside and can’t be removed without cracking the whole case open, which it likely will.
I would certainly not say “likely”, as I have never had that happen, and I’ve used many different UPS systems with many different batteries. They’ve always been the sealed lead-acid gel batteries that APC has been using. These can indeed swell, but only if overcharged or short-circuited, so that the cell plates overheat. Presumably this can also happen with an inherently defective battery, but I’ve never heard of it happening in normal use under proper operating conditions. In any case, it’s never happened to me.
---
### Author:  [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)
#### Post date: [August 19, 2021, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ups-batteries-need-replacing-should-i-just-replace-entire-unit/948939/18 "2021-08-19T13:30:08Z")
> [@wolfpup](#):
>
> I would certainly not say “likely”, as I have never had that happen, and I’ve used many different UPS systems with many different batteries. They’ve always been the sealed lead-acid gel batteries that APC has been using.
I’ve had a lot of bad luck with APCs. I think the charging circuits are overly aggressive and lead to overcharging. This ranges from the cheap BackUPS line to rack mount SmartUPS.
---
### Author:  [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)
#### Post date: [August 19, 2021, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ups-batteries-need-replacing-should-i-just-replace-entire-unit/948939/19 "2021-08-19T14:56:00Z")
> [@FinsToTheLeft](#):
>
> Unless the battery failure involves swelling so badly it jams itself inside and can’t be removed without cracking the whole case open, which it likely will.
Really? It’s my first UPS so I don’t know what battery failure looks like in those. I have had Lithium ion batteries in phone swell just a bit but not dramatically. The battery tech in my UPS is lead-acid, and I’ve never seen one of those swell.
---
### Author:  [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)
#### Post date: [August 19, 2021, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ups-batteries-need-replacing-should-i-just-replace-entire-unit/948939/20 "2021-08-19T19:01:48Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#):
>
> Really? It’s my first UPS so I don’t know what battery failure looks like in those. I have had Lithium ion batteries in phone swell just a bit but not dramatically. The battery tech in my UPS is lead-acid, and I’ve never seen one of those swell.
On the larger APC units (1500VA+) the batteries sit in a metal cartridge with a big plug hanging out that plugs into the UPS. I typically get a battery failure warning and then find that the batteries have swollen (but not burst) and I have to use a prybar to get the cartridge out and replace the batteries. (not my picture)
[ ](https://preview.redd.it/ht62u5g37eg41.jpg?width=600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a7c933124bf9d230e37b03f6d0d2a5023bb97537)
[Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ups-batteries-need-replacing-should-i-just-replace-entire-unit/948939.md?page=2)