UPS FOR COMPUTER

[ctribble]

HAS ANYONE USED THE APC BACKUPS ES 725VA 120V 8 OUT.

I need to have some type of battery backup and was looking to buy this one?

Any thoughts, comments, concerns?

[Woolburr]

I have APC units on all my computers and big screen TVs. That is nice unit for a small system. I use a Back-Ups 1250 on each of my desktop systems.

[sadatk]

I have the 500 which is about the same design and it works great for power failures or hiccups. Gives me time to save my work and shut down the PC.

[Tixeon]

I wouldn't hook up a computer system without at least a 750VA APC unit. More is even better.

[gjl711]

I wouldn't hook up a computer system without at least a 750VA APC unit. More is even better.Having a UPS is a great thing. I never compute without one. But be aware that the VA number really only tells you how much power it can deliver, not how long it lasts. a 700~750VA UPS will deliver about 450 watts max which is a pretty decent size desk top and monitor but dependent on battery size, it might only deliver that for a few minutes. If you need more, you can do what I did. I replaced the the two 7AH batteries in my APC700 with two tractor batteries I went from about 12 minutes to over 18 hours.

[toneyw]

18hrs is one serious UPS. . .

[gjl711]

18hrs is one serious UPS. . .I'm out in the sticks, we have lots of outages. ;)

[Woolburr]

Having a UPS is a great thing. I replaced the the two 7AH batteries in my APC700 with two tractor batteries I went from about 12 minutes to over 18 hours.

And does Powerchute still do run time calculations and status reporting for you?:lol::lol::lol:

[Tixeon]

Holy Crap!! that's a long run. Did you use 12V Tractor batteries as in Lawnmower or Tractor as in plowing? Can you tell us how you wired them up?

[gjl711]

Holy Crap!! that's a long run. Did you use 12V Tractor batteries as in Lawnmower or Tractor as in plowing? Can you tell us how you wired them up?
Yes, it's very simple. I have four UPSes in the house and in all 4 the sealed lead acid batteries went bad in about 12~18 months. Their replacement cost is about $75 apiece and the 700 has two batteries. Well that is 1/2 the cost of a new unit so I figured that a car battery would work as it too is a lead acid battery. As I was walking down Home Depot one day I spotted lawn tractor batteries, $17 a piece and much smaller than a car battery so I picked up two.

Wiring them is was simple. The batteries are wired in series as the 700 needs 24 VDC. I also have two APC 650s and one APC 450. Those are only 12 VDC and only needed one battery. When you open the bottom on the UPS battery compartment, the battery will slide out. Attached to the battery are the positive (red) and ground (black) wires.

I picked up some 8 gauge stranded wire at the Depot as well. I cut off the end connectors of the wires in the UPS and soldered on the extensions red to red and black to black and taped them up.

I drilled two holes in the front plastic case, closed the battery compartment door and then its simply wiring the positive to the negative between the two batteries and taping them together. Then attaching the black wire to the remaining negative terminal of the battery and attaching the red to the open positive terminal and plug the UPS back in.

For single battery units all you need to do is attach black to negative and red to positive.

The battery will not fit back in he compartment so I have it sitting either next to, or on top of the UPS housing. The terminals of the batteries don't need to be covered as it's only 12 VDC and harmless.

One thing to remember though, that when the batteries are attached, everything inside is HOT and there is 120VAC in there with enough kick to kill you so the last step in the process is attaching the battery. Also if you ever need to do anything with the unit, detach the battery first as well. Kick a$$ UPS for $35.

[Tixeon]

Thanks gjl711. I just got myself a new project. Project = non paying work.

[Tom W]

Having a UPS is a great thing. I never compute without one. But be aware that the VA number really only tells you how much power it can deliver, not how long it lasts. a 700~750VA UPS will deliver about 450 watts max which is a pretty decent size desk top and monitor but dependent on battery size, it might only deliver that for a few minutes. If you need more, you can do what I did. I replaced the the two 7AH batteries in my APC700 with two tractor batteries I went from about 12 minutes to over 18 hours.

I like that setup. Might mimic it some day. My APC will give me about 25 minutes with the CRT - probably a lot more if I had a low-power LCD. But nothing like 18 hours.

EDIT - I've got to add this: Did you consider some type of tray or container for the batteries in case they leak or the housing cracks? I know they're sealed but an extra layer of protection wouldn't hurt.

[gjl711]

...
EDIT - I've got to add this: Did you consider some type of tray or container for the batteries in case they leak or the housing cracks? I know they're sealed but an extra layer of protection wouldn't hurt. Probably not a bad idea but I figure that the only way they can break is if their dropped. They will never freeze inside and the whole thing weighs a lot.

[deadpass]

you don't have to vent those batteries?

[gjl711]

you don't have to vent those batteries?The batteries themselves have vented caps. I wouldn't put them in a box. but they really don't put out any fumes

[SuzyView]

I just got the APS 650, I think for my computers. We've been having outages and the cable goes out. So, no internet when that happens, but at least my computers are still on.

[gjl711]

I just got the APS 650, I think for my computers. We've been having outages and the cable goes out. So, no internet when that happens, but at least my computers are still on. Get one for your cable modem and networking equipment as well. It doesn't have to be a vary large one as routers and cable modems tend to not use much current.

[Zepher]

The batteries themselves have vented caps. I wouldn't put them in a box. but they really don't put out any fumes

Optima batteries would be good, as they are totally sealed.

[gjl711]

Optima batteries would be good, as they are totally sealed.Optima batteries are nice, but they are over $100 for a small 12 VDC battery.

[Zepher]

Optima batteries are nice, but they are over $100 for a small 12 VDC battery.

If you know where to get them, you can get blems (retail units that have blemishes on the body) for about $35-50. I got the three Red Tops that I had for $120.