Is my UPS too weak?

[Ceetan]

Is my UPS too weak?

Have driven my NAS for almost a year on a UPS that I purchased 2016-09-17 (kjell & co, Sweden). Last night, it suddenly gave up, even though it was not exposed to any obvious extra stress. all connected devices shut down when it happened, but seems to be functioning, fortunately. In addition to NAS, I have sometimes connected a mobile charger to the UPS. Currently, the thing is disconnected, but upon activation is beeps frantically and the light flashes red

Could it be that it is because it is insufficient for what I have it, or is this the normal life expetancy for the device and or battery?

Anyone who has a good suggestion of any alternative/ Action to take?
Tech Specs:

FreeNAS-11.0-U4
MOBO: Supermicro X11SSL-CF with
CPU: Intel Core i3-6100
RAM 2 * 16GB Crucial DDR4 ECC 2133MHz (CT2K16G4WFD8213)
8 * WD Red WD40EFRX 64MB 4TB in RAIDZ2
BOOT: 90GB Corsair SSD
CASE: Fractal design node 804
PSU: EVGA SuperNOVA 650 G2
UPS: APC BE700G-GR,

 

[Chris Moore]

I would bet on the UPS being too small for the load. A properly sized UPS should last 3 or 4 years and then just need a new battery pack to go another 3 to 4 years.

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[wblock]

It might be the UPS has failed, or just that the battery is dead. If you can determine that the battery is the problem, they are easily replaceable.

Some UPS designs overcharge the battery and can kill them quickly. The cheaper home office models are more likely to do that, and some specific models more than others. I have one home APC unit that will reliably kill a battery in a year.

 

[Chris Moore]

UPS: APC BE700G-GR,

I went back an looked up that model of UPS and it is only rated for 405 watts of load. Your computer has a 650 watt power supply. Admittedly, the system will not be taking 650 watts all the time, but with other components connected to the UPS it was likely overloaded.
Additionally, that model has a terribly small battery to begin with.

I would suggest getting one of the APC 1500 va UPS units such as this one:
http://www.apc.com/shop/nl/en/products/APC-Power-Saving-Back-UPS-Pro-1500-230V-Schuko/P-BR1500G-GR#

 

[Ceetan]

I went back an looked up that model of UPS and it is only rated for 405 watts of load. Your computer has a 650 watt power supply. Admittedly, the system will not be taking 650 watts all the time, but with other components connected to the UPS it was likely overloaded.
Additionally, that model has a terribly small battery to begin with.

I would suggest getting one of the APC 1500 va UPS units such as this one:
http://www.apc.com/shop/nl/en/products/APC-Power-Saving-Back-UPS-Pro-1500-230V-Schuko/P-BR1500G-GR#

You are probably right, though I have a feeling my PSU is over sized for what it does (It was supremely priced at the time of purchase, that being the reason for it.

Sadly that ups It was all I could afford at the time. I'll certainly be eying one of the mor powerful units. If you wouldn't mind, could you tell me how to properly judge the size of a ups?

 

[Chris Moore]

I look for the number of watts of load the UPS is rated for and the rated run time at that load. Keeping in mind that the runtime will become less as the batteries degrade over time.
I always plan to have enough running time that the server can shutdown gracefully if the power is out for around ten minutes.

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[danb35]

I look for the number of watts of load the UPS is rated for and the rated run time at that load.

...and unfortunately that information isn't generally made very obvious. APC does print charts of runtime vs. load for at least some of their models, but I haven't seen that from other vendors. UPSs are generally sized on peak power output (which isn't very useful in most cases), rather than total energy capacity (a much more relevant metric for most users).

...which is why I have about 1.3 kWh of batteries on my UPS.

 

[Chris Moore]

APC does print charts of runtime vs. load for at least some of their models

Which is the reason I usually end up with APC instead of one of the other vendors that doesn't give good information about their hardware.

 

[ethereal]

cyberpower have the charts as well

 

[tvsjr]

And Cyberpower doesn't boil the batteries like APC does.

 

[Chris Moore]

And Cyberpower doesn't boil the batteries like APC does.

I do replace a good number of batteries every year. You have better luck with CyberPower?
I have a few of them, but not nearly as many as the APC units.

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[ethereal]

i've had mine for 2 years and 2 months - no problems with it or the batteries

 

[tvsjr]

I do replace a good number of batteries every year. You have better luck with CyberPower?
I have a few of them, but not nearly as many as the APC units.

I've replaced everything that was APC, because I got tired of having to use a hammer and 2x4 to force swollen batteries out. I've got a 3KVa online and spare battery pack in my server closet, plus 4-5 1500Va units throughout the house. I've had issues with one (the UPS kept running, but the digital display and all the "smarts" died). I called Cyberpower, they acknowledged an issue, cross-shipped me a new unit without needing any credit card info, and took the old one for proper disposal.

Supposedly, APC has fixed some of their issues in the brand-new product lines, but I don't have much experience with those. The Cyberpower stuff just works. And at a substantially better price point. I can afford to buy Cyberpower new, where APC gets a tad spendy.

 

[Ceetan]

Currently had very good experience with APC:s customer support. These are the APC units i found that seemsed adequat.

https://www.proshop.se/…/APC-Back-UPS-Pro-1500-UPS-…/2326701

or
https://www.proshop.se/…/APC-ENERGISNAaL-Back-UPS-P…/2231096
What are the significant diffrences?

For completenes sake,
could anyone point me to a cyber power alternative?

 

[nightshade00013]

I have to agree that the APC units cook batteries. Starting off with stuff I ended up with a couple of them. The one Running my FreeNAS has been better hands down. I replaced batteries in the APC units and out of three I have two were dead within about a year and started the "whine of death" where it would trouble for no reason, have to power off then back on and be ok for another couple months. One unit killed a battery within just a couple months so I now pretty much just use them without batteries as nice surge protectors.

Have considered using the "backup" section as a modified inverter for in a vehicle to always be able to supply 120V power when needed since it will never charge a battery and I can just put a relay in place to disconnect from the battery.

CyberPower-CP1500AVRLCD is what I have and would be a 110 V alternative to the APC systems

 

[wblock]

I have not had trouble with batteries in Smart-UPS systems, the more expensive line. The Back-UPS units, particularly the units that look like overgrown power strips, I have seen go through batteries in less than a year.

 

[tvsjr]

My last straw was when a SmartUPS (SUA1500, the black one) started blowing fire out the vents on both sides of the unit. I've had to use an 8lb. hammer and a block of wood to drive many swollen batteries out of other SmartUPS units as well.

Supposedly the latest stuff is better. But I can buy a Cyberpower unit for less money, brand new, and I've had good luck with their product and their support. So, they're my current favorite.

As for which unit, I currently run and am very happy with:
OL3000RTXL2U (3KVa online double-conversion UPS) + BP72V60ART2U (expansion battery module) - server closet
OR2200LCDRTXL2U (2.2KVa UPS) - my office
4x CP1500PFCLCD (1.5KVa UPS) - wife's office, entertainment center, etc.