problem with ups?

[ethereal]

i got this alert which i never got before
ALERT
UPS ups battery level low.
2021-03-01 12:00:39 (America/New_York)Dismiss

this is a printout from my ups script

Time: 2021-03-18 00:05:00

=== CPS UPS, model CP685AVR-G, serial number ===

Name: ups
Status: OL
Output Load: 29%
Real Power: 390W (nominal)
Input Voltage: 122.0V
Output Voltage: 122.0V
Battery Runtime: 1380s
Battery Charge: 100%
Battery Voltage: 13.1V

what does this alert mean should i be worried?

 

[Elliot Dierksen]

It could be your batteries are degraded, or your load has increased. The UPS must have a threshold that says runtime below X minutes/seconds constitutes battery low. How old are your batteries, and have you added anything to the UPS that would have increased the load on it?

 

[ethereal]

It could be your batteries are degraded, or your load has increased. The UPS must have a threshold that says runtime below X minutes/seconds constitutes battery low. How old are your batteries, and have you added anything to the UPS that would have increased the load on it?

the ups has always been at 29% - the ups is 5 years old
my ups doesn't have a display

 

[Elliot Dierksen]

the ups is 5 years old

I would expect that the batteries are ready for replacement. Do you have any history on the estimated run time? I would imagine it has dropped over time.

 

[ethereal]

I would expect that the batteries are ready for replacement. Do you have any history on the estimated run time? I would imagine it has dropped over time.

CP685AVRG

The CyberPower CP685AVRG uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system provides battery backup and surge protection for lightning-induced surges and other power events that can damage electronic equipment. This UPS, with line-interactive topology, uses simulated sine wave output to deliver battery...

www.cyberpowersystems.com

at my load approx 20 minutes - i have it set to shut down the server after 30 secs

 

[Elliot Dierksen]

at my load approx 20 minutes - i have it set to shut down the server after 30 secs

I suspect there is something in the upsd/nut config that considers the available runtime to be low. It could also be the voltage. Again, at 5 years I would say the batteries are ready for replacement regardless.

 

[Hellione]

yes, most vendors recommend battery replacement after 3-4 years. i just checked your products user manual. try a battery test:

Mode Switch (For CP825AVRLCD-G/CP685AVRLCD-G): Press the Mode Switch for approximately 3
seconds to enter setup mode to view options: Utility High/low Voltage range, sensitivity setup, LCD
sleep ON/OFF, battery test, buzzer ON/OFF, and low battery alarm. When an option is selected, wait
for 8 seconds for the setting to be confirmed. After the setting has been confirmed the LCD screen will
leave setup mode and go back to status display. If there is no action for 8 seconds during setup, the
LCD will also leave setup mode and go back to the status display.

And your vendor Cyberpower writes: Lead-acid batteries, even when in use, generally have a lifespan of about 3-5 years.

 

[ethereal]

yes, most vendors recommend battery replacement after 3-4 years. i just checked your products user manual. try a battery test:

Mode Switch (For CP825AVRLCD-G/CP685AVRLCD-G): Press the Mode Switch for approximately 3
seconds to enter setup mode to view options: Utility High/low Voltage range, sensitivity setup, LCD
sleep ON/OFF, battery test, buzzer ON/OFF, and low battery alarm. When an option is selected, wait
for 8 seconds for the setting to be confirmed. After the setting has been confirmed the LCD screen will
leave setup mode and go back to status display. If there is no action for 8 seconds during setup, the
LCD will also leave setup mode and go back to the status display.

And your vendor Cyberpower writes: Lead-acid batteries, even when in use, generally have a lifespan of about 3-5 years.

thanks your your reply but my ups does not have a screen. CP685AVRG

 

[Hellione]

ok then just swap your old battery

 

[ethereal]

ok then just swap your old battery

i have a new ups - my wife and son will replace it when they have a chance. $71 from amazon

 

[joeschmuck]

Post the output of upsc ups which will have the UPS display a list of values. I too believe the UPS thinks the batteries are too old. I can't speak to Cyberpower but I have an APC UPS which has Windoze software that can perform a battery test and you can also tell the UPS that you replaced the battery, even if you didn't just to reset the battery timer.

Another test you can do is power off your connected computer and then unplug the UPS, check how long it lasts until it's dead. Plug it back in and charge it back up. If the batteries are really bad then it will die much faster than expected. It's a tuff way to verify the battery but it will find a problem.

And good that you have another UPS coming. Warning - Inspect the UPS after it arrives! They are heavy and most made of cheap plastic and because they are heavy, end up broken often when shipping.

 

[VioletDragon]

the ups has always been at 29% - the ups is 5 years old
my ups doesn't have a display

Depending on what UPS it is, Batteries needs to be replaced after 5 years. If they are not originals then batteries can degrade much soon. Always test batteries once a month. I would also do a self test.

 

[ethereal]

root@freenas:~ # uspc ups
uspc: Command not found.
root@freenas:~ # upsc ups
battery.charge: 100
battery.charge.low: 10
battery.charge.warning: 20
battery.mfr.date: CPS
battery.runtime: 1440
battery.runtime.low: 300
battery.type: PbAcid
battery.voltage: 13.1
battery.voltage.nominal: 12
device.mfr: CPS
device.model: CP685AVR-G
device.type: ups
driver.name: usbhid-ups
driver.parameter.pollfreq: 30
driver.parameter.pollinterval: 2
driver.parameter.port: auto
driver.parameter.synchronous: no
driver.version: 2.7.4
driver.version.data: CyberPower HID 0.4
driver.version.internal: 0.41
input.transfer.high: 140
input.transfer.low: 90
input.voltage: 122.0
input.voltage.nominal: 120
output.voltage: 122.0
ups.beeper.status: enabled
ups.delay.shutdown: 20
ups.delay.start: 30
ups.load: 29
ups.mfr: CPS
ups.model: CP685AVR-G
ups.productid: 0501
ups.realpower.nominal: 390
ups.status: OL
ups.timer.shutdown: -1
ups.timer.start: 0
ups.vendorid: 0764

 

[VioletDragon]

root@freenas:~ # uspc ups
uspc: Command not found.
root@freenas:~ # upsc ups
battery.charge: 100
battery.charge.low: 10
battery.charge.warning: 20
battery.mfr.date: CPS
battery.runtime: 1440
battery.runtime.low: 300
battery.type: PbAcid
battery.voltage: 13.1
battery.voltage.nominal: 12
device.mfr: CPS
device.model: CP685AVR-G
device.type: ups
driver.name: usbhid-ups
driver.parameter.pollfreq: 30
driver.parameter.pollinterval: 2
driver.parameter.port: auto
driver.parameter.synchronous: no
driver.version: 2.7.4
driver.version.data: CyberPower HID 0.4
driver.version.internal: 0.41
input.transfer.high: 140
input.transfer.low: 90
input.voltage: 122.0
input.voltage.nominal: 120
output.voltage: 122.0
ups.beeper.status: enabled
ups.delay.shutdown: 20
ups.delay.start: 30
ups.load: 29
ups.mfr: CPS
ups.model: CP685AVR-G
ups.productid: 0501
ups.realpower.nominal: 390
ups.status: OL
ups.timer.shutdown: -1
ups.timer.start: 0
ups.vendorid: 0764

It is only 390w UPS so i would check to see how much power your Server and other devices are drawing because you could be over loading the UPS. I would also recommend looking at Pure Sinewave UPS's

 

[Hellione]

these output doesnt help in any way, at least in connected state. the voltage can be good, until you use the battery. pull the power cable, wait some seconds, and do again. i bet you will see a massive voltage drop. thats why all ups switch to battery mode for self test.

and no @violet, look at post 1, he is using 29% of output power, and says it is all the time this low.

 

[joeschmuck]

I don't see anything of warning that relates to your original failure indication of low battery which should not be the same thing as replace battery but what do I know. All I could ask you is if you had a power outage, even if it lasted only a few seconds? And the timestamps provided state that the Alert occurred at midnight March 1st and your printout of the UPS status was on March 18th.

So I'm going to say that if you only had the one occurrence of the alert and it was 25 days ago, and at midnight, that you may have had some sort of glitch or power outage. If it happens again on April 1st then I'd investigate more on the make/model UPS you have. But also unplug the UPS from the wall for a few minutes, you should get an alert that the UPS is on battery power or maybe get a battery low message. The trick is to find out if the UPS has enough power to run the NAS for a few minutes before a shutdown occurs.

 

[ethereal]

I don't see anything of warning that relates to your original failure indication of low battery which should not be the same thing as replace battery but what do I know. All I could ask you is if you had a power outage, even if it lasted only a few seconds? And the timestamps provided state that the Alert occurred at midnight March 1st and your printout of the UPS status was on March 18th.

So I'm going to say that if you only had the one occurrence of the alert and it was 25 days ago, and at midnight, that you may have had some sort of glitch or power outage. If it happens again on April 1st then I'd investigate more on the make/model UPS you have. But also unplug the UPS from the wall for a few minutes, you should get an alert that the UPS is on battery power or maybe get a battery low message. The trick is to find out if the UPS has enough power to run the NAS for a few minutes before a shutdown occurs.

i think i will uplug the ups and see if the server shuts down safely. if it shuts does i will keep my original ups for now.
if i get another alert or the server fails to shutdown safely i will replace the ups

 

[ethereal]

i tested my ups today - i got some emails but nothing clear about whether it shut down properly or crashed.

where can i find the information i need? i rebooted the server and i can't see in alerts that the server booted safely or crashed

 

[joeschmuck]

The log files should say the system was shut down (not just some typical messages and then suddenly a bootup sequence). Unfortunately I have my server turned off right now and I'm at work, but if you tested it, I would assume you did it when you were present. You should have seen your computer power off well before the UPS powered off. If the UPS was still operating and TrueNAS was offline then you know it worked. I also like to know that I had at least 5 minutes to spare once the TrueNAS system shut down before the UPS powered itself off.

 

[ethereal]

The log files should say the system was shut down (not just some typical messages and then suddenly a bootup sequence). Unfortunately I have my server turned off right now and I'm at work, but if you tested it, I would assume you did it when you were present. You should have seen your computer power off well before the UPS powered off. If the UPS was still operating and TrueNAS was offline then you know it worked. I also like to know that I had at least 5 minutes to spare once the TrueNAS system shut down before the UPS powered itself off.

thank you for you reply - where are the log files i am interested in?