Several UPS units failed within about a year of operation.
Several UPS units failed within about a year of operation.
I own two APC Back-UPS Pro 900 units and both failed within a year. The batteries stopped charging and even fresh batteries didn’t help. I sent them in for warranty, received two brand new units with fresh batteries. One year later they again failed, and I got them replaced once more. Recently I tried installing one of them. I connected the battery and plugged it into the wall, but didn’t power it on since APC advised charging for at least 16 hours. Today I turned it on without any connection and it worked briefly before shutting off after 5 seconds. After unplugging, I tried again—display flickered but nothing else happened. I removed the battery, waited a few minutes, reinserted it, and turned it on. The display dimmed, sparks flew from the top, and it sounded like capacitors failed. It seems unusual that five UPS units died in such a short time. Could it be my outlets are faulty, or was this just bad luck? Other devices on the same outlets seem to work normally.
Well, this situation is definitely unusual. Devices should generally function as long as their warranty covers them. (I’m sure more than just the warranty matters here). Battery life is usually described in terms of discharge-recharge cycles. If you notice only occasional power drops, your battery should remain functional for a long time. Constant power losses mean the battery will discharge and recharge more frequently, which accelerates wear. That’s clearly not ideal. I wouldn’t send such a UPS to someone without certainty about whether repairs will restore it safely. You might want to inspect your outlets for proper grounding (a good ground is essential for a UPS). Also, frequent switching between battery and power supply while the system is running could signal unstable electricity, triggering protection mechanisms often. Other devices might handle these fluctuations better than a UPS, which explains why you should still check your outlets. I agree with this point. However, I’m unsure if the information you provided is a lucky break or just a coincidence. It might not be the perfect fix, but I have some advice based on my experience. I’ve switched from APC UPSes to Cyberpower models in the past. The latter generally performed better. They use standard batteries instead of expensive APC replacements. I only had one broken Cyberpower, whereas I experienced three with APC. Cyberpower usually comes with extra features like USB charging ports or silent alarms that APC models lacked. This is just my perspective—results can differ. Good luck!
I have a lot of APC units at home, and the nearest one that’s failing is the warning beeper on it. It looks like a bad sign, but maybe that’s just fate. I’d rather not spend more than I already have on this kind of luck.
It might be your wall outlet. Where are you located in the world? Are you in a home or an apartment? How old is the building? I'm just checking if your area has stable electricity. Also, what devices are connected to the same circuit? Are there any air conditioners or refrigerators? Many computers are plugged in? Do you connect the UPS to your computer? If yes, do you often switch back to battery power?
I experienced brief power interruptions lasting no more than 30 seconds. It seems the issue might be related to frequent outlet switching—three or four times daily, each lasting only a few seconds. The UPS was connected to the same outlet that previously failed when unplugged. Perhaps inspecting the outlets earlier would have helped. The wiring is quite old, around 20 years, and was installed by someone the previous contractor knew, which likely affects its stability.
Honestly, the wiring in my house was installed by an electrician 50 years ago and wasn't working well until I fixed it myself. Good luck!
I'm located in the EU, focusing on Germany specifically. The workplace has an older building with outdated wiring. There are two outlets per pair, each protected by its own 230V/16A breaker. The main issue seems to be the wiring was installed by someone close to the previous owner 20 or 30 years ago, and my boss didn't replace it even though everything appeared fine. The RJ45 connections were added at the same time and remain connected to old CAT5 cables—no upgrade to CAT5e. This isn't just about cost; back then, 1Gbps was rare and speeds were limited to around 16Mbit/s over ADSL.
It's odd, I tend to purchase almost anything from gigabyte but steer clear of MSI like it hurts because their GPUs and motherboards had a much higher failure rate than other brands at least for me.