Where can I buy replacement battery for my UPS?

[FreshPrince]

It's an APC Backup UPS Pro 500 USB (BP500U).

Has anyone replaced one of these before?

 

[apoppin]

From APC.

However, it's just (about) as expensive to buy a new one - especially if you stay on top of "Hot Deals". Quite often they are very reasonable after rebate.

I have TWO 350va UPSs. One for my 'puter and the other for the monitor. Total costs after rebates for both was $10.

EDIT: My old ones (the battery never really "dies" - at least for years) go to backing up the VCR, the phone and even CFL (lights) in case of a blackout.

 

[ScrapSilicon]

pull battery out ..go to a local battery supplier..i.e. a real battery place..not AutoZone/Checkers/Kragen..look in the phone book..call around..but apoppin is correct.. but bought a pr for my 700 for $50...replace the 700 would be $150..got the 700 for free because a company said it was dead..

 

[arcas]

Gah. You'll pay out the a$$ if you buy your replacement battery from APC You'll get a good warranty and I believe APC will arrange to dispose of your old battery but still...

If you know your battery's specs (physical size, voltage, capacity and type of connector), check a place like batteries.com or even an electronics supplier like mouser.com before resorting to APC

 

[Dabappa]

You could try the electronics catalog places like Allied Electronics (www.alliedelec.com) or Newark (www.newark.com). Although, you will have to remove the battery pack to get the manufacturer, model #, etc. off of the cells. You might also have to cross reference to a different manufacturer.

A while back, I looked into doing this on an APC 500VA UPS salvaged from work, but the batteries were expensive, almost as much as a new UPS.

Good Luck,

 

[apoppin]

Your timing is Good! APC for $29.99 at OD after MIR

 

[Savyj]

Believe it or not, Radio Shack carries a full line of UPS replacement batteries at decent prices. I think they are catalog/online order only though

 

[stultus]

If you have "Batteries Plus" in your area, try them. For my 500VA UPS the new battery was $25.

 

[FreshPrince]

replaced it! woot!

 

[MWink]

Be very careful replacing UPS batteries. The brand DOES matter! I tried using a Universal Battery battery (from Batteries.com) in a Back-UPS Pro and the thing started making some not so good noises (pop, gurgle, pop) when it was charged. That battery is currently functioning as a doorstop.

The only 2 brands I have ever seen APC use are CSB and Panasonic. Though I'm not 100% sure but I think the Panasonic's have a much longer life than the CSB's. If you want to go the safe route, get an APC certified battery. You can usually get a good deal on them when Dell has one of it's 20% off + free shipping days.

 

[arcas]

Originally posted by: MWink
Be very careful replacing UPS batteries. The brand DOES matter! I tried using a Universal Battery battery (from Batteries.com) in a Back-UPS Pro and the thing started making some not so good noises (pop, gurgle, pop) when it was charged. That battery is currently functioning as a doorstop.

Good advice. I'm about to buy replacement batts for an APC1400 and batteries.com was near the top of the list. I wasn't aware of this issue. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[Apex]

The Helios ones from Batteries.com seem pretty good. I've had 4 of them (an APC SmartUPS 1400 and SmartUPS 1000XL). They're slightly higher amp than the stock ones, so you get a bit extra runtime, though not that much more.

 

[MWink]

The Helios ones from Batteries.com seem pretty good.

The problem is, you don't always get ones made by Helios. The battery I ordered WAS a Helios. The battery I got was a Universal Battery battery (though the Batteries.com sticker still referred to it as a Helios battery). I agree the Helios ones do work fine but you don't always get them. It's a gamble (just like overclocking ).