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How Do You Test UPS Battery?

By Jestine Yong on August 5, 2009

Okay, how do you test UPS battery? UPS stand for Uninterruptible Power Supply and this equipment use the seal lead acid battery type. If you check the voltage of the battery with a normal multimeter, then i guess it is not accurate because a bad battery may also show a good voltage. The battery will fail under load test! If you really need to accurately test the battery you need a battery tester that is design to test such battery like the one in the photo. For a good battery the pointer will kick up and stay there and you could feel the heat underneath the meter (perhaps there are big resistors to act as a load). You can’t test it for long as it can become very hot. At least with this test you are now know that the battery is good.

If the battery is weak (but multimeter showing good voltage) the pointer will flick and then gradually coming down. In fact this type of meter is design to test on the automobile battery and can be used to check on seal lead acid battery too. Do you have other way to accurately test a seal lead acid battery? Appreciate your comment-thanks

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31 Comments

Arjunaidi

August 6, 2009 at 10:02 am

two articles on testing sealed lead acid cells

http://testedgroup.com/forum/2008/06/test-method-sealed-lead-acid-batteries

http://www.batterystuff.com/tutorial_battery.html

hope this helps.

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admin

August 6, 2009 at 8:57 pm

HI Arjunaidi,
Thanks for the links.

Jestine

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francis

August 8, 2009 at 5:44 pm

Thanks for that tips on how to test seal lead acid battery. As for other way to test the battery, i think though i have not practicalise it, using Multimeter, car headlamp 12v dc bulb connected together will do this work. If the dc voltage display on the meter stays in a particular point or reading, then that battery is okay, but if the reading starts reducing then the battery is bad.

I will get one of your textbooks by August ending.
Thank you.

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admin

August 9, 2009 at 10:08 pm

Hi Francis,

Thanks for sharing your seal lead acid battery test!

Jestine

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Kolapo O. F

August 11, 2009 at 11:40 pm

how do i purchase the tester

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admin

August 12, 2009 at 7:26 pm

Hi Kolapo,
You can purchase the battery tester from any electronics shop or you can ask mechanic where they got it.

Jestine

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Ravendra

October 23, 2009 at 3:24 am

The way we test sealed batteries here is we measure the ampere-hour remainining. first the batteries are allowed to charge and then we connect a dummy load and set the discharge current. the time da battery discharges and the current is used to calculate da AH remaining. Bye the way, these are big batteries for telecommunication use. (1000 AH)

regards

ravendra

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admin

October 23, 2009 at 7:23 am

Hi Ravendra,

That was a good tip-thanks for sharing!

Jestine

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javed aziz khan

February 1, 2010 at 1:07 pm

Really it is very appreciable and useful tips for those who really un aware about the technical aspects of ups and other computer components like power supply etc.

hoping for better consultations for users

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Comrade simon

October 9, 2010 at 11:48 am

Hi its a wonderful for shearing this document on net
i like that. Thank's for that.

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shankar kumar roy

November 27, 2010 at 7:00 am

my ups battery is not backup when i was open ups case then create power problem.
when plug the wall board then ups power light is auto glow. pl solve

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admin

November 29, 2010 at 8:41 pm

HI Shankar,

Try replace the battery and retest because many back up problem was cause by weak batteries.

Jestine

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hasan

December 17, 2010 at 4:26 pm

hi sir jastine, WISH HAPPY MERY CHRISMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY WISH YOU ALL THE BEST

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admin

December 17, 2010 at 10:54 pm

Hi Hasan,

Thanks!

Jestine

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sushil kodre

April 28, 2011 at 5:40 am

do you have other way for battery test...

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admin

April 28, 2011 at 8:18 am

HI Sushil,

I believe there are more ways to test a UPS battery but it may use a more sophisticated tester to test it.

Jestine

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Amir Mukhtar

May 4, 2011 at 3:32 pm

Sir Jestine
This is very interesting topic and nowadays hot issue in pakistan as well because off Load shadding in electricity flow.
Actually, i do work on UPS and have some knowledge repair to manufacture a good UPS.

Batteries acutually kick up the force to ups in order to generate artificial electric energy by circuitry inside the UPS having Astable multivibrator namely OSCILLATOR which create frequency cycles 50/60 HZ with step up transformer.
On the other hand Batteries provides 12 volts DC and Current in Amperes. so thinked before check the battery what will be requirment so as to check the battery.
Although, Battery tester is the best way to check the battery condition But, one more way is available to check battery at home if battery is fully charged.
For example, Connect the Ampere meter in series between UPS and Battery. to be noted meter will be attached between Red + wire in series and switch on the UPS to work as electricity failed.

Observe the meter reading and add load on UPS AC output connection.
IF the Ampere meter reading goes down than confirm battery having problem or faulty other wise battery condition shows itself ok.

Regards
Amir Mukhtar
Thanks you

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admin

May 4, 2011 at 9:32 pm

Hi Amir,

Thanks for the good info.

Jestine

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ups battery

July 13, 2011 at 9:26 pm

I don't know whether the digital battery test can do that.

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admin

July 14, 2011 at 5:18 am

Hi,

You can try that.

Jestine

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forhad

September 10, 2011 at 11:58 pm

How many prize of this battery tester. Please inform to me.

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admin

September 11, 2011 at 12:54 am

HI Forhad,

Sorry i d not sell battery tester but the price should be in the range of USD40 to USD50.00

Jestine

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Tushara

January 27, 2012 at 2:13 pm

I need a battery tester send me quartation

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admin

January 29, 2012 at 4:54 pm

HI Tushara,

Sorry i do not sell battery tester.

Jestine

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Emmanuel

August 12, 2012 at 6:09 am

hi, can you recommend a battery tester that can test the voltage as well as current without having to put a load on the battery?

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- Jestine Yong
  
  August 14, 2012 at 3:08 am
  
  Hi Emmanuel,
  
  Sorry haven't come across such tester yet.
  
  Jestine
  
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Anwar Shiekh

August 25, 2012 at 12:46 pm

Most UPS units do their own load test (on start-up and periodically thereafter).

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Syed Muhammad Tahir Hussain

October 22, 2012 at 1:33 am

Dear Sir,
I am working in Atlas Battery Limited (AGS) Pakistan,
we can check UPS and battery performance by multimeter.
(1) UPS charging volts , it goes to 13.9 to 14.5
(2) Battery discharging end / cut volts , 9.5 to 10.5 V
(3) Charging starting voltage , 11.9 to 12.3 V
(4) Battery voltage check during discharging.
Best Regards,
Tahir Hussain

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- Jestine Yong
  
  October 22, 2012 at 10:11 pm
  
  Hi Tahir,
  
  Thanks for the tip.
  
  Jestine
  
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fiamm

October 2, 2013 at 4:32 am

Very nice tutorial thanks a lot

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Humberto N. Rdguez.

January 10, 2014 at 12:37 am

Hi Mr. Jestine Yong, another way we use to check the US battery in connecting a paralell a car light bulb of 12 v for a while, then we can check at simple sight how remains the ilumination. Of course that a tester is much better

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