skip to main content

APC Power Conditioner & Battery Back-up Issues

7 years ago

I have a friend that installed an APC J type Power Conditioner & Battery Back-up on her entertainment system a few months back. She's on a rural electrical system and was having power surges and wanted to protect her equipment. She e-mailed me yesterday to say that her TV and satellite receiver was turning off and rebooting and wondered if the battery was out. APC says these should last 3 - 6 years before needing replacement. Even if the battery is bad wouldn't power still flow through the outlets to the equipment? Nothing else in the house is turning off like this and she said there's a floor lamp in the same wall outlet that the power conditioner is plugged into.

I've checked out the APC support site and there's no discussion I could find on a unit failing like this.

Suggestions?

TIA

Featured Answer

Mike C

7 years ago

While the battery is rated to last 3-6 years, it could die within weeks of installing, but not likely. What is the floor lamp doing? Has she tried removing the UPS from the circuit? If floor lamp isn't turning off and on, that would be the 1st step to try.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (6)

toxcrusadr
7 years ago
+1 on that. And if the entertainment system doesn't switch on and off when plugged directly into the wall, another test you can do is to plug the lamp (only) into the APC. If it switches off and on you've confirmed it beyond a doubt.

I'd be looking at the warranty for the thing and get ready to talk to customer service.
jrb451 thanked toxcrusadr
Related Discussions
Back Up Power for Aquarium
Q
Comments (7)
Presuming the tank is up and running and larger than about 5 - 6 gallons, picking it up and placing it into an insulated box in the midst of a power outtage, perhaps in the middle of the night in the dark, wouldn't seem the best plan. There are some battery back-up and battery run air pumps on the market, but a heater needs electrical power. Any electrical appliance containing heating coils take a lot, compared to say, the motor on a power filter. However, if you heat with nat. gas, your ability to keep the house warm is limited only to getting just enough juice to operate the furnace fan and/or electric ignition, and neither of them take much power at all. So: If you have a means, or can devise one to keep the house warm, a tank heater becomes a no issue. That leaves only the filter, and to address that; if you run an air driven sponge filter off a battery operated air pump and have kept the tank clean and not overpopulated, your fish should be fine and presuming they are fat and healthy when the lights go out, a few days of fasting won't harm them.
...See More
Battery back up sump pump
Q
Comments (3)
A battery powered pump is actually a 2nd pump unit, installed in the pit with the float set to activate when the water level rises above the level for the standard pump. A 2nd discharge pipe is recommended. Battery is continously charged via a charger connected to electricity. Battery pump time is affected by the condition (newness) of the battery, feet of lift and frequency of use. Good chance after 5 days a battery would be exhausted. I installed a water powered back-up sump pump. Did so because I'll never have to worry about a battery. Whatever you buy, get a good one, not the $89 special at a box store. All of my pumps are Zoeller but there are many good brands.
...See More
Back-Up House Battery/Generator Conundrum
Q
Comments (25)
LOL. Getting back to fuel, I do wonder about diesel. Wonderful engines etc and probably the go-to for commercial power backup but I wonder about the fuel life in terms of standing....it does go off after time, and I suspect the standby maintenance is bigger - and maintenance is something many probably don't factor into costs. I wonder if you can get the special diesel that doesn't include the road tax and is cheaper? The gas equivalent here in Canada is called "purple gas" but don't know if there's a diesel equivalent. If it was legal to do so and you were committed to having the tank topped off regularly, or had two tanks, I suppose you could, theoretically, have a diesel vehicle and use the fuel from tank A) when it was getting old, keeping tank B) full, then swap and use up tank B) - I believe you can have such fuel tested too. Reading the Costco fliers I thought the Natural gas gensets sounded appealing - no dangerous fuel storage, no old fuel to get rid of, but then you are reliant on the outside gas supply. I suppose propane beats this, but how long does IT keep?
...See More
Honda Gas Powered Mower vs. Ego Battery Powered Mower
Q
Comments (11)
Ceilsan32, I have an update you might be interested in. I started this season with a working EGO mower. In early May it crapped out on me. I called my local (rural) lawn mower repair guys. They looked at it and checked it for power to all the places they thought power should be, but they could not fix it. Since the regular lawn mower repair shops can't work on it, you have to call EGO to get a referral to get it repaired. I took it to a Home Depot that has tool rental and dropped it off. Home Depot no longer carries EGO so I doubt they repair them, but it's likely all that repair stuff transferred to Lowe's as they now sell EGO. Anyway, the problem was it simply didn't start the blade motor. The power drive motor worked fine. HD told me right away they would be sending the mower to Atlanta for repair. EIGHT WEEKS later, I got a call that I could pick up my mower. The problem was the push arm (actually something in the wiring in the arm apparently broke). That part of the mower is NOT COVERED by warranty. The charge was only $52, so there's nobody that would have fixed it for that charge, but still I thought the entire mower was warrantied. The worst part was waiting 8 weeks to mow with my own mower. I used my EGO string trimmer during the mower outage. That's not as bad/hard as it sounds for my 4,000 square feet.
...See More
jrb451
Original Author
7 years ago
Thanks for the input. She says the floor lamp is not affected when the power to the TV/DVR cuts off. I suggested she unplug from the APC unit and back into the power strip she'd used previously to see if that helped. The furniture was too heavy for her to move out from the wall and I will try that when I go out. I was trying to work through options before making the trip. I've got 2 of these same units at my house and had a few UPS on my computers and never experienced anything like this.
Mike C
7 years ago
Not mentioned, but a possibility - did the UPS ever work correctly, or did TV/DVR cut off from the start? Another thought, if there is a power drop-off and the equipment draws more power than the UPS is rated for it would shut off/restart. An UPS will usually beep when a power drop out occurs.
jrb451 thanked Mike C
jrb451
Original Author
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
The UPS was hooked up in August 2015 and worked without any issues until now. It's a 12 amp unit with a system load capability of 900W. She's running a 46 Sony LED TV, DirecTV amp with an amp for surround sound.

When I originally hooked it up for her the wiring fault indicator light was on. She had an electrician come out to ground that outlet but he said it was already grounded. (This may be a clue.)

I assumed that the unit would continue to act as a surge protector, allowing current to pass to the electronics, even if the battery had failed.

I appreciate you continuing to think and problem solve on this.
User
7 years ago
So she has been running it with a Wiring Fault light? And the electrician was called to correct a lack of ground? Does Wiring Fault = Lack of Ground?

How come the electrician left if the fault indication was still present?

Related Stories

DECORATING GUIDES 10 Ways to Hide That Air Conditioner

By Mariana Pickering (Emu Building Science)

Feeling boxed in designing around your mini-split air conditioner? Try one of these clever disguises and distractions

MOST POPULAR 5 Ways to Hide That Big Air Conditioner in Your Yard

By Mariana Pickering (Emu Building Science)

Don’t sweat that boxy A/C unit. Here’s how to place it out of sight and out of mind

GREAT HOME PROJECTS Power to the People: Outlets Right Where You Want Them

By Mitchell Parker

No more crawling and craning. With outlets in furniture, drawers and cabinets, access to power has never been easier

LIFE How to Prepare for and Live With a Power Outage

By Lisa Frederick

When electricity loss puts food, water and heat in jeopardy, don't be in the dark about how to stay as safe and comfortable as possible

DISASTER PREP & RECOVERY More Power to You: How to Pick the Right Generator

By Marianne Lipanovich

If your home's electricity goes, don't let it take your necessities with it — keep systems running with this guide to backup power

HOME TECH Plug Into Home Power Monitors That Pay for Themselves

Stop throwing away money on wasted electricity with help from new monitors that work with your phone or computer

GREEN BUILDING Off the Grid: Ready to Pull the Plug on City Power?

By Jen Dalley //

What to consider if you want to stop relying on public utilities — or just have a more energy-efficient home

HOME TECH Unlock Your Smart Phone's Front-Door Powers

Take your locks and keys into the digital age with 3 solutions that put convenience and new capabilities on your doorstep

GREEN BUILDING Let’s Clear Up Some Confusion About Solar Panels

By Mariana Pickering (Emu Building Science)

Different panel types do different things. If you want solar energy for your home, get the basics here first

DIY PROJECTS Light Up Your Night With an Easy Outdoor Table Lamp

By Shelly Miller Leer

Hit up Goodwill and the hardware store to make this lamp for a deck or poolside patio in minutes

Sponsored

More Discussions

Pls help - TV Size dilemma for small room

7

Fireplace and TV wall options

1

Light beeps when turned on

1