Maintaining UPS/car batteries

[HellsGuardian]

@whiteangel

Bro what I meant to ask was not regarding the accuracy of digital volt meter, that already checked with multimeter from the same shop where I bought it. I was asking basically how to make a 14 volt constant charger as you mentioned here: https://www.pakwheels.com/forums/mechanical-electrical/153379-maintaining-ups-car-batteries-139#post4869850

Also another query when the battery is being charged by UPS, by connecting volt meter on the terminals of the battery, will it tell the correct voltage of battery or will it tell the charging voltage coming from UPS? I mean to ask that when checking voltage of battery, Can we check voltage when battery is being charged or do we need to turn the charger off and then check for correct reading?

google constant voltage power supply and i am sure you can find many diys.

It will tell you the voltage of battery at that instance. (voltage of ups at that instance and state (connected to battery) will also be same)
For connert reading, you have to disconnect the charger/ups and wait for some time (half hour at least). That voltage will be the accurate one

[whiteangel]

@whiteangel

Bro what I meant to ask was not regarding the accuracy of digital volt meter, that already checked with multimeter from the same shop where I bought it. I was asking basically how to make a 14 volt constant charger as you mentioned here: https://www.pakwheels.com/forums/mechanical-electrical/153379-maintaining-ups-car-batteries-139#post4869850

Also another query when the battery is being charged by UPS, by connecting volt meter on the terminals of the battery, will it tell the correct voltage of battery or will it tell the charging voltage coming from UPS? I mean to ask that when checking voltage of battery, Can we check voltage when battery is being charged or do we need to turn the charger off and then check for correct reading?

Any person who deals in electronics will usually have it. Tell them you need a constant current charger for lead acid battery. If they don't have it, they can easily make one. Battery voltage is measured with the UPS connected.

[siraj_7]

I have seen chargers (desi made) in co-operative market regal, They are 10 amp 12 v chargers. I will ask him if it has any cut-off feature. If it doesn't then that means its a constant voltage charger? I will also check its voltage with my volt meter. I see mobile chargers are 5 volts and laptop chargers are 20 volts approx. This battery charger should be 14volt?

Also regarding battery voltage measurement, you said its measured with the UPS connected, so if UPS is charging the battery we will get the correct voltage reading of battery or will we get the reading of UPS charger output voltage? This is confusing me.

My whole UPS commissioning is delayed because of battery prep. I was sick for long earlier and finally when I began two days back, I accidently dropped my hydro meter on the table and the fragile thing broke immediately so I will have to go to sadder tomorrow again to buy hydrometer and will buy this constant charger as well to prepare batteries.

Thanks!

Any person who deals in electronics will usually have it. Tell them you need a constant current charger for lead acid battery. If they don't have it, they can easily make one. Battery voltage is measured with the UPS connected.

[Navqam]

Dear Talha Bro,

This is Naveed from Rawalpindi. My dear, i am facing some UPS & Battery issue and am sure you can help me out. Presently i have one local "Sun Power" UPS 1000 VA (for 3 fans and 6 E/Savers). Battery installed is AGS GR-165. Two days back the battery went "OFF" dead after 40 minutes backup for 1 fan and 1 E/Saver. It took around 1 complete day to charge again. On next use, it never provided one minute back up. I took the battery (which is 13 months old now) to the dealer, who removed the caps, checked its gravity, on the last cell he told me that the cell is GONE and battery is useless now. He proved it by short circuiting + & - of the battery. A boil was created in that specific cell, even fumes were coming out.

He told me that battery needs to be replaced, and UPS needs to be checked. May be it is overcharging (battery was never noticed swelled) and for many other issues.

Please advise me what to do. My total load for UPS is 3 fans and 6 E/Savers. Please tell me the brand / Specs of UPS & Battery to purchase. An early reply is requested please.

Best regards.

Important Note: Please note that AC Volts (Electricity) from IESCO received varies between 190-200 Volts. In this situation which UPS suits; Local or Homage/Inverex/Luminous type?

[scarfase]

The thing is maintaining UPS and availing backup for fans and lights is difficult 1OO OUT OF 100 people have bad exp with UPS, low voltage, over charging and all, even my ups battery was bulged and i have to throw away both UPS and batter. go for a Generator!

[whiteangel]

I have seen chargers (desi made) in co-operative market regal, They are 10 amp 12 v chargers. I will ask him if it has any cut-off feature. If it doesn't then that means its a constant voltage charger? I will also check its voltage with my volt meter. I see mobile chargers are 5 volts and laptop chargers are 20 volts approx. This battery charger should be 14volt?

Also regarding battery voltage measurement, you said its measured with the UPS connected, so if UPS is charging the battery we will get the correct voltage reading of battery or will we get the reading of UPS charger output voltage? This is confusing me.

My whole UPS commissioning is delayed because of battery prep. I was sick for long earlier and finally when I began two days back, I accidently dropped my hydro meter on the table and the fragile thing broke immediately so I will have to go to sadder tomorrow again to buy hydrometer and will buy this constant charger as well to prepare batteries.

Thanks!

The output voltage has to be at least 14 volts to charge a battery, it can be slightly higher as well, but don't go over 14.5 volts. The current has to be low, 10amp is too high, keep it at 2-3 amps and let the battery charge slowly so you can monitor cell voltages periodically. Since you want to control the cut-off so the charger should not have an automatic cut-off. This kind of charger can be built with a simple transformer cheaply.

Regarding battery voltage measurement, don't get confused, you will get the battery voltage even if the UPS is connected. If you are talking about the voltage of battery at rest, the only way to measure that is when the battery has been disconnected from the charger for at least 12 hours or more.

If you want to learn more about battery charging then there is no better resource than battery university. It has information about every battery type. Here's a link to charging a battery with a power supply.

Charging Batteries with a Power Supply – Battery University

[galant]

I have ACDelco Battery lying around for a year or so, Should I charge it on local home based car battery charger or get it charged from outside ? Secondly Is it a dry battery or wet, have tried to locate but did,nt find any clue.

[siraj_7]

Is 10 amp high? @talhawaleed and AGS manual recommends AMP-HOUR/10 charging rate. I am basically inquiring all this for charging battery for the first time. After pouring acid of 1250 gravity.

The battery in consideration is 2x135amp-h battery GX165. I will be charging them with UPS which charges at 10.7amp (checked with multimeter). Its cutoff is 28volt (14 for 1 battery). Once it is cuts off I will remove each battery and connect 12v 10amp Desi Charger one at a time to each battery and take it to 14.6 volts. Once both batteries are taken to 14.6 volts. I will then attach them again with UPS for routine usage.

As I understand 1st charging is important and AGS even recommends to take battery to 15 volts. However that sounds dangerous and I will take it to 14.6 volts.

Please tell me if you think this is fine or suggest alternate.

The output voltage has to be at least 14 volts to charge a battery, it can be slightly higher as well, but don't go over 14.5 volts. The current has to be low, 10amp is too high, keep it at 2-3 amps and let the battery charge slowly so you can monitor cell voltages periodically. Since you want to control the cut-off so the charger should not have an automatic cut-off. This kind of charger can be built with a simple transformer cheaply.

Regarding battery voltage measurement, don't get confused, you will get the battery voltage even if the UPS is connected. If you are talking about the voltage of battery at rest, the only way to measure that is when the battery has been disconnected from the charger for at least 12 hours or more.

If you want to learn more about battery charging then there is no better resource than battery university. It has information about every battery type. Here's a link to charging a battery with a power supply.

Charging Batteries with a Power Supply ?€“ Battery University

[scarfase]

I have ACDelco Battery lying around for a year or so, Should I charge it on local home based car battery charger or get it charged from outside ? Secondly Is it a dry battery or wet, have tried to locate but did,nt find any clue.

Car batteries are never dry, all have electrolyte, your one is even wet " sealed maintenance free" its better you charge it from a battery shop.

[talhawaleed]

Is 10 amp high? @talhawaleed and AGS manual recommends AMP-HOUR/10 charging rate. I am basically inquiring all this for charging battery for the first time. After pouring acid of 1250 gravity.

The battery in consideration is 2x135amp-h battery GX165. I will be charging them with UPS which charges at 10.7amp (checked with multimeter). Its cutoff is 28volt (14 for 1 battery). Once it is cuts off I will remove each battery and connect 12v 10amp Desi Charger one at a time to each battery and take it to 14.6 volts. Once both batteries are taken to 14.6 volts. I will then attach them again with UPS for routine usage.

As I understand 1st charging is important and AGS even recommends to take battery to 15 volts. However that sounds dangerous and I will take it to 14.6 volts.

Please tell me if you think this is fine or suggest alternate.

10 Amperes is fine for 2*AGS135.

key is the you use a good electrolyte, rest i feel that you are good to go.

for first time, it is ok that you charge till 14.6Volts on external charger.

later, feel free to connect it with ups.

[talhawaleed]

Dear Talha Bro,

This is Naveed from Rawalpindi. My dear, i am facing some UPS & Battery issue and am sure you can help me out. Presently i have one local "Sun Power" UPS 1000 VA (for 3 fans and 6 E/Savers). Battery installed is AGS GR-165. Two days back the battery went "OFF" dead after 40 minutes backup for 1 fan and 1 E/Saver. It took around 1 complete day to charge again. On next use, it never provided one minute back up. I took the battery (which is 13 months old now) to the dealer, who removed the caps, checked its gravity, on the last cell he told me that the cell is GONE and battery is useless now. He proved it by short circuiting + & - of the battery. A boil was created in that specific cell, even fumes were coming out.

He told me that battery needs to be replaced, and UPS needs to be checked. May be it is overcharging (battery was never noticed swelled) and for many other issues.

Please advise me what to do. My total load for UPS is 3 fans and 6 E/Savers. Please tell me the brand / Specs of UPS & Battery to purchase. An early reply is requested please.

Best regards.

Important Note: Please note that AC Volts (Electricity) from IESCO received varies between 190-200 Volts. In this situation which UPS suits; Local or Homage/Inverex/Luminous type?

Thing is that, you need to verify the charging rate on this UPS, if dealer is saying that battery is gone then I believe that he is telling you the right thing as you just verified that it gave a backup time of one minute. Once, things boils down to one minute then I guess, condition of the battery will be very bad and beyond recovery. Battery can only be recovered, if you detect a problem earlier and before a damage has taken place.

I believe, that you got an imported UPS and most of the imported UPS trickles charges the battery starting from 10 Amperes which you are expected to verify using multimeter along with the cut off voltages. Since, battery installed was AGS GR-165 so that tells me that its amp-hr rating must be grater then 100 AH so UPS setting is not an issue here.

You problem was a bad electrolyte, next time try to buy a phoenix UGS series without their electrolyte and buy the electrolyte from pryo chemicals.

Whenever you use a bad electrolyte then one experiences the same results as you have quoted. Secondly, most of the battery water (de-ionized water) available in market is a fraud. Check the main thread for TDS values of brands which you can buy. TDS value of battery water should be between 0-10. AGS tonic is a good product.

sorry, that was a premature failure.

[wasim625]

Hello,

I am going to use the UPS kit Imran & Co. 105 (it is the latest right?) on my UPS which of capacity 700 Watts. Can i use it? Plus i also use generator on UPS can this kit withstand/bear voltage fluctuations from generators - as you know generators are not that much stable when it comes to voltages. @ishtiaq778 @talhawaleed do you experts think i can use this kit in my UPS with generator on UPS too. Because i have seen kits blow up like pieces of cake when a generator over- volts.
Please advise. THX

[Ishtiaq778]

Hello,

I am going to use the UPS kit Imran & Co. 105 (it is the latest right?) on my UPS which of capacity 700 Watts. Can i use it? Plus i also use generator on UPS can this kit withstand/bear voltage fluctuations from generators - as you know generators are not that much stable when it comes to voltages. @Ishtiaq778 @talhawaleed do you experts think i can use this kit in my UPS with generator on UPS too. Because i have seen kits blow up like pieces of cake when a generator over- volts.
Please advise. THX

yes.........you can use this kit with 700 watt transformer.......no issue at all.............. I never saw any kit blown by generator

[wasim625]

yes.........you can use this kit with 700 watt transformer.......no issue at all.............. I never saw any kit blown by generator

ok. Thank alot.

[siraj_7]

@whiteangel @talhawaleed

Salaam bros, my batteries are getting charged as I write this post, I bought a constant voltage charger without any cutoff. Its a simple transformer packed in a metal box.

I need to know that do I charge batteries with caps open or caps closed. I went to buy hygrometer from battery shop today. I saw he was charging a new battery for customer with caps removed (opened)

[siraj_7]

@talhawaleed @whiteangel

THe UPS charged my batteries to 27.7 volts and then reached its cut-off point in 3 hours. The battery read 12.2 volts each when I poured acid into them. I let them sit for 3 hours after pouring acid and then started charging with UPS. After reaching 27.7 volts I noticed the voltage not increasing for some time so I disconnected the UPS and put constant voltage charger on the 1st battery. When I put the charger the battery voltage was 13.1 volts and it slowly rose to 13.5 volts. Now its been 2 hours and the voltage can not exceed 13.5 volts on the constant charger. The output voltage from constant charger is 11.5 volts with out battery and is rated as 12 volt 12 ampere battery charger with no cut-off. What could be the reason that battery voltage has not increased beyond 13.5 with constant charger. The battery is not HOT at all. Its temperature is room temperature. The charger was hot as hell so I kept a pedestal on it. How much more should I wait and what is wrong why is the voltage not increasing because I spent money on constant charger to charge each battery till 14.6 for the first time.

[siraj_7]

@talhawaleed @whiteangel

Update: Alhamdullilah volt meter now giving reading of 13.7 volts. I suspect maybe while I was asleep the light might have gone hence the voltage was on 13.5 for long time.

Update: 13.8

Update: 13.9 Volts

I wonder how slow is the constant voltage charger? Its output without battery is 11.3-11.5 volts and when charging the battery it is taking 1-1.5 hours to increase 0.1 volts after 13.5 volts

The ups charged the battery from 12.2 to 13.7 volts in 3 hours. The constant charger has taken 6 hours and charged the battery from 13.1 to 13.9 . Its a 12v 12amp charger.

Update: 14.1 volts and 9 hours passed, its talking too long...don't know what's the matter, another battery is also waiting to be charged currently at 12.4 volts. I am doubting either the constant charger is not 12amps or AGS GX165 is not 135 amperes and much more....

Update: 14.2 volts at 10 hours. I am wondering how does the Car battery guy say in 15 minutes that the battery is charged and Ok for use, the UPS battery guy was telling me he can charge the battery in 2 to 3 hours at 10% AMP-HOUR charging rate to full voltage... LOL... these guys are hacks or what?

Update: 14.3 volts at 10.30 hours

Update: 14.5 volts at 10.45 hours, don't know whats happening, all the resistance gone, battery charging very fast now.

Update 14.6 at 11: 00 hours

Update: 14.7 volts at 11:22 hours

Final Update: Charged till 15.1 volts. The voltage got stuck at 14.7 for about 4 to 5 hours. It also got stuck at many instances and I found out that the slow charging was because of very poor quality alligator clips that I bought to connect with wire ends of my charger, I noticed this that whenever I readjusted the alligator clips on terminals the charging would move ahead then. I finally removed them and tied charging wire ends on battery terminals instead. The charging rate got faster. Lesson learned never to use alligator clips again.

[Ishtiaq778]

@talhawaleed @whiteangel

THe UPS charged my batteries to 27.7 volts and then reached its cut-off point in 3 hours. The battery read 12.2 volts each when I poured acid into them. I let them sit for 3 hours after pouring acid and then started charging with UPS. After reaching 27.7 volts I noticed the voltage not increasing for some time so I disconnected the UPS and put constant voltage charger on the 1st battery. When I put the charger the battery voltage was 13.1 volts and it slowly rose to 13.5 volts. Now its been 2 hours and the voltage can not exceed 13.5 volts on the constant charger. The output voltage from constant charger is 11.5 volts with out battery and is rated as 12 volt 12 ampere battery charger with no cut-off. What could be the reason that battery voltage has not increased beyond 13.5 with constant charger. The battery is not HOT at all. Its temperature is room temperature. The charger was hot as hell so I kept a pedestal on it. How much more should I wait and what is wrong why is the voltage not increasing because I spent money on constant charger to charge each battery till 14.6 for the first time.

Initial charging of battery take some time 10 to 15 Hours to reach 14.5 to 15V........Your charger is very small....while battery vendor have quite big charger named as "tanger".....No problem with your battery or charger........but size of charger does matter.....battery offers great resistance to charger with each volt increment.... Buy a high speed computer supply fan.........open the box of charger and fix permanently that fan over charger to cool it down.........other wise it will burn very soon

[siraj_7]

@ishtiaq778

Salaam, Thanks!

I understand it will take 15 hours. Do you suggest I should charge till full 15 volts? The AGS manual says that it should be charged enough that when charging is stopped, after 15 minutes battery should give reading of 15V and SG should be 1250.

Regarding charger of battery guys, I have seen inside the casing, the transformer is the size of a small 50 amp car battery. However it is capable of charging 10 batteries at the same time, it is adjustable to increase amperage by increments of 10 upto I think 80 or 100 and you also have to move a lever and tell the machine how many batteries are connected in series. BUt the point is that if that charger is set of charge at 12v and 10 amps so its charging rate and my very small constant charger's charging rate should be the same shouldn't it?

[siraj_7]

@whiteangel @talhawaleed @ishtiaq778

The battery is on 14.7 volts now and still charging.

There was something mentioned in the AGS paper and in this thread that users reported that battery will be bubbling / gassing in all caps equally. However at 14.7 volts The battery is at room temperature rising and I can't see any bubbling and gassing. Although there are very few air bubbles appearing occasionally in all cells. Is there a problem? Why I can't see bubbling / gassing in the cells?