Re: Grand Apagon - Electricity (not) in Spain

On 5/9/2025 5:18 AM, Carlos E.R. wrote:

Instead, you are forced into a "reactive" mode -- waiting for something
to tell you you're screwed and need a replacement, now!
>
My largest UPS uses 50 pound batteries (8 of them).

 Are they 12 volts each, or just one cell?

No, real batteries.  They are just considerably larger than
the sorts of SLAs you find in most UPSs (the battery
compartments are about the size of a dishwasher in total
volume; the UPS electronics are in a separate box)

On phone exchanges I saw huge batteries, actually individual cells connected in series. 48 volts nominally, so 24 cells. I don't think they were gel types, they needed adding water now and then.

Yes.  You can adjust the specific gravity of the electrolyte to
increase battery service life.
The "exchange" is actually POWERED by the batteries and the
mains acts to charge them.  The CO that my uncle managed
had a small jet engine in an out-building that powered the
backup generator.  It is INCREDIBLY loud (housed in its
own building, likely to confine the sound) when operating.
The "billing computer" was left without a backup power
supply (no doubt because it would represent a larger load
and its requirements could be expected to change, over time,
more than the phone network itself (in the 60's, it was hard
to imagine how computers would evolve)

It's
REALLY inconvenient to have to replace them *now* cuz they
are costly and physically inconvenient to man-handle.  I
would much appreciate some advance notice that they are likely
to need replacement in, say, 30 days (given the current usage
pattern).
>
Maybe folks will start putting more smarts into their product
designs instead of simple "threshold" events.

 Some UPS say they can test the battery. Mine do not, or the software I have doesn't.

Yes, but the problem with this is that they use YOUR load to test
the battery!  So, if the battery is shit, then the daily/weekly
test is guaranteed to drop power to your load!
The first thing that I do is disable this test.  It's just one more
opportunity for the system to crash (if the battery IS bad, I
will find out when the next RARE outage strikes; why sooner?)

When looking at specs for a replacement UPS, possibly an Eaton, I saw they mentioned emitting a beep when battery is bad.

They likely don't load test, then.  Perhaps just watch the open
circuit voltage on the "charged" battery.
It is distressing how little the technology associated with
battery monitoring and charging has advanced in these sorts
of applications.  Again, likely because there is little
incentive to maximize battery life!