Dead UPS - Tips on reviving Lead Acid batteries?

[digitaloracle]

About half an hour from where I live is a wonderful government surplus store that tends to stock a lot of used computer equpment. A while ago, I was fortunate enough to come across a 100VA filtering UPS for $5. I bought it not caring in the least about it's battery condition. It works fine, but just now I ran a self battery test on it. The test lasted all of 5 seconds, whereupon the UPS decided to begin charging again. I am wondering if there is a good method out there for reviving the lead acid battery I beleive is in this thing. Right now, I am planning on simply exercising it. Does nayone have experinece with this, or some good links. I read that there is a rather interesting tool out there that can fix sulfating in these batteries, but I have no desire to buy anthing, and preferably do not want to dismantle the UPS.

 

[Apokalipse]

hmmm, that's obviously why you got it for $5.
if you don't want to dismantle the UPS to fix it or buy another battery for it, then I'd say you just lost that $5

 

[joshd]

i thought with the lead acid batteries you had to refil them all the time? or am i wrong?

 

[m3trj]

Is it an actual lead acid battery? Or is it a gel cell or some other newer sealed type? If it's a real lead acid then you can fill it up with distilled water. Don't pour the old stuff out, but if you need to just top it up until the water line just covers the plates. Otherwise you just need to condition it by recharging it lots of times. Unfortunately since lead acid batteries suffer from the memory effect it might be dead. They don't like to be fully discharged.

 

[joshd]

on really old ones, dont you need to replace the plates? i thought electrolysis corroded them?

 

[m3trj]

Yeah you do but it's just not worth it, might as well buy a new battery.

 

[digitaloracle]

I was afraid of that. Oh well, it still filters power (it is doing so right now) and it will eliminate power flikers. Blast, a new one will cost me $350 (so you see why I don't care about the $5). Where can I buy new batteries for it?

EDIT: Just checked, and it will cost me 129 - 200 for a new battery. I might as well buy a new ups, this one doesn't have a USB port - just serial, which my computer does not have.

 

[DJ-CHRIS]

You zap it with a high voltage

110 volts, just quikcly brush it past.

Or if you want my new method, use doubble the battery voltage, hold for 5 seconds, wait 5 seconds, hold 5 seconds until the voltage is right.

EDIT: WEAR SAFTEY GEAR