Batteries
and Battery Maintenance

Battery Maintenance

Although sealed batteries are “Maintenance Free” THEY ARE NOT batteries are living things and need their state of health checked on a regular basis to avoid total failure when they are called upon to be used!

Preventive Battery Maintenance

We offer a maintenance regime of regular visits to test the health of the batteries and the environment they are in. There are many systems available for the monitoring of battery health, and many opinions on the best method, large UPS systems with many blocks must be treated differently to a small system of a few blocks but the battery condition of each block in both systems must be known. Engineers visit site, usually every six months, carefully test each battery cell or monobloc and then provide a report on battery condition. When failing cells are discovered the report recommends the action that should be taken.

The whole Idea is “PREVENTION” prevention of failure or something like Thermal Runaway, where your whole system could be in danger of going into a thermal meltdown! So regular monitoring and trending of the blocks is essential to maintaining the integrity of the system which has been purchased.

It is said that over 80% of UPS failures are due to battery faults. If your prime concern is to avoid costly and embarrassing computer downtime a review of the maintenance regime being used for battery systems in your care may be advisable. We would be delighted to offer a competitive quotation, we will also act as consultants and advise on any battery issue you may have.

Our services are available to all users of VRLA standby battery systems, in any industry, including end users, UPS manufacturers, telecommunications companies, Industrial users.

The prices of our maintenance contracts varies with many factors including the number of cells to be tested and whether it will be in normal working hours or outside, including weekends and night work.

Crucial Battery Care:

UPS batteries are chemical energy storage devices that deteriorate over time. They have a design life based on optimum site conditions and an expected number of charge-discharge cycles. A five year design life battery will probably require replacement within year 4, and a ten year design life battery within year 7. Whilst many UPS and standby power systems automatically test their batteries, nothing beats a visual inspection and on-site testing. Could “Pareto’s” law be affecting your installation?

Our testing and replacement service provides on-site testing to assess and report on the performance and suitability of the battery set. During testing we will check individual cell condition, total battery capacity and the remaining reliable operational life. This testing can be purchased as a one off service or part of our Battery Maintenance Plans.

Battery Maintenance Plans

Battery Care plans are tailored towards the types of batteries used within UPS and Standby Power Systems. They can be combined with a UPS maintenance plan to provide complete system cover or provided where only the battery is to be maintained.

The service typically includes a minimum of one preventative maintenance visit per year (and up to 1,000 cells/blocks per day). This can be increased to six monthly or quarterly for mission critical sites. The visits are typically scheduled for normal working hours with options for outside hours and weekend/bank holiday work.

During a maintenance visit the entire battery set will be put through a five stage process to ensure optimum performance during a power failure. The five stage Battery Care process includes:

Visual

Check for a variety of conditions dependent on battery type: VRLA batteries - check for distortion caused by plate/pole growth, leakage or corrosion.?- Flooded cells - check for plate colour, sediment level, electrolyte level, leakage and corrosion.?- NiCads - check for leakage and corrosion.

Measurements

Take DC float voltage measurements - string and individual cells.

Mechanical

clean all batteries, confirm the minimum torque on all connections, top up electrolytes where possible (not sealed lead acid batteries).

Electrical Tests

Impedance test individual battery cells and strings, and load test the battery if necessary.

Environment Checks

Check the suitability of the local environment in terms of ambient temperature and any noticeable humidity and other environmental matters.

Finally a site report is issued with recommendations for future system monitoring or battery replacement.

Battery Testing and Replacement

Crucial Power work with many of the major battery manufacturers and can source virtually any replacement cells. Batteries can be replaced on-site and the system brought back on line.

Disposal of UPS Batteries

We are registered with the Environment Agency under the Control of Pollution (Amendment) Act 1989 - for the transportation of waste batteries and will dispose of them in line with the processes identified in our Environmental Management System (EMS).

Load Bank Testing

Crucial Power provides full AC and DC on-site load testing when a complete system inspection is required. Load bank testing is provided as an option to standard commissioning and maintenance procedures. Load bank testing helps to identify potential areas for concern under controlled test conditions. With the service an engineer can quickly identify if the UPS is correctly connected and/or capable of supporting a critical load.