TECH TALK
2.5 years. The temperature of the
environment in which the batteries
operate in is very critical to the expected
life-span and performance of the
battery bank. The battery banks must be
installed in a clean, cool or temperature
controlled environment.
Discharge cycles
One full discharge down to 80% depth
of discharge (20% battery capacity
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remaining) and a full recharge back to
100% charged state is considered a
cycle. Typical UPS deep-cycle batteries
only have a cycle limit of between
200 and 500 cycles. In a situation
where a power failure occurs once
per month, that is 12 cycles per year,
a 200-cycle rated battery would last
its intended 3-5 years without any
problem. However, where daily load
shedding occurs, a battery would not
last a year. Monitoring the number
of charge and discharge cycles the
battery is subjected to over a period
of time is essential to understanding
the expected life-span of a battery and
when it should be replaced.
Charge method
By the very nature of its application,
deep-cycle UPS batteries are usually
float charged, awaiting the next
discharge to take place. There could
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