Changing the battery on your UPS is much cheaper than buying a whole new UPS. That’s why we created these step-by-step instructions on how to do it. We’re demonstrating on an APC Backups Pro 1500.
You can watch the full tutorial on YouTube.
Take Out the Battery
Flip the UPS on its side and open the side cover.
At this point, you will see the battery. With the APC Backups Pro 1500, we had two batteries.
Remove the Labels (optional step)
Now, you can remove the battery labels. This step is optional – you can remove the labels and save them to put them on the replacement battery if you want. It is up to you.
This is what the battery pack looks like once we remove both labels from the front and back of the battery.
Disassemble the Battery
Luckily, the battery disassembly is pretty simple. Just hold the battery with one hand and pull each wire out with the other.
You’ll have four wires, one from each corner, to pull out.
Replacing the Battery
Now, you will have a plastic piece with three wires.
There is one wire with a terminal on each end – make sure you attach one end of this wire to the negative port on one battery, and the other end to the positive port on the other battery.
Make sure that when you’re connecting everything, the red positive goes with the red terminals and the black negative goes with the black terminals.
DO NOT connect this wire to both terminals on the same battery, doing so will create a short circuit and if the battery has any charge, it can cause a shock, sparks, and/or fire.
Retape the battery using the labels you pulled off previously or using any type of wide tape. If you are using tape, make sure not to cover the battery back terminal or the alignment spines.
Reconnect the Battery to the UPS
Nice work so far. If you did everything right, the battery terminal should be facing inside the UPS. Slide it back in.
Now, close the side cover and reconnect all your devices to the UPS, and plug the UPS back into the wall.
Charge the UPS
Keep UPS plugged into the wall for 24 hours at least before doing a battery calibration. The UPS will function without calibration, however, the estimated time will not be accurate if you don’t calibrate the UPS.
Save Money and Peace of Mind
And there you have it. For the cost of two batteries, we were able to get this UPS back up and running. Replacing a battery is significantly cheaper, and more sustainable than buying a whole new UPS.
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