How Long Can You Expect APC Batteries To Last
For many, an APC replacment batteries may be the cornerstone of their workstation. This is particularly true when your primary power supply is, in fact, less than entirely reliable. For example, people living in places that experience frequent storms. When you don’t know how long an APC battery will last, though, it may leave you feeling less secure, nonetheless. Here we provide a simple guide to keeping your APC batteries in check.
It is very important to remember when you rely on APC batteries to keep your work station, home computer or network up and running is to always play it safe. What this means is that you should be ready and willing to replace your APC batteries before they expire, and not after.
An APC battery is meant to be used as an emergency power supply, and as such, different rules apply than if you were talking about some double A batteries for your remote control. You can replace your remote control’s batteries when they run out because not being able to change the channel is hardly an emergency situation.
APC batteries need to be replaced regularly just as you would regularly replace the 9 volt battery in your smoke detector, whether you know the battery to be expired or not. It might be expired, or it might not be. If it’s still working, it might save your life in the event of a fire, but if it’s not, then the only way to find out is to have the smoke detector fail to make a sound when there is a fire.
The best way to go about replacing your APC batteries is to use the warranty as a rough guideline. Most APC batteries will last beyond the warranty, simply because that’s the only way to stay in business (you won’t last long in any industry if you find yourself living up to every warranty you issue). You can usually expect the battery to be reliable for some time after the warranty runs out, but it’s probably for the best that you replace it s soon as is convenient.
The warranty, then, can be seen as a “minimum possible performance” guideline. An APC battery will certainly last longer than the warranty if it is well made, but, of course, it is only gauranteed to last as long as the warranty.
In general, most reputable APC battery manufacturers and retailers will offer a one year warranty. Some may give you an option of a shorter or longer warranty, but one year is generally considered to be as long as the average APC replacement battery should be expected to last with any degree of reliability.
So basically , treat your emergency power supply as if it was you emergency safety kit. The batteries in your flashlight might still be okay, but if they have been in there for a year, the last thing you want is to find out they are dead when a hurricane knocks your power out.
