CyberPower UPS Battery+Surge Outlets Suddenly Not Working?

I have this Cyberpower 1500 VA UPS that I bought few years ago. I rarely ever used it but usually had it plugged into the wall outlet but did not turn it on. I was using a surge protector to connect my laptop, monitors and everything else etc.

Recently I connected everything to this UPS. The issue however is I notice the battery is very bad because the moment I unplug the UPS from the wall outlet, the minutes drain very fast so basically within 2 minutes or so, the UPS would shut down. Thus the battery is several years old and would need replacement is what I hear is the issue right? Now I didn't buy a new replacement battery because I was told you could use it as a surge protector. There are 12 outlets. 6 on the left is battery+surge and 6 on the right is surge. Just recently overnight, I notice my modem/router had no power. I then unplugged it from UPS and plugged it back in and still no power. I then plugged it to a surge protector and it worked and noticed none of the 6 battery+surge outlets on the UPS work. The 6 surge outlets on the right side of the UPS however does seem to work.


 

Can someone tell me the reason for this? Is it because my ups battery now is basically done as oppose to very low? Did my ups battery malfunction overnight? The thing is on the back of the UPS, I see the word Wiring Fault next to this red circle. It looks like that red circle looks red so does that have anything to do with it? I have the UPS on the floor and sometimes I do bump into it sometimes but could it be loose or anyone have a clue what is the cause of it? The thing is if there is an issue, why is it the other 6 surge outlets on the right seem to work?


 

Do I need to buy a replacement battery for the UPS to fix this? I am using it as a surge protector but now because of this I don't have enough outlets. Someone mention it could be a blown fuse? If so, how would I find out if that is the reason? So that doesn't affect the other 6 surge outlets on the right? Again this happened overnight when I noticed my modem/router wouldn't power on in any of those outlets. Now I don't want to buy a new UPS battery for it only to find out that it might not be a battery issue? I did read on cyberpower website that if your battery is malfunction or issues, then the surge+battery outlets won't work? So the surge outlets do work?

Edited by hamluis, 26 December 2022 - 06:37 AM.
Moved from W10 Spt to External Hardware - Hamluis.

As answered at https://www.tenforums.com/general-support/201089-cyberpower-ups-battery-surge-outlets-suddenly-not-working.html I stated in Post #2 that you already have answered your own question and diagnosed it as a faulty hardware device.

Would not think it is faulty just poor usage of it since it was not plugged in and drawing and charging power.   As well they only have limited life span especially for the smaller ones.

It looks like a sealed unit.  You buy new ones and recycle the dead ones.

Is this what I need to order if I want new ups battery? Do I need to buy 2 of them or I only need 1. Someone mentioned my cyberpower 1500VA requires 2 batteries?

Having read how you used your UPS, I am beginning to wonder why you have it.

It's primary job is for its battery to give you time to properly shut down your PC. Rather than having the HDD crash when to power failure happens. That battery has an expected life of 3 to 4 years - 5 at a push.

In all probability, an Anti Surge Bar costs less than 5% of a UPS, and you still have the problem caused by an unplanned shutdown. Just that you PC has not been fried by the surge.

Regardless of what you have done in the past. You need to rethink how you protect your stuff.

Give it a new battery and install it, fully, into your Power Supply

I had this UPS for over 4 years.  Back then it was usually connected to the wall outlet but I rarely had it powered on unless I needed to connect my laptop to it during a power outage.  So it was powered off almost always as I used a regular surge protector for everything else.  Back then I didn't turn on my ups or connect any devices to it because I thought the UPS would use much more electricity when it is always on and I figure since I had a surge protector, everything connected to it was fine.  And I would only power the UPS and recharge it when I needed to.  So I basically used it wrong and rarely used it.

Fast forward few years later.  I finally started to connect all my devices to it but notice the battery is draining really fast after you disconnect it from the wall outlet which mean it need a new battery replacement.  Someone told me even though that is true, you could still use it as a surge protector.  So I did that instead for a while.  Then the 6 battery+surge outlets stopped working and only the 6 surge outlets worked.  Also the wiring fault shows a red light that is on which someone mentioned means the ups is overloaded and not grounded... is that correct?  Or it is just one thing?  The thing is I am not sure if the wiring fault showed a red light before the 6 battery+surge outlets stopped working.  Does anyone here think it

was already red the whole time and I didn't notice?  I am not sure about this.

My old laptop hdmi port and ethernet adapter got fried from thunder few months ago with the surge protector.  So because of that, I wanted to only use the UPS instead for my new things.  The thing is at the moment, 6 surge outlets isn't enough for me because the modem/router when you plug it into the UPS would take up 3 outlets because of the way the modem/router power cable is designed.  So back when I had the 6 battery+surge and 6 surge outlets, then is still enough outlets.  Now I temporarily used the old surge protector just for my modem/router.  My important electronics I connect it to the UPS.  Is that fine or not?  Now if something happens to the modem/router, I can go to the internet company and get a new one etc.

But isn't the issue here no matter if i use a ups or surge protector, there is a grounding issue?  I know for a fact that my building is very old and for sure doesn't have grounding.  So does this mean the ups or surge protector or a new one i buy would be the same thing?  Do you suggest i unplug everything from the ups and then make sure the wires are not tangled and then connect it back to the same wall outlet to see if it still has the wiring fault red button on?  Then unplug it and plug it into another wall outlet?  What about going to a neighbor place and connecting it to their outlet to see if same issue?  It should be same since same building?

The UPS has been out of warranty for a while.  Again I had it for a while already but barely used it at all until recently,  So is the 6 battery+surge outlets not working... is that 100% related to the battery that probably doesn't hold a charge anymore compared to not long ago where it still hold a charge but not much?  What about the ground fault issue?  Again all buildings here are similar and probably had the no grounding issue.  

Buying 2 of these ups batteries would cost about 125 dollars or so.  These are more expensive here.  I had no idea you needed to buy 2 batteries for this.  Now is there any risk continuing using this UPS as is at the moment?  I have my laptop and monitors and few other things connected to it.   But if it is grounded with red button, it isn't safe to use?  What about if it just has a battery that doesn't hold a charge? 

Or you can just buy a new surge protector?  Is there much risk using my old surge protector where my old laptop hdmi port and cable matters ethernet adapter got fried and still use it if i'm only connecting my less important things to it?  

I have just reread your latest and opening spiel.

Why on earth do you have a UPS?

Buy an Anti Surge Bar and forget about it.

Better still: Donate it to your local Charity Shop, at least they might use it for its designed purpose

Also I notice the word Wiring Fault and the thing next to it is very red. So is that a big issue? I googled it and that means it has to do with the ups not being grounded or something? I do know for a fact that my building is very old and it isn't grounded for surge protection if that is the right term?

 

Surge protectors and in some cases, UPSes are very unlikely to work properly without a grounded outlet. So if the OP plugs one into the same circuit/wall outlet and that outlet is not grounded, he might as well use a standard extension cord. Surges are shunted to ground. No ground, no workie (with some minor exceptions).

Also, desktop/tower PCs are generally grounded and may experience issues without proper ground.

I'd be moving to fix that outlet ASAP if doing so is possible/practical. If not, is there another outlet nearby that is properly grounded?

Edited by Shplad, 28 December 2022 - 11:25 AM.

I bought a UPS years ago because I wanted battery backup for my laptop in case of power outage.  I had read people said you could get an hour or two from it if it has bigger battery etc.  I know that isn't the purpose of a UPS though.

You mean a surge protector?  Does a surge protector protect as good as a UPS or it is just better than a power strip?

I have access to 2 wall outlets since that is where my folding table is at.  How do I know if either outlet is grounded or not?  There are a few other outlets but they are not in locations that I can connect it to.  You can fix an outlet to ground it?  I thought this has to do with the building construction?  So if it isn't grounded... then my neighbor's apartment outlet also would be same or not?  How would I even test if a surge protector is grounded or not?

A surge protector or UPS itself would generally always be three prong, and therefore "ready" to be grounded. What matters is not that, but the AC outlet/building wiring itself to which you're connecting the surge protector/UPS.

If you're not particularly knowledgeable about electronics, the easiest way to test an AC outlet is really very easy with wait for it...an outlet tester.

Shocking, I know.

Such as:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Receptacle-Tester-400-029/206303234

Okay, this particular model the mfgr calls a receptacle tester, but you get the idea. I strongly recommend reading the instructions carefully, so you know what you're doing. The gist of it, however is that you just plug it into the outlet, read the pattern of LEDs that light up and compare that to the legend to indicate the wiring situation.

A surge protector protects only against surges. Actually, many of them don't even do that properly. Many modern UPSes include both surge protection and AVR (Automatic voltage regulation), which boosts drooping voltages and reduces excessive ones. It's also a good idea to buy a UPS with true sine wave output, as some devices can be damaged or at least won't work properly if they are connected to a UPS with simulated sine wave output.

As for whether it's possible to fix your outlets, that will depend on the size and type of the building and how it was constructed. I'm in Canada, but IIRC, the electrical code in the US is very similar. So, for example, in kitchens and bathrooms, all AC outlets must be properly grounded (to prevent electric shock due to the presence of water nearby).

Also remember that if your name is Serge, and you have a bodyguard, that bodyguard could be considered a "serge protector".  I'm here all week, ladies and gentlemen.

Edited by Shplad, 29 December 2022 - 11:16 AM.