My UPS (APC) has faulty batteries (again). 3 years old, already fried. I don’t mind the poor capacity of the PbAc batteries but this life cycle is horrible (2-3y tops).
Can I replace them with equivalent LiFe batteries like the ones you find on Amazon and such with the same form factor?
Or are there LiFePo4 UPS available in Europe?
Different charge controllers are needed. If the ups manual doesn’t specifically support LiFePO4 the answer is no. You’d likely also need to configure it for that charge cycle if supported.
I’ve done it successfully for two Tripplite 1500va and two APC 750va UPS’s. They’ve been running for over 4 years now.
I bought a lifepo4 that specifically said it had a lead acid drop in replacement BMS (battery management system).
The only problem I have had was when I had a two day power outage. After running to complete drain ( and they lasted over 2x longer than my older lead acid), the Trupplites wouldn’t charge up after power was restored. I had to pull the batteries and charge them outside the ups to get everything working again.
Under normal use they have worked great.
Lifepo4 works fantastic as a drop in because the peak charge of lead acid is only 80% charge of lifepo4. This means that while you don’t get full capacity out of the lifepo4, it never fully charges which dramatically increases the lifepo4 lifespan.
I have no experience with UPSes, but I have used LFP batteries a fair bit.
The main compatibility issue will be the battery voltage and charging system. Most Li-based batteries have slightly higher nominal and charging voltages than lead acid types depending on the cell configuration.
Check the specs on your UPS model to be sure it is compatible and if it is, I’d go with LiFePO4 (LFP) batteries rather than other Lithium chemistries at this time. They don’t weigh as much as the equivalent lead-acid batteries, are roughly the same size for the same capacity and handle deep discharge better than lead-acids. Plus LFP batteries aren’t as volatile as some other Lithium batteries.