🚀 go-pugleaf

timhu@ico.isc.com (Timothy Hu) writes:

>I have a BEST Ferrups 500VA. I've had it for three years. Not a single
>problem. This model is, in effect, an online UPS without the bulk of
>the online circuitry and the advantages of a standby UPS. This
>translates to *reliability*. The battery finally wore out two months ago.
>The folks at BEST said I needed a 31AH maintenance-free battery to replace
>it. The smallest deep cycle battery was a 100AH battery (!), so I just
>got KMart's cheapest car battery ($35) and stuck it in there. I tested
>it by pulling the plug - I get one hour of power with my 386/VGA. I
>suppose that if I turned my monitor off, I'd get something like two
>hours of power.

I also have a BEST Ferrups 500VA, and think its great.  NOTHING get through it
to bother my equipment... not spikes, not brownouts.

However, there is a BIG difference between the recommended 31AH GelCell
sealed battery and a deep cycle automobile-type battery.  Foremost is that
the sealed battery will not leak corrosive gasses into the room.  There is
also no way to leak the battery acid.  31AH batteries are commonly used in
emergency lighting systems -- look under "Batteries" in the Yellow pages.
They are more expensive than the car battery -- my replacement cost $85.
-- 
Marc Kaufman (kaufman@CS.Stanford.EDU)