Anker SOLIX C1000 UPS question

[larry_g]

I have an Anker SOLIX C1000 battery generator that says it can be used as a UPS. Will using it as a UPS vs just using it when needed shorten it's lifetime?

The unit is https://www.ankersolix.com/products...GZfvVljbboEQGnv1-vy4vi5nEINJpD5AaAkL2EALw_wcB
and I bought it specifically to use for powering our CPAP machines during a power outage. I have the option of leaving it plugged in all the time and inline between the outlet and the cpap's using it as a UPS or waiting till an outage to plug the machines into it. I suspect that using it as a UPS will shorten its lifetime but can find no good source to support my suspicions.

Any other advise I should know about using and caring for one of these power supplies?

Thanks in advance

lg
no neat sig line

 

[wyliesdiesels]

any time you use a battery it will shorten its life.... but that may be a line interactive type UPS where the battery is only used when there is loss of power.... unlike a double conversion online UPS that is always using the battery to power the load....

life of battery is also dependent on how good the charge controller is and how hot the battery gets.... most UPSs are not good at maintaining optimal battery temperature.... APC is notorious for this. Eaton UPSs on the other hand do a really good job at maintaining battery temps and not overcharging the batteries.... this is because Eaton did a ton of R&D on battery charging, temp control, and life...

 

[jlv03]

Lots of those battery pack systems (solar gens) will run in bypass mode when plugged into AC. So while they claim to be a UPS, it all depends on how quickly they can switch over to the inverter output when the input is lost. Most are decent, typically quick enough your devices may not even notice.

Even though the output is running straight off the input, the battery is going to be microcycled because all of the electronics are DC powered and run off the battery. The battery will drain some to run the electronics, the charger will kick on to top off the battery, and the cycle continues. From what the manufacturers claim, even doing this, you should still get nearly 10 years out of a decent battery system, provided they are using LiFePO4 cells (most are these days, but some of the older ones might be NMC).

Given how fast the prices have dropped on these things, even if you only get half of the life, your next one will likely be even cheaper.