When battery manufacturer Power Battery became defunct in 2011, it created a large void in the front terminal battery replacement business. Power Battery’s SLF12-205 and SLF12-250 ratings far surpassed any competition at the time. Recently, EnerSys came out with a replacement for the SLF line, the EnerSys version is the 12HX680F-FR. A valve-regulated, lead-acid (VRLA) battery, the DataSafe 12HX680F-FR is a 12-volt, 680-WPC model which enables coverage of a wide range of KVAs and run times in a selection of front-terminal batteries for UPS applications. The DataSafe 12HX680F-FR front terminal battery is equipped to meet the power demands for uninterruptible power supply (UPS) applications. Typically the systems that have Power Battery solutions in them are designed for longer runtime. However, in most cases, the EnerSys solution is still a viable one as it will fit the same footprint as the Power Battery solution and will still offer runtime at full inverter load – just a little shorter.
When we received a call from a prominent hospital in Virginia for a Power Battery change out – we knew the solution. There were 640 of the Power Batteries on site and they showed premature failures starting in May of 2011. At the time of the call, about 200 of the batteries were at a critical level. MGE/Schneider Electric brought us in as an expert to confirm the battery monitoring’s readings. We removed some jars from the string and did extensive testing inclusive of dissecting the battery. We confirmed that the batteries were in fact bad. We were able to quickly and cost effectively implement the EnerSys 12HX680F-FR battery as it was the best form fit for function and least intrusion to the rest of the load.
