Vertiv Liebert GXT5, 500 VA-20 kVA rack/tower

Vertiv's single-phase rack and tower UPS line, priced as distributor SKUs rather than as facility capacity

Vertiv Liebert GXT5, 500 VA-20 kVA rack/tower is one of 22 UPS systems tracked in the SecondWatt catalogue, each with specifications, lead times and indicative secondary-market pricing.

Vertiv Liebert GXT5 dossier: 500 VA-20 kVA rack and tower UPS, list against street against used pricing on the same part number, and inspection guidance.

Liebert GXT5 is Vertiv's single-phase online double-conversion rack and tower UPS, sold as five distinct US catalogue entries: 500 VA to 3000 VA at 120 V with VRLA, 3 to 20 kVA at 208 V, lithium-ion at 1 to 3 kVA on 120 V, lithium-ion at 5 to 10 kVA on 208 V, and a TAA-compliant 1000 to 3000 VA VRLA line. Efficiency runs up to 95% in online double conversion and up to 98% in ECO across all lines, with pure sine wave output and zero transfer time. This is a distributed-IT product, not a facility asset, and it should not sit in the same pricing index as the three-phase machines. It trades by part number at published street prices with 30 to 500 units in stock at national distributors. The right index for it is discount off list and used as a percentage of street, and both are computable: observed street pricing sits at 63 to 66% of list essentially uniformly across the line, and lithium carries roughly a 2x premium over VRLA at equal volt-amps. The cleanest published new-versus-used pair in the entire Liebert dataset lives here. A GXT5-10KMVRT6UXLN at 10 kVA lists at 15,777.00 USD and streets at 10,095.76 new with batteries, while the same part preowned without batteries sells at 6,304.90. Used and battery-less is about 62% of new street and 40% of list, and the buyer still owes a battery set plus the three-year advanced replacement warranty they no longer have.

Why it matters

The GXT5 is the one place in this category where list, street and used prices are all published for the same part number on the same day. That makes it the reference point for how deep a used discount runs when warranty and batteries both drop out of the deal, and the answer is about 60% off list. Large three-phase iron never discounts that far, because its new warranty is only one year to begin with.

Who buys it

IT and network teams buying rack-mounted backup for closets, edge cabinets and branch sites, usually by part number through a distributor rather than through a power-equipment channel. Secondary buyers are cost-driven and generally accept a battery-less unit, because GXT5 battery packs are user-replaceable and hot-swappable.

Role in the data center

Rack-mounted or tower backup for network closets, edge cabinets and branch sites, bought and priced as an IT SKU rather than as facility capacity.

Key specifications

Technical summary

120 V VRLA line: 500 VA/500 W through 3000 VA/2700 W; input window 60-150 V, output 120 V 208 V line: 3000 VA/3000 W through 20,000 VA/20,000 W; input 176-280 V, output 208/120 V Lithium line: 5000 through 10,000 VA, LiFePO4, 8-10 year design life Power factor: 0.9 to unity depending on model, so volt-amps and watts differ below 1500 VA Efficiency: up to 95% online double conversion; up to 98% ECO Topology: online double conversion, pure sine wave output, zero transfer time Battery: user-replaceable and hot-swappable VRLA or LiFePO4; external cabinets for extended runtime Warranty: 3-year advanced replacement on VRLA lines; 5 years including cells on lithium Standards: UL 1778; ENERGY STAR 2.0 certified Street pricing: consistently 63-66% of list across the line

Pricing and availability

Trend: up Street pricing across the observed line sits at 63 to 66% of list, essentially uniform from a 500 W unit at 1,267.56 USD against 2,004.00 list to a 10 kVA unit at 10,095.76 against 15,777.00. Lithium carries roughly a 2x premium at equal volt-amps, and on a watts basis the premium is wider still. Lead time, new: In stock at national distributors; 30-500 units observed per part number. Lead time, used or refurbished: 1-2 weeks from refurbishment dealers. Warranty, used: 1-year typical from refurbishment dealers.

Lifecycle and maintenance

Static UPS cabinets serve roughly 15 years, the figure Mitsubishi publishes directly alongside a lifecycle-parts-or-replace decision at 10-12 years. The wear items are documented: Eaton rates DC bus capacitors at 7 years of continuous duty and up to 10 under favorable conditions, while Vertiv field data gives 6 years for capacitors and 5-6 years or 40,000-50,000 hours for cooling fans. Batteries turn over far faster, at 3-5 years for sealed VRLA and 12-15 for flooded cells. Service life extension programs rebuild the power train inside the original shell, which is why cabinets routinely outlive their electronics.

Common failure points

• Battery strings — VRLA capacity fades below 80% of nameplate and takes the ride-through with it
• DC bus capacitors — Silent open-circuit loss, or a short that pops and sprays electrolyte across adjacent boards
• Cooling fans — Overheating transfers the load to bypass and leaves it unprotected
• Air filters and dust — Restricted airflow raises internal temperature and shortens capacitor life
• Static bypass switch — Failure to transfer strands the load during maintenance or overload
• Controls obsolescence — Discontinued display and logic boards turn a routine repair into a scavenger hunt

Inspection checklist

Battery age — sealed VRLA turns over at 3-5 years per Eaton lifecycle guidance; assume a full string past that Battery capacity — reject any string below 80% of nameplate capacity under IEEE 1188 practice Battery impedance — ohmic readings above 20% of the commissioning baseline condemn the cell Float voltage — verify 2.23-2.27 VPC at 25 degrees C; float current above 3x steady state flags thermal runaway Intercell connectors — thermal image every joint; a delta above 5 degrees C against neighbors triggers a capacity test DC bus capacitors — Eaton rates 7 years of continuous duty (10 optimal); Vertiv field data gives 6 years at 45,000-50,000 h Cooling fans — Vertiv field data gives 5-6 years or 40,000-50,000 hours; listen for bearing noise at the intake Air filters — pull every filter; a clogged element is the best single proxy for a cabinet that ran above 25 degrees C Load bank test — run 100% and 50% load bank steps; load banking is the de facto acceptance standard in this channel Static bypass — transfer to bypass and back under load 3 times; verify the SCR assembly and breaker interlocks Battery inclusion — get cells, cabinets and racks in writing; a battery package can reach 76% of a 30 kVA class deal Firmware and cards — verify current firmware and a working network card per Eaton's 11-point used-UPS guidance Lifecycle stage — check OEM support status; Mitsubishi's 4-stage table is the only dated public one in the category Documentation — manual, factory startup report and service history; Eaton flags 7-10 year units for capacitor work Removal conditions — verify rigging path, door widths and shutdown window; a 225 kVA cabinet runs 3,605-4,805 lb

Procurement channels

New units through national IT distributors with published street pricing and deep stock. Used units through Critical Parts Warehouse and Gruber Power Services, where battery inclusion varies part by part and must be read from the product page rather than the collection card.

Regional notes

US and North American 120 V and 208 V pages verified; international 200-240 V variants are noted on the lithium page. UL 1778 listed and ENERGY STAR 2.0 certified.