CPAP system backup/camping power

[PNPmacnab]

I have a plug just inside the grill of my car that I use to power all of my 12V devices. Beats pulling a battery out. Adding a solar panel and small charger make a nice emergency system.For years I just plugged my camp into the car.

[JSchnee21]

Well, these are rather expensive ($500) but from the reviews many folks seem to like them for CPAP's. My dad has a CPAP, and camps a lot, but they never stay anywhere without electrical service (and water).

Anker Powerhouse, Compact 400Wh / 120000mAh Portable Outlet, Generator Alternative Rechargeable Power Source with Silent DC/AC Inverter, 12V Car/AC/USB Outputs for Camping, CPAP or Emergency Backup

(www).amazon.com/Anker-Powerhouse-120000mAh-Alternative-Rechargeable/dp/B0196GQAKM/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1543456194&sr=8-3&keywords=anker+camping+battery#customerReviews

[thastinger]

I bought all the adapters for my for my dreamstation which runs directly off 12V. The humidifier is needed for me since I have a hybrid full face (I'm a mouth breather). When we lost power for the hurricanes I just took the battery out of one of our cars and used it overnight, then charged it up the next day with a battery charger running on the generator. Not necessary for me to have/store a one purpose battery I may never use before it is dead, or even worse buy it, not use it in 3-5 years, then it be no good when I reply on it. Don't want a new part-time job of care & feeding a special battery which I MAY need to use every couple of years or so.

[PNPmacnab]

I just finished living off grid for 3 months with an Airsense 10. As said before the humidifier takes a lot of power and was turned off. I was near water and with normal humidity in the summer didn't miss it at all. My pressures are fairly low (8) and each night I consumed around 10AH, peak usage was about 27W. I used just a car battery from a vehicle I don't bring with me. These auto batteries are typically in the 60AH range and you don't want to use more than 80% before a recharge. Typical deep discharge/marine batteries aren't much better. I recharge with solar panels and the minimum I would recommend is 300W of panels. I found that a 400W converter used less overhead power than a 200W inverter. If clever, cut the wires to the fan which uses a lot of power. A 400W unit will run quite cool on this 30W load without heating issues.

[SunEagle]

I also use jumpstarter packs for a variety of small jobs - with solar too, but have a caution for those who must rely on it functioning for CPAP duties:

Many of these jumpstarters include USB ports, inverters and the like. The problem with that is that depending on the manufacturer's quality of design, if you overload or fry the usb or inverter, it can take out the logic board of the pack itself, rendering it a total brick. Even high-priced boutique all-in-one camping type boxes can suffer from a poor design goal. How much of the box becomes non-functional is hard to predict, but all it takes is one frustrating smoke-test out in the field where replacements may not be quick in coming.

I guess what I'm saying is that if you are truly dependent on the CPAP working via the dc outlet, then instead of using the box's other built-in features, perhaps rely on the dc cigarette lighter jack to supply power to 12v > 5v mobile usb adapters, external small inverters etc.

Lately when I've chosen a box for this application, I do without all the other frills for this very reason. I just basically need a box with an outlet, and of course clamps to allow for an actual jumpstart.

Most of the time, I also do away with the wall-wart, or ignore it if it is integrated, and use either the cigarette lighter socket, or clamps themselves (with safety in mind!) to apply a quality charger to the box, like a Tecmate-Optimate, Battery-Minder or similar.

It's just my way of reducing the possible additional points of failure when a remote CPAP machine is vital.

Good info to know.

While I use a CPAP machine it is not critical for me to go a day or so without (although I do snore a little without one). But for those that really need it you do not want to lose your power source when you are out in the wild.

So as a recommendation I would have a backup power source in case the first one (even if it was a plain jane one) fails.

[PNjunction]

I also use jumpstarter packs for a variety of small jobs - with solar too, but have a caution for those who must rely on it functioning for CPAP duties:

Many of these jumpstarters include USB ports, inverters and the like. The problem with that is that depending on the manufacturer's quality of design, if you overload or fry the usb or inverter, it can take out the logic board of the pack itself, rendering it a total brick. Even high-priced boutique all-in-one camping type boxes can suffer from a poor design goal. How much of the box becomes non-functional is hard to predict, but all it takes is one frustrating smoke-test out in the field where replacements may not be quick in coming.

I guess what I'm saying is that if you are truly dependent on the CPAP working via the dc outlet, then instead of using the box's other built-in features, perhaps rely on the dc cigarette lighter jack to supply power to 12v > 5v mobile usb adapters, external small inverters etc.

Lately when I've chosen a box for this application, I do without all the other frills for this very reason. I just basically need a box with an outlet, and of course clamps to allow for an actual jumpstart.

Most of the time, I also do away with the wall-wart, or ignore it if it is integrated, and use either the cigarette lighter socket, or clamps themselves (with safety in mind!) to apply a quality charger to the box, like a Tecmate-Optimate, Battery-Minder or similar.

It's just my way of reducing the possible additional points of failure when a remote CPAP machine is vital.

[Mike90250]

I'm gleaning through several threads to compile this data.
If your CPAP unit has a 12VDC power supply, great ! If you don't need the humidifier, even better, you will likely be able to lift the battery pack.

The medical supply shops will gladly sell you a sexy Lithium battery, that will only last you two or three nights before needing recharge. (but no humidifier with them either)

You can lug around a Group 24 Marine battery ($100) and wire a cigarette lighter to plug the CPAP automotive cord into. That will get you 3 or 4 days before you HAVE to recharge it.

Or, I found a suitably sized Jump Start power pack (battery booster) that had a cigarette lighter on it's front panel. Uses a wall wart to recharge from AC power, and it came with a automobile charge cord to recharge from while driving. (Or I can charge it from a solar panel.)

What you need to do, is to discover how much power the machine consumes overnight, and obtain a battery that can supply at least twice that much power for a night (only drains the battery 50%). Draining a battery more than 50% really shortens it life from hundreds of cycles, to less than a hundred.

The math. You want to calculate power in Watt Hours. 45watts * 6 hours = 270 wh

Look at the CPAP or it's power brick. Does it list wattage ? 3A at 12VDC ? 1A at 120VAC Volts * Amps = watts,
so 3 * 12 = 36w * 6 hr = 216wh

Same for batteries, a 20Ah rated battery * 12V = 240 total watt hours in it, 120 of which are useable for long lifetime. So this
little exercise shows that your really need a 40ah battery for this CPAP machine. I got liucky, my 18ah battery will run my machine (sans humidifier) for 2 days @ 10" pressure, before I need a recharge.

So give it a try, and see what works for you. And you can jumpstart the car with it too!