old guy
Oregon (pronounced Or e gun)
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Joined: 03/15/2006
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the rechargeable batteries from them cost an arm and leg. I use two 6 volt batteries and get by just fine. I bought an adapter from my supplier and plug it into the lighter socket. I do not use the water heater part as it needs 120 V to operate.
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mobeewan
Hampton, Va
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Joined: 01/03/2007
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Cedarhill wrote:I have two CPAP machines, one of which is good for boondocking and the other one is not. My newest machine is a ResMed S9 series. It will not run on battery voltage directly but requires a pure sine wave inverter. The power consumption is 70 watts as measured by a Kill A Watt meter. That translates to about 7 amps battery current or one Group 27 battery discharged per night. I believe the majority of the power is consumed by the active humidifier. I don't use it on battery power.
The other machine is an old Respironics Remstar plus. It will operate directly from a 12V battery using a battery adapter made for the unit. It consumes about 0.8 amps average which is equivalent to 6 or 7 nights on a Group 27 battery. I believe the reason why it uses so little power is the passive humidifier. I don't like it as well as I do the ResMed but always use it when boondock camping.
My advice is to actually measure the power consumption of the CPAP before deciding what to do about it. Some units consume very little power and others consume a lot as my example shows. You might also check the technical specifications of the unit but I didn't find them to be very accurate.
By the way, what is the brand and model number of the unit?
I also have a ResMed S9 with the H5i humidifier. It is ResMed's only unit that will run on a modified sine wave inverter and power the humidifier. There is also a 12V DC to 24V DC power adapter brick made by ResMed that can power the unit directly off of 12V DC. The 12 power adapter brick is required since the unit actually runs on 24V. I found 3 or 4 sources on the internet ranging from $85 to $120 but my insurace did pay for it. The problem I had was that it took me a year to get my DMEP to get it for me because they said insurance wouldn't pay for it and the DMEP kept trying to get me to pay $120 out of pocket for it even though the insurance co told me all they needed was a letter from my doctor stating the need. Finally got it but haven't had the chance to use it yet but I will be tent camping in May on 2 seperate 4 day trips.
I used the CPAP last year twice on 4 day tent camping trips for 6 hours per night for 3 nights off of a brand new battery dedicated for CPAP only. Battery voltage measured 12.9V prior to use on the first night and measured 12.6V after returning home. I used it with a Group 27 deep cycle battery (not a deep cycle starting battery) and a Black & Decker 400W modified sine wave inverter. The CPAP only draws 1 to 1.5 amps on 120V AC.
Below info is quoted from the Battery Usage Guide on the ResMed web site. The battery usage guide goes into detail for the use of their equipment with deep cycle batteries and inverters.
Running a flow generator with humidifier:
If you wish to use a battery to run a ResMed flow generator with the HumidiAire 2i, HumidAire 3i or H4i, a pure sine wave inverter with a minimum continuous power rating of 200 watts or higher is required.
The S9 with H5i will operate with a modified sine wave inverter. A minimum continuous power rating of 150 watts or higher is required.
Refer to the following pages to confirm your exact battery and inverter requirements.
WARNING:
Other ResMed heated humidifiers must not be used with inverters. Damage to the unit or serious injury to the user may result. If you are using another brand of heated humidifier, check with the manufacturer for their recommendation.
It is also recommended that the inverter is certified by an accredited testing and certification organisation, such as VDE, TUV or BSI in addition to CE markings for EU countries or UL markings for the USA. Please contact your local ResMed office for more information.
ResMed battery guide
ResMed part no 36970 - S9 DC/DC Converter 24V/90W output look under the device tab
* This post was
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edited 04/02/12 12:34am by mobeewan *
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afraid of bears
Prince George Area
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Joined: 10/16/2006
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My cpap machine will draw my batteries (2 6 volts) down about halfway if I run it with the humidifier. Much less juice is used when the humidifier is off.
** FWIW; I just checked and my machine pulls 2.5 amps when running, and 4 amps when running with the humidifier on.
* This post was
edited 04/02/12 12:30pm by afraid of bears *
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mobeewan
Hampton, Va
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Joined: 01/03/2007
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lcirelli wrote:So we will have this new to us SunnyBrook Edgewater on Saturday. We want to go dry camping to a State park. Does anyone have any ideas of how my DH can hook up his machine to some power for 2 nights? The TT has 1 12volt deep cycle battery. I am really new to all this. Anyone have any suggestions??
All depends on what type battery he has and what CPAP machine he has and if it can safely be used with a power inverter or can run directly off of 12V DC. Power inverter will use more battery than running straight off the battery due to the conversion from DC to AC for the inverter. They are only about 90% efficient. 1 AMP of AC is equal to about 10 Amps of DC, so you will use approximately 12 amps of battery to produce about 1 amp of AC power through the inverter. for 2 nights camping as you inquired about you will need to add 1 more battery to your trailer if your existing battery is adequate for your current set up.
My dad's Respironics CPAP can run straight off of 12V DC with a cheap adapter. His Respironics before that could only run off of AC so when camping he used a modified sine wave power inverter which either came with it or was ordered by the VA for it from the manufacturer / supplier. I have always carried a couple spare deep cycle batteries dedicated for use with his CPAP only or ran the generator at night for him (for the generator police this was on his property own property not a camp ground  ). The other place we camp let us charge his batteries at the camp store or if we camped close enough to the camp store they let me run heavy duty extension cords to the site for his CPAP since it is a campground for tents and pop ups only and does not have power at the camp sites. Now that I use a CPAP I am looking into adding a seperate battery bank to the trailer for CPAP use and to be able to watch some satellite tv without having to run the generator at night. The post above explains my current set up for running a CPAP for myself since I started using one 21 months ago.
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Opie431
Bellevue, MI
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Joined: 06/19/2004
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I hope you are still reading these. I use Provent. They are plugs that fit in the end of your nose. My sleep doctor writes a prescription for them.
The doctor tested me to see if I can use them and luckily I passed. No batteries or anything else.
I found that my doctor uses them himself instead of the CPAC contraption.
My husband cannot use them and needs the CPAC machine.
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snowdance
Yreka, Ca
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Joined: 12/09/2010
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My wife and I both have Cpap machines. Both run on 12 volt and have no humidifers. We can run them two nights easy on two group 24 batterys. Plus keep the fridge, water pump ect going. We have LED lighting. But trying to use a 110 volt machine with inverter will not last one night.
Snowdance
We spent most of our money traveling... Just wasted the rest..
Chevy 7.4 Vortex
2000 Jamboree 23b Rear Kitchen
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Cedarhill
Deep South
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mobeewan wrote:
I used the CPAP last year twice on 4 day tent camping trips for 6 hours per night for 3 nights off of a brand new battery dedicated for CPAP only. Battery voltage measured 12.9V prior to use on the first night and measured 12.6V after returning home. I used it with a Group 27 deep cycle battery (not a deep cycle starting battery) and a Black & Decker 400W modified sine wave inverter. The CPAP only draws 1 to 1.5 amps on 120V AC.
There is something not quite right about the statement above. 1 to 1.5 amps at 120VAC is 120 to 180 watts. That amount of power would run a Group 27 battery absolutely dead flat in 1 night.
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swtgran
Brimfield, Ohio
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Joined: 06/18/2005
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My husband and I both use CPAPs. We purchased 2 Schumacker portable power packs. We turn off the humidifiers, plug them in and sleep all night. Next day, while out seeing the sights, we recharge them with the truck cigarette lighter.
When we have power outages at home, we use them. They are very handy items.
Works for us. Terry R.
* This post was
edited 04/02/12 07:30am by swtgran *
Swtgran
2007 Casita 17ft SD
2005 Toyota Tundra
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lfloom
Pasadena
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My husband has a CPAP with a rechargeable battery pack. It is supposed to have enough power for 2 nights, but we have always charged it each day. We have a solar panel on our trailer, and we use an inverter plugged into the 12 V system to charge it. We can also use that inverter if we are driving around town.
We always wonder if a ranger station or a host would allow you to access their power if we really needed it, but it never came to it. We have also considered a small honda gen to recharge it if needed, but that also never been needed.
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mobeewan
Hampton, Va
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Joined: 01/03/2007
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Cedarhill wrote:mobeewan wrote:
I used the CPAP last year twice on 4 day tent camping trips for 6 hours per night for 3 nights off of a brand new battery dedicated for CPAP only. Battery voltage measured 12.9V prior to use on the first night and measured 12.6V after returning home. I used it with a Group 27 deep cycle battery (not a deep cycle starting battery) and a Black & Decker 400W modified sine wave inverter. The CPAP only draws 1 to 1.5 amps on 120V AC.
There is something not quite right about the statement above. 1 to 1.5 amps at 120VAC is 120 to 180 watts. That amount of power would run a Group 27 battery absolutely dead flat in 1 night.
Okay then, what I stated is mostly correct. The 1 to 1.5 amps is what is listed on the specifications label on the CPAP. Every appliance made lists the max amps or watts that could be required to run the machine as designed on that label. However, that does not mean it will draw the max at all times. CPAPS are designed to put out an amount of air flow that is adjustable to meet the patients needs. So, apparently with my required settings my CPAP is drawing less than the 1 to 1.5 amps listed on the label that it could draw. My CPAP is set to fluctuate pressure depending on my need while sleeping. YMMV.
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