Facing a Power Outage - what can I buy to power my machine?

[hegel]

Like Hydrangea, I get easily confused by talk of voltage, converters, adapters and such. The--axoak is an elegant solution but pricey. still, it's one stop shopping and plug and go.

I bought a different back up battery some years ago and couldn't get it to work with the cpap I had at the time. Very frustrating as it met all of the requirements. Too late I read that others had this same issue with that battery.

also like Hydrangea, whom I'm guessing lives in my area, winds, fire and smoke have been threatening power to my apartment. I'd reallly like a backup! I don't care if I can't plug it in all the time to my machine; my mask has vents that will allow me to breathe if the power goes out.

[Crimson Nape]

I don't know if I'm helping or throwing gas on a fire. About 3 years ago, because of inclement weather, I purchased a marine deep cycle battery (175 CCA) from the auto parts store($75 = $65 + $10 core charge). I obtained a nice battery enclosure($24), a Battery Tender ($25), and a 12/24 volt converter for the Resmed($33) from Amazon. I've used this $157 configuration since then without any disruption of therapy, even though I've experienced power outages. Most were short enough that I slept through them unnoticed but one outage lasted 4 days without experiencing any problems.

[Sleeprider]

That is basically the setup we use in the sailboat, except I use a solar panel to recharge during daylight. It's reliable and safe, and even better if you don't have to carry it around. The use of a battery case is mandatory per USCG regulations. That's an excellent price on a marine battery.

[Hydrangea]

A mini-update:
I bought a Jackery Explorer 240, because Amazon could gaurantee I'd get it before my power outage. I did some preliminary data-collecting, and thought I'd share it with you.

I used my ResMed Airsense 10 Autoset for an hour each time, in 2 experiments. I was awake (watching TV) with the mask on.

First, I used a fixed pressure of 9, 77* tube temp, and auto humidity, with EPR off. Watts used while exhaling/inhaling were 53watts and 26 watts. Over this hour of use, the Jackery's battery went from 100% to 89%. So this hour of use on a fixed pressure used ~10% of the battery.

Next, I used an auto pressure setting of min 8.4 to max 15.4, 77* tube temp, and auto humidity, with EPR off. This took the battery from 89% to 74%. So this hour of use on an auto adjusting pressure used ~15%of the battery.

[Sleeprider]

Are you using this with a DC-AC inverter (the AC plug)? If so, you are losing over 50% of the capacity to that conversion. It works, but is incredibly inefficient compared to running your machine without converting DC to AC and back to DC using your power adapter. You can more than double the battery time using that 12-volt DC car outlet and the appropriate DC adapter for your CPAP.

[Hydrangea]

Are you using this with a DC-AC inverter (the AC plug)? If so, you are losing over 50% of the capacity to that conversion.  It works, but is incredibly inefficient compared to running your machine without converting DC to AC and back to DC using your power adapter.  You can more than double the battery time using that 12-volt DC car outlet and the appropriate DC adapter for your CPAP.

Hrm. I really don't understand the inverter/converter DC/AC stuff. I just took my regular ResMed and plugged it directly into the Jackery like I would into the regular wall outlet. Should I do something different?

When I have the power outage, I'll be using my DreamStation, since that's my preferred machine and also it was mentioned in this thread that it'll consume the battery slower than the ResMed.

Edited to add:
I'm reminded that house current is AC. So I used the regular AC plug. You're saying that works, but consumes power twice as fast? Thus if I'd like to use the ResMed with the Jackery, I ought to buy a ResMed DC converter that plugs into a cigarette lighter, and plug that into my Jackery? It's not necessary, but will give me twice as many hours of use from the battery?

[Crimson Nape]

Your assumption is correct.  Using a Resmed power supply that has an AC wall style power plug, means that it has to invert the AC power to DC.  This conversion consumes a good bit of power.  Try searching Amazon for, "KFD Car Charger DC Adapter for Resmed S10 Series".

[Sleeprider]

The suggested search by Crimson Nape takes you straight to the right device on Amazon for $33.

By using the AC outlet the battery power in the Jackery, the power must convert from 12 Volt DC at the battery to 120 Volt AC at the plug. Your Resmed AC adapter then converts the current back to DC at 24 volts for the machine to run. Using the suggested KFD car charger DC Adapter for Resmed S10, means the current is picked up at the Jackery 12 volt outlet and is only up-converted to 24 Volts DC for use in your machine. This is a far more efficient use of your battery power and could easily increase capacity by 2x what you get through the AC inverter. I could post a bunch of technical proofs of inverter efficiency, but I'll spare you the pain. It will just work far better using the DC outlet.

[hegel]

So...If I go with the Maxoak battery for my Resmed airsense...will I have to consider all of this converter stuff or is it simply good to go with plugging it in to my machine? Honestly I worry about blowing something up with all of the converter gizmos. I can plug my coffee machine into the wall outlet--and my Resmed for that matter--without having to go through cigarette lighters and all the rest. That'[s what I want if possible.

of course the efficiency being discussed with use of the converters is worth it.

[Crimson Nape]

If you are referring to the Maxoak K5, then that is all you need. At least according to their literature.