Generator Suggestions For CPAP Machine?

[edenmaker]

Hi! I'm new to the boards and appreciate the community here and the resourcefulness of  the members.

I welcome suggestions for a very reliable generator to power my RESMED AIRSENSE 11 AUTOSET in case of emergancy!

Level 11, with humidity. 

I am dependent on this machine and don't want to go without it one night!

Anyone here have a good experience powering their CPAP during power outages?

What type of generator is best? We plan to outfit the whole house but for now, I need to have a backup power for my CPAP!

Thank you.

[Sleepster]

I have a whole house generator now, but I used to use a UPS that would get me by during short outages. For longer outages my plan was to use a car battery. In about 10 years of use I had to rely on the car battery only once.

The following is a bit technical. Your CPAP machine runs on a 24-volt DC power supply. If you are relying on a UPS or a generator you are wasting valuable energy because the UPS uses an inverter to change its 12-volt DC source to 120 volt AC (assuming you reside in North America, which you do) and then the power brick that comes with your CPAP machine to rectify the 120-volt AC to 24-volt DC. Of course, in the case of a whole house generator this is a far less significant loss, and I ignore it.

So, until you get that whole house generator the solution is to purchase a special DC converter (readily available, at Amazon for example) that you can use to run your 24-volt CPAP machine off a 12-volt car battery, or if you prefer a more compact lithium ion battery that won't last as long. You can purchase these items bundled in a kit that contains a lithium ion battery and the DC converter, also readily available at, for example, Amazon. Of course, you will need a way to charge the battery during an extended outage.

I keep one of these DC converters handy in case of emergency. It will allow me, for example, to use my CPAP machine in a vehicle.

An alternative is to purchase one of the smaller gasoline-powered generators that are used by many people during extended outages to power their refrigerator and perhaps a window air conditioner and a few lights. It may not put out a pure sine wave voltage and may not be suitable for a CPAP machine, although I think the majority of them do generate a pure sine wave as opposed to a modified sine wave. It's easy enough to verify this before making your purchase. The downside of this is that during an extended outage there are long lines at gas stations and you will be constantly chasing down gasoline and oil for your generator.

Even if you have a whole house generator you will need to keep oil on hand because it's often difficult to purchase during extended outages as everyone is looking to buy it.

[Crimson Nape]

Hi edenmaker! -
When you say, "generator", how long do you wish to prepare for? This would come into play for many days to weeks, and would be used to recharge a battery backup system. For most power outages up to a day to a week, a deep-cycle battery, a battery tender type charger, and a Resmed 11 compatible 12-24 volt DC-DC power supply is the set-up of choice. The run time depends on how much battery you wish to purchase. The power supply is available on Amazon for less than $40.

For extended periods, like weeks or months, you would use a generator to supply power to the battery charger. Of course, there are those solar power generators. Their price is rather exceptional for me.

I hope I have answered your question.
- Red

[edenmaker]

Thank you @Sleepster! I'm going to re-read your reply a few times to absorb all of the information details. I really appreciate you taking the time to share this valuable information!

[Tampa Jim]

We both use an AirSense 11 AutoSet. Paired with a Jackery 240V2 and a ResMed 12V adapter.
Three nights, no problem at all. We just sit it right on the nightstand beside our CPAP.
Pack will charge in an hour from household power. Very small, very light, very well designed.
Run CPAP, charge cellular phones, even a built in light to help you walk around, if needed.

Jackery 240V2 can be purchased from Amazon. We paid $179.00.
Jackery has a five year warranty when you register the device.
Be sure it's the 240V2, the newest (second version) of the pack.

ResMed 12V adapter for the AirSense 11, most DMEs. We paid $58.80.
Definitely a very significant quality upgrade from the generic 12V.

P.S. We're 100% sure of the operational performance, value, etc.
We just finished enduring yet another "lights out" event in Tampa.

[Tampa Jim]

Here you go ...

[Sleepster]

Pack will charge in an hour from household power.

Can you use your vehicle to recharge it?

[Tampa Jim]

Can you use your vehicle to recharge it?

Yes. However, it takes 5 hours. Which isn't very fast.

If power isn't back, we use our Honda 2000 generator.
Charging time with the generator is still only an hour.
We use it every AM for java & our 7CF freezer anyway.

As noted, we can get 3 nights from the Jackery unit.
With a cranked up humidifier, it may be simply two.

[FLcracker]

It's great that you're looking to ensure you can continue using your CPAP machine during emergencies. For your ResMed AirSense 11 AutoSet, it’s essential to choose a generator that can reliably power your device, especially with humidity settings.

What He Said^^^^^   BUT, it's imperative to note that when you are using any generator to power a Cpap unit, that when a gen is running low on fuel, it will surge, which is death to all kinds of electrical equipment.  Be sure that anything you really value that is plugged into the gen, that you have as battery back up UPS surge protector between it and the gen power.  Just in case the gas runs out in the gen when you're still asleep.  The alarm on the UPS  will awake you to respond.  Best, FLc

[SarcasticDave94]

Just don't put the gas generator in your bedroom.

Sage advice from The Sarcastic