Need battery operated CPAP for camping

[shutterbug sue]

We are going camping at Glacier National Park (at an altitude of approx 10,000ft) in July. There is no electricity at the campground so I need to figure out a solution for my OSA. I will be taking my old CPAP machine with me which is a REMstar Plus Domestic by Respironics. I don't know what these readings mean, but on the back of the machine is says 100-240V, 50/60 Hz, 12V, AC 1.0 A max. / DC 3.0 A max. Type BF, Class II, IPX0.

I have severe OSA (78 AHI) so going without my CPAP is not an option.

Thank-you for any advice you can give me.

[greatunclebill]

We are going camping at Glacier National Park (at an altitude of approx 10,000ft) in July. There is no electricity at the campground so I need to figure out a solution for my OSA. I will be taking my old CPAP machine with me which is a REMstar Plus Domestic by Respironics. I don't know what these readings mean, but on the back of the machine is says 100-240V, 50/60 Hz, 12V, AC 1.0 A max. / DC 3.0 A max. Type BF, Class II, IPX0.

I have severe OSA (78 AHI) so going without my CPAP is not an option.

Thank-you for any advice you can give me.

welcome to the forum.


try taking your cpap into someplace like radioshack and see if they have a rechargeable battery setup and a plug that could be put on it or know where to look for it. when you plug into the wall outlet, the transformer is stepping the power down to the 12 volts that the machine actually uses. the only problem would be fitting the correct plug and getting a battery setup with the correct amps.

also check some of the cpap sellers on the list at the top of the page to see if somebody sells what you are looking for. if you can find something at radioshack it would probably be cheaper.

[Netskier]

We are going camping at Glacier National Park (at an altitude of approx 10,000ft) in July. There is no electricity at the campground so I need to figure out a solution for my OSA. I will be taking my old CPAP machine with me which is a REMstar Plus Domestic by Respironics. I don't know what these readings mean, but on the back of the machine is says 100-240V, 50/60 Hz, 12V, AC 1.0 A max. / DC 3.0 A max. Type BF, Class II, IPX0.

I have severe OSA (78 AHI) so going without my CPAP is not an option.

Thank-you for any advice you can give me.

You can run it off of a 12 volt car battery attached to an inverter. You can plug the inverter into a cigarette lighter socket in a car, and plug your CPAP into the inverter.

Just make sure you disconnect the inverter from the car in the morning so you don't run down the car battery too much. It would be more convenient to buy another battery to dedicate to your cpap. It does not have to be large; a jet ski battery will do this easily.

The readings mean that your CPAP will draw a maximum of three amps from your 12 volt DC battery. Probably about one amp typically. This means that you should recharge the battery each day. An inexpensive volt meter, say two dollars, will give you an idea of how many nights you can use the battery without having to recharge it.

[zonk]

Battery guide
http://www.resmed.com/assets/documents/s...lo_eng.pdf

[JumpStart]

We are going camping at Glacier National Park (at an altitude of approx 10,000ft) in July. There is no electricity at the campground so I need to figure out a solution for my OSA. I will be taking my old CPAP machine with me which is a REMstar Plus Domestic by Respironics. I don't know what these readings mean, but on the back of the machine is says 100-240V, 50/60 Hz, 12V, AC 1.0 A max. / DC 3.0 A max. Type BF, Class II, IPX0.

I have severe OSA (78 AHI) so going without my CPAP is not an option.

Thank-you for any advice you can give me.

Unless you are going to sleep with the car virtually next to your sleeping bag, you have more than the simple amp hour of your CPAP to consider. And no "static" test (i.e., without your battery being under a proper load at the time of the test), can correctly tell you how long it will last at a given power draw.

Consider that an inverter itself is highly inefficient, and draws more current from your battery than it delivers as DC output to your CPAP - perhaps 20% more. Second, whatever extension cord you use, if any, will further degrade your electrical transmission. (The longer the cord, the less amps at the end where you plug in). While I agree that you can probably use such a system overnight, I think unless you have a surefire way to start your car (such as another vehicle, and jumper cables), that I would test the system carefully at home before going. And as suggested, disconnect the inverter anytime it is not in use, as it always is drawing power from your battery. While car batteries have a certain "amp hour" rating, age, ambient temperature and connection corrosion can all significantly degrade that figure as actually delivered. For example, you probably know how difficult it can be to start your car on a cold morning. Trying that at a high altitude, with a (somewhat) discharged battery, can be even more challenging, and I don't know the temperatures you will encounter, even in July. And effectively recharging each day may likely take more than starting and running the car at idle for anything less than 15-20 minutes, maybe more. This will depend upon how low the battery has gotten, how fast it will accept a charge, and your alternator size, among other things.

Another note about inverters. They can either produce sine wave output, or a modified sine wave output. Respironics should be able to tell you, in the owners manual or online, which form is acceptable for your machine. If you decide to acquire one of the correct form, and if Respironics indicates it should be a modified wave, determine what size you need and add at least 25% to that figure, as you will have an inductive load (ie, a motor starting) each time your CPAP fires up and modified inverters are much less efficient with that type of load. Don't however, just buy the biggest inverter you can - the bigger it is, the more "waste" load it creates on the battery.

Are we having fun yet? :grin: OK, then... It will undoubtedly be cheaper to buy an inverter of the correct size and wave output, and connect to that, than acquire what I suspect is a much higher priced system designed for regular backup (such as due to power outage). And you are right - with those figures, going without CPAP is not a good option. A spare battery would be a good idea, if it can be managed. Then the car issues go away, as do extension cords, getting cords into largely closed tents, etc..

Since your CPAP is not altitude adjusting, you might also consider asking Respironics, or your sleep doc, the appropriate pressure settings you should use. They may be higher or lower than you currently have.

The battery guide, cited by zonk, should give you what you need for sizing issues, and it may duplicate some of what I have written. While I have never used such a setup for CPAP, I have on more than one occasion used such a setup for other items when camping.

Your trip sounds like a great deal of fun. Be safe, and let us know what you did and how your setup worked.

[SuperSleeper]

FYI, here's an entire thread on camping with CPAP... might have some useful info in it for you also:

http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread-...ht=camping

also, this one on CPAP with alternative power (12-volt):

http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread-...ht=camping

[shutterbug sue]

Thank-you all for the replies and the links. Lots of good suggestions. The two I'm looking at are a power pack, or using deep cycle or marine battery with a converter. See descriptions below.

I suspect my REMstar is a pre-M series. I've had it since 2004 when I was first diagnosed. Do you think the power cord kit would work with my machine?

Also, how many hours would each of these power my CPAP at 12cm H20?

------------------------

Respironics 12-V DC Power Cord Kit with Battery Adapter Cable for $38 plus cost of battery.
This power cable kit is used to connect a Respironics REMstar CPAP machine to an external 12-volt power source such as a cigarette lighter socket or a 12-volt deep cycle marine battery. Includes the 12-volt DC power cord with cigarette lighter adapter, the battery cable adapter with alligator-style clips to attach directly to battery terminals, and replacement fuses

This power cord will work for all M-Series CPAP machines, and most of the larger REMstar CPAP and Auto CPAP machines. It will not work for the older, pre-M Series BiPAP machines.

------------------------

I found a power pack for $169.
Duracell Powerpack 600
Contains one DC outlet and three three-pronged AC outlets (480-watt continuous / 600-watt peak) to power multiple devices, appliances and tools
Built-in 600-watt power inverter, 5-watt flashlight, overload/over-temperature protection and reverse polarity detection
Sealed, non-spillable 28Ah AGM battery and detachable alligator clamps for jump-starting cars (up to 8-cylinder)
Built-in AM/FM radio and digital alarm clock

[Netskier]

Thank-you all for the replies and the links. Lots of good suggestions. The two I'm looking at are a power pack, or using deep cycle or marine battery with a converter. See descriptions below.

I suspect my REMstar is a pre-M series. I've had it since 2004 when I was first diagnosed. Do you think the power cord kit would work with my machine?

Also, how many hours would each of these power my CPAP at 12cm H20?

------------------------

Respironics 12-V DC Power Cord Kit with Battery Adapter Cable for $38 plus cost of battery.
This power cable kit is used to connect a Respironics REMstar CPAP machine to an external 12-volt power source such as a cigarette lighter socket or a 12-volt deep cycle marine battery. Includes the 12-volt DC power cord with cigarette lighter adapter, the battery cable adapter with alligator-style clips to attach directly to battery terminals, and replacement fuses

This power cord will work for all M-Series CPAP machines, and most of the larger REMstar CPAP and Auto CPAP machines. It will not work for the older, pre-M Series BiPAP machines.

------------------------

I found a power pack for $169.
Duracell Powerpack 600
Contains one DC outlet and three three-pronged AC outlets (480-watt continuous / 600-watt peak) to power multiple devices, appliances and tools
Built-in 600-watt power inverter, 5-watt flashlight, overload/over-temperature protection and reverse polarity detection
Sealed, non-spillable 28Ah AGM battery and detachable alligator clamps for jump-starting cars (up to 8-cylinder)
Built-in AM/FM radio and digital alarm clock

Sue,

I just noticed you have an S9 Autoset, and they are altitude adjusting, although we don't yet know what happens beyond 8500 feet, but 10K is pretty close to 8500, so why not take your S9 to handle this issue which Jumpstart raised?

[shutterbug sue]

Thank-you all for the replies and the links. Lots of good suggestions. The two I'm looking at are a power pack, or using deep cycle or marine battery with a converter. See descriptions below.

I suspect my REMstar is a pre-M series. I've had it since 2004 when I was first diagnosed. Do you think the power cord kit would work with my machine?

Also, how many hours would each of these power my CPAP at 12cm H20?

------------------------

Respironics 12-V DC Power Cord Kit with Battery Adapter Cable for $38 plus cost of battery.
This power cable kit is used to connect a Respironics REMstar CPAP machine to an external 12-volt power source such as a cigarette lighter socket or a 12-volt deep cycle marine battery. Includes the 12-volt DC power cord with cigarette lighter adapter, the battery cable adapter with alligator-style clips to attach directly to battery terminals, and replacement fuses

This power cord will work for all M-Series CPAP machines, and most of the larger REMstar CPAP and Auto CPAP machines. It will not work for the older, pre-M Series BiPAP machines.

------------------------

I found a power pack for $169.
Duracell Powerpack 600
Contains one DC outlet and three three-pronged AC outlets (480-watt continuous / 600-watt peak) to power multiple devices, appliances and tools
Built-in 600-watt power inverter, 5-watt flashlight, overload/over-temperature protection and reverse polarity detection
Sealed, non-spillable 28Ah AGM battery and detachable alligator clamps for jump-starting cars (up to 8-cylinder)
Built-in AM/FM radio and digital alarm clock

Sue,

I just noticed you have an S9 Autoset, and they are altitude adjusting, although we don't yet know what happens beyond 8500 feet, but 10K is pretty close to 8500, so why not take your S9 to handle this issue which Jumpstart raised?

I love my S9 Autoset and would be heartbroken if anything bad happened to it. There's just too much risk that it could get lost or stolen or damaged. I would be very upset if it even got scratched!

[Netskier]

Thank-you all for the replies and the links. Lots of good suggestions. The two I'm looking at are a power pack, or using deep cycle or marine battery with a converter. See descriptions below.

I suspect my REMstar is a pre-M series. I've had it since 2004 when I was first diagnosed. Do you think the power cord kit would work with my machine?

Also, how many hours would each of these power my CPAP at 12cm H20?

------------------------

Respironics 12-V DC Power Cord Kit with Battery Adapter Cable for $38 plus cost of battery.
This power cable kit is used to connect a Respironics REMstar CPAP machine to an external 12-volt power source such as a cigarette lighter socket or a 12-volt deep cycle marine battery. Includes the 12-volt DC power cord with cigarette lighter adapter, the battery cable adapter with alligator-style clips to attach directly to battery terminals, and replacement fuses

This power cord will work for all M-Series CPAP machines, and most of the larger REMstar CPAP and Auto CPAP machines. It will not work for the older, pre-M Series BiPAP machines.

------------------------

I found a power pack for $169.
Duracell Powerpack 600
Contains one DC outlet and three three-pronged AC outlets (480-watt continuous / 600-watt peak) to power multiple devices, appliances and tools
Built-in 600-watt power inverter, 5-watt flashlight, overload/over-temperature protection and reverse polarity detection
Sealed, non-spillable 28Ah AGM battery and detachable alligator clamps for jump-starting cars (up to 8-cylinder)
Built-in AM/FM radio and digital alarm clock

Sue,

I just noticed you have an S9 Autoset, and they are altitude adjusting, although we don't yet know what happens beyond 8500 feet, but 10K is pretty close to 8500, so why not take your S9 to handle this issue which Jumpstart raised?

I love my S9 Autoset and would be heartbroken if anything bad happened to it. There's just too much risk that it could get lost or stolen or damaged. I would be very upset if it even got scratched!

LOL. I actually feel the same about mine. But a better night's sleep on vacation would motivate me to take the risk, but then I like to ski dangerous runs.