Need battery operated CPAP for camping

[greatunclebill]

oops. forget everything you read about 12 volt power sources.

i have an old cpap exactly like yours sitting right here in front of me that i dragged out of the closet. remstar plus domestic, a first generation respironics cpap machine. the label on the bottom says exactly what yours does referencing 120v and 12v. Respironics M series is a different style machine, the second generation machines.

the 120v power cord on this goes directly into the machine, not thru a transformer. it runs on 12v but that is obviously a transformer built into the machine, not an external transformer.

so the only option to get 120v into this machine out in the wild is a power inverter from a 12v battery. you may want to re-consider bringing the s-9.

[PaulaO2]

If it gets scratched, you can put a skin on it.

If you go with taking a battery, a marine/deep cycle is the way to go. They last longer per charge. Don't go to a wheelchair place to get one though! The price difference between there and, say, Kmart's auto section--for the same battery--is astronomical.

If weight is an issue, as in you are backpacking to the campground, there's a type of deep cycle battery called U1. They're small and lighterweight. But you'd probably have to take more than one.

Whatever you decide to do, test out the life of the batteries by using the CPAP on them for several nights. A volt meter to check their juice each day is fairly cheap.

[shutterbug sue]

oops. forget everything you read about 12 volt power sources.

i have an old cpap exactly like yours sitting right here in front of me that i dragged out of the closet. remstar plus domestic, a first generation respironics cpap machine. the label on the bottom says exactly what yours does referencing 120v and 12v. Respironics M series is a different style machine, the second generation machines.

the 120v power cord on this goes directly into the machine, not thru a transformer. it runs on 12v but that is obviously a transformer built into the machine, not an external transformer.

so the only option to get 120v into this machine out in the wild is a power inverter from a 12v battery. you may want to re-consider bringing the s-9.

Thank-you for the information. I'm kind of bummed that this option won't work for my old machine.

[shutterbug sue]

If it gets scratched, you can put a skin on it.

If you go with taking a battery, a marine/deep cycle is the way to go. They last longer per charge. Don't go to a wheelchair place to get one though! The price difference between there and, say, Kmart's auto section--for the same battery--is astronomical.

If weight is an issue, as in you are backpacking to the campground, there's a type of deep cycle battery called U1. They're small and lighterweight. But you'd probably have to take more than one.

Whatever you decide to do, test out the life of the batteries by using the CPAP on them for several nights. A volt meter to check their juice each day is fairly cheap.

It's looking like I will probably have to take my new S9 AutoSet. Good suggestion about the skins.

Would I be able to use the humidifier when using the battery pack or will that use up considerably more power? We're planning on camping with no access to electricity for 3 nights.

[Netskier]

If it gets scratched, you can put a skin on it.

If you go with taking a battery, a marine/deep cycle is the way to go. They last longer per charge. Don't go to a wheelchair place to get one though! The price difference between there and, say, Kmart's auto section--for the same battery--is astronomical.

If weight is an issue, as in you are backpacking to the campground, there's a type of deep cycle battery called U1. They're small and lighterweight. But you'd probably have to take more than one.

Whatever you decide to do, test out the life of the batteries by using the CPAP on them for several nights. A volt meter to check their juice each day is fairly cheap.

It's looking like I will probably have to take my new S9 AutoSet. Good suggestion about the skins.

Would I be able to use the humidifier when using the battery pack or will that use up considerably more power? We're planning on camping with no access to electricity for 3 nights.

About three times as much power. IIRC, the Autoset takes 35 watts by itself, and about 90 with the humidifier.

I have not yet started using my humidifier yet. I am waiting for the weather to turn cold this Winter. Global warming you know.

All these emoticons, and I don't even see a Winky for denoting a humorous remark.

[PaulaO2]

Yeah, anything that generates heat is going to be a big power drain on batteries.

Get the battery before hand (and a charger) and give it a try for 3 nights to make sure the battery lasts.

There's some really cool battery chargers that run off a little solar panel. They make them for hikers. I need to look some up anyway for a project I need to do this summer. Let me see what I can find.

[PaulaO2]

REI has a page for solar stuff and camping. Someone (I think it was here) said they used the Goal Zero battery which REI carries.

Anyway, did a Google search for solar battery charger for hiking and got some good stuff. It ain't cheap, though.

Which is why testing the system first for 3 nights would be a good idea. If it lasts that long, you won't need a charger!

[greatunclebill]

REI has a page for solar stuff and camping. Someone (I think it was here) said they used the Goal Zero battery which REI carries.

Anyway, did a Google search for [em]solar battery charger for hiking[/em] and got some good stuff. It ain't cheap, though.

Which is why testing the system first for 3 nights would be a good idea. If it lasts that long, you won't need a charger!

am i missing something? this looks like 12 volt. she needs a 120 volt power supply.

[PaulaO2]

I think the 120v was for the older machine. I think she has decided to take the S9 instead.

I think.

I may be confused.

Or we both are. LOL

[SuperSleeper]

Maybe I'm missing something too... but I understood her to mean that she wanted a way to use her old pre-2007 REMstar CPAP with a 12 volt battery. All she needs for that is a 12-volt deep-cycle battery and the 12 volt Respironics cord that you can purchase online, as described in this post.

The old REMstars have a separate input power jack for 12 volt power. They can be operated with 12-volt power directly without the need for a transformer or power inverter. The transformer is built into the machine itself, which is one of the reasons I call my old REMstar Pro "The Tank" - it's huge, heavy and built like a tank.