UPS power possible.

[mirkee]

I just had a terrible night.  I don't even think about sleeping without my CPAP.  I've had it on my face for 30 years and very happy.  I still remember the days of waking up in a fog and falling asleep at the wheel.  Not for me.

My utility, PGE, has been leaving me messages saying that they could possibly have power outages.  Last night power went out twice.  Sat awake for about an hour then it came back on.  Went off again about 30 minutes later for about another hour, as I tried to sleep on the family room chair.  Had a bad night's sleep.

Started to wonder what others do about power outages.  I live in Central Coast CA and we don't have long-term power outages, at least not yet.  Wondering if a UPS like I see for computers would work to keep my machine running for a few hours.  I have a ResMed, modern one, black and auto set function.  I set a range and it picks the pressure, I think.  I cant find the model number on it.

Thanks for  your help on alternate power supply.

[SarcasticDave94]

These UPS devices wouldn't last long as in maybe it'll run a few minutes. Most include a power loss alarm that may wake you. Better would be to build a back-up battery system to do that IMO. Your choice of course but that's what I'd do.

[mesenteria]

You are better off coughing up the money for a dedicated, and purpose-built, power backup for a CPAP device.  All but the costliest UPS devices will only last at most an hour or less.  That may actually 'do' for a great many power outages, but not a whole night.  If you want to be able to get that full night of good sleep, uninterrupted, you need a proper backup. 

If you do a search "CPAP backup power", you'll be sure to get a couple of pages of decent sites offering a wide variety, including those meant for your own machine.  They aren't cheap, except for the ones too good to be true...or genuine.

[mirkee]

Thanks for your input.  Incredible how quickly one gets educated on this board!  I have now realized that best solution is indeed a dedicated device, especially since I don't want a gnarly car battery and cables next to my bed.  Next decision is whether I want one that can go on an airplane.  I suspect I will find a happy medium between airplane and length of output service.  Lots to look at, all around $300 unfortunately.  I got very little sleep last night and it made me realize how vulnerable I am to power outages, as I don't want to sleep without my CPAP.

[SarcasticDave94]

FWIW special attention needed to specific battery types allowed on airlines due to the safety regulations. There's info out there, I've forgot the specifics other than automotive lead acid types are No Go.

[ardenum]

Make your own from sanyo's or samsungs 2170 cells, one cell is 4000-5000mAh, costs about $5. There's plenty of tutorials out there.

For $500 you'll have 2x the storage than commercial ones for $1500

[Crimson Nape]

For home I came up with this setup. Since marine deep cycle batteries are rated differently, I had to wing it on the size. I wound up with a 175 CCA battery that, combined with the battery tender, kept the charger's indicator light always in the green. Here is the breakdown of what I bought and the cost (rounded up).

Resmed 12/24 Power Supply - $90
Battery 175 CCA Deep Cycle - $60
Battery core charge - $15
Battery case enclosure - $15
Battery Tender 750 mA - $30

Total - $210

[mesenteria]

Of course, if portability were ever going to be desirable, say wanting to carry it on a trip for a few days, the dedicated power supply for CPAP is going to be a bit larger than a pocket novel.

[OMyMyOHellYes]

Make your own from sanyo's or samsungs 2170 cells, one cell is 4000-5000mAh, costs about $5. There's plenty of tutorials out there.

For $500 you'll have 2x the storage than commercial ones for $1500

Or for $75 a nice 35 AH 12 V SLA....  Will last me more than a week sans humogrifier....  Probably 3-4 days if I left it on.  Can make a really nice and unobtrusive UPS system for a couple hunnerd bux more. 

Car batteries are not recommended.  They will provide some functionality but are designed to dump loads of current quickly, not put out over time.

[untoutseul05]

I plug my CPAP on the same UPS as my computer.
It work well : the time it can give power depends on the battery.
It was a 1500 VA