What UPS unit do you Recommend ?

What UPS unit do you Recommend ? - Printable Version

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RE: What UPS unit do you Recommend ? - Paptillian - 06-17-2013

They sell a small plug-in device at the hardware store that sounds an alarm when the power goes out. Maybe waking up is a better alternative to deep-cycle lead acid batteries?

A UPS such as those used for computers will do this, too, but the plug-in alarm is much cheaper and smaller.

RE: What UPS unit do you Recommend ? - SuperSleeper - 06-17-2013

(06-17-2013, 03:11 PM)Labrat0116 Wrote: Now, how do ya'll recommend recharging a deep cycle battery when it is INSIDE one's bedroom ?

I hate the thought of lugging one down from the 2nd floor, out to the garage to hook it up to my battery charger.

You can keep the battery in the bedroom, no problem. But I would not continuously charge it if it's in a confined space. When you charge lead-acid batteries, a by-product is a small amount of hydrogen gas, which is an explosive. Granted, it's a very small amount, so it's usually of no great concern, assuming you have adequate ventilation and you don't charge the battery near a flame or something that could ignite hydrogen. I charge my lead-acid deep cycles in the house, but only 2 of them at a time near my back door, which has pretty good ventilation. For folks who have larger solar systems with several deep cycle batteries, it's recommended that you place the batteries inside some type of enclosed container or sealed wooden box with a small venting fan to suck hydrogen gas out of the container and outside. Most folks use PVC tubing for that and a small 12 volt computer fan to fit inside the tubing.

But you shouldn't need to do that as long as you take a some precautions for charging a lead-acid battery indoors:

1. Use a trickle charger with no more than 1-2 amps of power charging the batteries. (don't use a fast-charging unit - that produces more hydrogen gas, quicker, plus slow charging is better for the lifespan of your battery).

2. Charge one battery (or maybe 2) at a time. This limits the quantity of hydrogen gas that can build up (it's really not a lot for one battery).

3. Don't leave the charger connected and on continuously for several days-- take it off the battery when the unit is fully charged. (unless you're trying to desulfate the unit, which should probably be done outside or in a room with very good ventilation or with the windows open). And, as mentioned previously, never charge the battery while it's connected to your CPAP machine.

Sleep-well

RE: What UPS unit do you Recommend ? - Labrat0116 - 06-17-2013

(06-17-2013, 03:55 PM)Shastzi Wrote: If you are skilled in servicing wheelchair power supplies you should be ok with this project.

Cool?

Play safe now kiddies!

I'm a Gearhead at heart! I can handle it! I've witnessed first hand a battery exploded into someone's face! NOT a good thing!

I agree Shatstzi! Be careful kiddies ! Grin

RE: What UPS unit do you Recommend ? - Shastzi - 06-18-2013

Keeping such a large battery charged up when the grid is offline might be another hurdle.
***
Solar panels anyone? Wind generators?

RE: What UPS unit do you Recommend ? - SuperSleeper - 06-18-2013

I use a cheap Harbor Freight solar panel system, as described here:

http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread-generator-for-hurricane-season?pid=8529#pid8529

RE: What UPS unit do you Recommend ? - Labrat0116 - 08-13-2014

(06-17-2013, 04:36 PM)Paptillian Wrote: A UPS such as those used for computers will do this, too, but the plug-in alarm is much cheaper and smaller.

What Capacity UPS unit does one need to run a CPAP/Humidifer for several hours ?

RE: What UPS unit do you Recommend ? - Terry - 08-14-2014

(08-13-2014, 11:50 PM)Labrat0116 Wrote:
(06-17-2013, 04:36 PM)Paptillian Wrote: A UPS such as those used for computers will do this, too, but the plug-in alarm is much cheaper and smaller.
What Capacity UPS unit does one need to run a CPAP/Humidifer for several hours ?

Check your power supply. It will say "nn watts". We'll say "60" because that's what my PRS1 says.

This is the maximum your machine can use, although it probably uses less.

Now figure out how long you want to sleep without power (say 8 hours).

You need a UPS that will supply more than 60 x 8 = 480 Watt/hours.

You also need to make sure that you can silence the UPS "power out" alarm.

Here's a chart from APC that lists UPS runtime at various power levels.

However, since a UPS with slightly less than the required capacity is about $1,200, I'd suggest buying a deep cycle battery and an inverter, and using the extra thousand dollars for a vacation. 8-)

OTOH, if money isn't an issue, getting a UPS is actually much nicer. You can plug it into the wall, plug your CPAP into the UPS and simply ignore any power failures. you don't need to worry about charging it and if the electricity goes out, would never even notice that anything happened.

With the DIY solution, you need to drag out the battery and hook it up.

Terry

RE: What UPS unit do you Recommend ? - Shastzi - 08-14-2014

There are some pricey lithium-polymer battery backs out for folks to run the CPAP during overnight camping trips.
They are small, light weight and should work if you can get by for a while without the heated hose / humidifier.
But....they arent cheap yet!

I'll hold out for now.

Wink

RE: What UPS unit do you Recommend ? - Labrat0116 - 08-27-2014

(08-14-2014, 08:41 PM)Shastzi Wrote: There are some pricey lithium-polymer battery backs out for folks to run the CPAP during overnight camping trips.

They are small, light weight and should work if you can get by for a while without the heated hose / humidifier.
But....they arent cheap yet!

I'll hold out for now.

Correct. $285+ for the C-100 travel pack battery.

I have my eye on this UPS for $140.

[Image: 61lwqGZD5TL._SL1500_.jpg]

RE: What UPS unit do you Recommend ? - Shastzi - 08-27-2014

The UPS is designed for computer applications. Those are made to keep the power going for up to about 45 minutes then
signal your CPU to go into a proper shutdown. It's not going to last you all night.
If the juice is back on in a few minutes then everything is fine.
The bad news is that you're going to get waked up anyway when the UPS relays drop in and the inverter fires up.
There is a pretty distinctive Ka-klunk-MMMMMMMMMM.
sound.
The inverter for the 1500VA power supply draws a significant amount of battery power by it self.
Even with no load it may only last about an hour. (but it's not real useful when it isn't powering anything)

You be the judge. Wink