Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Mary Z on November 11, 2009 at 11:07am

Dawn, sorry I don't know the complete details, but here in hurricane country there is a device called an inverter that you can use from your car to power some household items. I don't know if you have to run the engine at intervals to keep the battery charged. Anyone else in hurricane land that knows more about this?

Also it seems as though you could switch machines if they were set to the same pressures. I'd ask the doc or his/her nurse.

Good luck,

Mary Zimlich

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Permalink Reply by Saz RPSGT on November 11, 2009 at 7:46pm

If I'm not mistaken, the Everest 2 can be recharged through a cigarette lighter adapter that comes with it. Good for a trucker!!

dave foster said:

Thanks for this info Carol, as a trucker this info is like gold. Right now I'm mostly local [meaning NYC, north Jersey, Long Island] but trucking gigs are subject to change. I could be over-the-road tommorow, so a portable cpap could be a lifesaver.

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Permalink Reply by Saz RPSGT on November 11, 2009 at 7:50pm

Typically they're the marine batteries (like for motorcycles and jetski's) They're much smaller. Not sure about the duration the charge will last, but I hear they are great.

susan mccord said:

A friend of mine, who's been on CPAP for many years, told me a car battery can be used. I have NO IDEA if that's true, but he said a friend of HIS has used one for years with no problem.....they're awfully heavy if they would have to be carried or transporte by canoe, etc. (?)

I think I'd opt for one that specifically built for CPAP, but that's just me being cautious.....

Susan McCord

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Permalink Reply by susan mccord on November 11, 2009 at 8:51pm

Yeah! You're right, Jason. That's what he told me, "a boat battery"..thanks for clarifying.

Susan :-)

Saz RPSGT said:

Typically they're the marine batteries (like for motorcycles and jetski's) They're much smaller. Not sure about the duration the charge will last, but I hear they are great.

susan mccord said:

A friend of mine, who's been on CPAP for many years, told me a car battery can be used. I have NO IDEA if that's true, but he said a friend of HIS has used one for years with no problem.....they're awfully heavy if they would have to be carried or transporte by canoe, etc. (?)

I think I'd opt for one that specifically built for CPAP, but that's just me being cautious.....

Susan McCord

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Permalink Reply by Tim on November 11, 2009 at 10:10pm

For a CPAP, you need to use a deep cell battery which can tolerate deep discharge.

Car batteries are designed to provide high current for a short period of time and are not good for use with CPAP because the deep discharge will damage and even destroy the battery. A marine battery is a compromise between a starting battery and a deep cell battery, it is better for use with CPAP than a car battery, but it is not as good as a deep cell battery.

Various lithium based batteries such as are used in laptop computers are compact, lightweight, and expensive; lead acid batteries are large, heavy, usually high capacity, and less expensive per amp hour capacity than lithium based batteries. There are essentially three different construction types of lead-acid batteries:

1. Flooded cell. Like car batteries; they can spill acid and can release hydrogen gas. These are available in car starting (the standard car battery), marine, and deep cell types (frequently called RV batteries).

2. Gelled electrolyte. Commonly called Gel Cell. These are smaller batteries that have the acid suspended in a gel. They do not spill and do not normally release gas (although they can release hydrogen in some unusual circumstances). These are deep cell types.

3. Absorbed Glass Mats (AGM). These are usually large, heavy, high capacity batteries that do not spill and like Gel Cells don't usually release gas. These are excellent batteries for use with CPAPs where weight is not a factor. These are available in car starting, marine, and deep cell types.

Web page with battery type information: http://www.windsun.com/Batteries/Battery_FAQ.htm

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Permalink Reply by Andy on November 11, 2009 at 10:59pm

I live out in the woods, and the power goes out here fairly regularly. In fact, it went out on the third night after I got my CPAP! When it did, I immediately woke up, sensing some difficulty breathing.

I had asked my doc to prescribe some sort of battery-powered device for me, but was talked out of it.

However, I'm looking at the specs for my ResMed S8 AutoSet II.

It says that, with the 3i humidifier, it takes about 110 watts when running, with a peak of about 275 watts.

There's also a 12-volt input on my AutoSet, and ResMed specifies a "DC-12" converter for that input. I just checked, and the converter is around $80.00.

So, you could use the AutoSet, get the converter, and plug it into a lighter socket in a vehicle.

If you want a fully portable device for camping, presumably any 12 volt DC source would work, so I suppose you could just plug the AutoSet with converter into one of those portable car "jump start" devices that "99" was talking about.

DISCLAIMER: Of course, I'm not a doctor, lawyer, engineer, RT, camper, or anything else, so what I just said means absolutely nothing...

;)

.

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Permalink Reply by Renee on November 12, 2009 at 1:04pm

Hey Tim ~

This is all great info - thanks much !
I would like to ask a follow-up question to all this . . . which would you suggest is the best type of battery for CPAP - if weight is a consideration, such as for traveling? Again, thank you.

Best,
Renee

Tim said:

For a CPAP, you need to use a deep cell battery which can tolerate deep discharge.

Car batteries are designed to provide high current for a short period of time and are not good for use with CPAP because the deep discharge will damage and even destroy the battery. A marine battery is a compromise between a starting battery and a deep cell battery, it is better for use with CPAP than a car battery, but it is not as good as a deep cell battery.

Various lithium based batteries such as are used in laptop computers are compact, lightweight, and expensive; lead acid batteries are large, heavy, usually high capacity, and less expensive per amp hour capacity than lithium based batteries. There are essentially three different construction types of lead-acid batteries:

1. Flooded cell. Like car batteries; they can spill acid and can release hydrogen gas. These are available in car starting (the standard car battery), marine, and deep cell types (frequently called RV batteries).

2. Gelled electrolyte. Commonly called Gel Cell. These are smaller batteries that have the acid suspended in a gel. They do not spill and do not normally release gas (although they can release hydrogen in some unusual circumstances). These are deep cell types.

3. Absorbed Glass Mats (AGM). These are usually large, heavy, high capacity batteries that do not spill and like Gel Cells don't usually release gas. These are excellent batteries for use with CPAPs where weight is not a factor. These are available in car starting, marine, and deep cell types.

Web page with battery type information: http://www.windsun.com/Batteries/Battery_FAQ.htm

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Permalink Reply by Brian Katzung on November 13, 2009 at 12:19am

Renee,

I don't see a reply yet, so I'll throw in my own two cents.

If the battery is going to be hand-transported any significant distance, you will need a lithium ion battery (a few pounds) rather than one of the lead acid types (tens of pounds).

You might try this:
http://www.bestcpapprice.com/Owell-Industries-266-watt-hr-Compact-P...

I've suggested to my sleep doctor that she keep some of these as rental units. She seemed interested in the idea, but I don't think she's pulled the trigger yet. If you have a good relationship with a local provider, you might make the same suggestion to them.

Unless you're a frequent traveler or weekly camper, the cost may be prohibitive to purchase, but a whole practice worth of patients could probably rent from a pool of units fairly affordably.

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Permalink Reply by Tim on November 13, 2009 at 7:51am

I use a BG-C222 CPAP battery from Battery Geeks, which is box about the size of a hard back book that is full of lithium ion batteries and it has a cigarette lighter outlet on it. The battery comes with a cable and assorted connectors to fit most CPAP machines. It weighs a few pounds and will last at least two nights.

http://www.batterygeek.net/v/vspfiles/CPAP_Battery_Packs.asp

I noticed that they now have a solar charged CPAP battery.

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Permalink Reply by susan mccord on November 13, 2009 at 8:22am

Do they allow that battery on airplanes? If so, do you need some kind of documentation to carry it on?


Tim said:

I use a BG-C222 CPAP battery from Battery Geeks, which is box about the size of a hard back book that is full of lithium ion batteries and it has a cigarette lighter outlet on it. The battery comes with a cable and assorted connectors to fit most CPAP machines. It weighs a few pounds and will last at least two nights.

http://www.batterygeek.net/v/vspfiles/CPAP_Battery_Packs.asp

I noticed that they now have a solar charged CPAP battery.

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Permalink Reply by Renee on November 13, 2009 at 8:35am

Hello Brian ~

This is Great ! Thank you very much. I am surely going to look into it - appreciate you sharing your wisdom.

Best,
Renee

Brian Katzung said:

Renee,

I don't see a reply yet, so I'll throw in my own two cents.

If the battery is going to be hand-transported any significant distance, you will need a lithium ion battery (a few pounds) rather than one of the lead acid types (tens of pounds).

You might try this:
http://www.bestcpapprice.com/Owell-Industries-266-watt-hr-Compact-P...

I've suggested to my sleep doctor that she keep some of these as rental units. She seemed interested in the idea, but I don't think she's pulled the trigger yet. If you have a good relationship with a local provider, you might make the same suggestion to them.

Unless you're a frequent traveler or weekly camper, the cost may be prohibitive to purchase, but a whole practice worth of patients could probably rent from a pool of units fairly affordably.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Renee on November 13, 2009 at 8:46am

Hello Tim ~

Thanks for the info. It's good to think about purchasing a battery WAY ahead of time if considering traveling as a new CPAPer. Wouldn't have thought of squirreling away SUCH an extra tidy sum to assure being able to sleep and then also be awake to enjoy the adventures !

Thanks much,
Renee

Tim said:

I use a BG-C222 CPAP battery from Battery Geeks, which is box about the size of a hard back book that is full of lithium ion batteries and it has a cigarette lighter outlet on it. The battery comes with a cable and assorted connectors to fit most CPAP machines. It weighs a few pounds and will last at least two nights.

http://www.batterygeek.net/v/vspfiles/CPAP_Battery_Packs.asp

I noticed that they now have a solar charged CPAP battery.

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