Uninterruptible Power Supply for CPAP

Doug_C · Post by **Doug_C** » Wed Nov 09, 2005 10:47 am

I have a respironics Remstar Auto CPAP and the Respironics Remstar Heated Humidifier. Early this morning we had a power failure and obviously my CPAP therapy came to a screeching halt. To prevent this from happening in the future, I was wondering if anyone has connected their CPAP and heated humidifier to a UPS device like the ones that we use on our computers to keep the CPAP and Heated Humidifier running during a power outage. I don't want to damage my CPAP, but I don't want to be attached to a CPAP that isn't running for any length of time. Your thoughts and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Doug

derek · Post by **derek** » Wed Nov 09, 2005 11:33 am

I run all the time from the 12v DC output on a Xantrex XPower Powerpack 400 Plus. It's not a computer UPS but I think it's even better. The REMStars do not draw much current at 12v (less than 1 amp) so a smallish battery will cetainly get you through the night. This really is a plug-in and forget solution.

Of course you cannot run the humidifier from a battery (even with an inverter - Respironics say it's a no-no), so I run the humidifier on ac and the APAP from the dc. If I lose power all that happens is that the humidifier is off for a while.

I calculate that the battery in the Powerpack should get me through a couple of nights at a pinch.

Guest-Ramona · Post by **Guest-Ramona** » Wed Nov 09, 2005 11:36 am

I thought UPS devices only protected your computer from a possible power surge when the electricity comes back on. I've thought about getting a generator to run the fridge, stove, hot water heater and APAP. Anybody out there have one or has researched this? I'm not sure I really want to spend that kind of money for maybe one or two nights a year. Masks have ventilation ports, so you can breathe without the power being on.

biggziff · Post by **biggziff** » Wed Nov 09, 2005 2:23 pm

UPS is Uninterruptable power supply. It uses a bridge rectifier or inverter to convert DC voltage to 120volts AC. You can power anything AC with them (other than big appliances)

Titrator · Post by **Titrator** » Wed Nov 09, 2005 2:42 pm

Greetings,

We carry a Portable Rechargable Battery Pack that will help you get through a powerless night. It is easy to charge up and lasts anywhere from 5 to 7 hours. The battery pack weighs 8 lbs and can be carried using a shoulder strap when traveling.

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/purita ... -pack.html

We also carry the AeioMed Everest Battery Powered CPAP Machine. This gem has a built in battery and will run for 11 hours on a pressure of 10cm.

Check it out.

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/aura-t ... -pack.html

Regards ,

Ted
cpap.com

derek · Post by **derek** » Wed Nov 09, 2005 3:10 pm

Ted,
That PB unit is VERY expensive for what it is. You can buy a high quality sealed AGM 18 - 20 Amp. hr battery for less than $50 and a smart charger for around $20, and all you need is a couple of cables.

johnnygoodman · Post by **johnnygoodman** » Wed Nov 09, 2005 9:56 pm

Howdy derek,

#1. I owe you a reply to your PM re: MyEncore, will get on that tomorrow. Sorry!

#2. Have some links to the cheaper batteries you are mentioning? Can you carry them around?

Another issue here is testing the batteries against each machine for sale. I think we blew up something like three S8's testing them in various configurations. I'm not saying this is sure to happen with other batteries, but that it does need to be tested and it is expensive to do - and risky to try without knowing your machine is cleared for X battery.

However, Ted and my father are the power experts, so I reserve the right to pre-emptively remove foot from mouth.

Johnny

Titrator · Post by **Titrator** » Wed Nov 09, 2005 10:07 pm

Hi Derek,

I am wide open as far as learning more about batteries and cpap machines. Please post more info on the items you have selected. Battery power and cpap is still in its infancy, though we try hard to bring more items to our customers everyday.

Thanks,

Ted

biggziff · Post by **biggziff** » Thu Nov 10, 2005 8:11 am

Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2005 12:49 pm Post subject:

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http://www.allelectronics.com/cgi-bin/c ... type=store

http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dl ... category0=

I'm curious when it was said that they "blew up" several S8 machines using batteries. Perhaps the fault lies more in the machines ability to tolerate a range of voltage? Most of my better electronics have built in voltage regulators and can with stand a wide range of voltage. A good example is my Garmin 76S GPS. It will take something like 6-30 volts DC.

Another simple solution would be an inexpensive inverter and 12 volt battery..even a sealed, marine deep cycle battery and a $20 inverter would run one of these machines sans the humidifier, for days. Add a solar charger and you're good to go indefinately.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Nov 10, 2005 8:36 am

I agree with you biggziff. In my personal experience, I don't use a battery backup for extended use. I have a UPS for power failures for my machine. My power can flicker and sometimes be off anywhere from 5-20 minutes. I contacted Respironics and they tell me the bipap with humidifier pulls approximately 80 watts. I have a $20- 425 VA, 230 Watts backup. I've tested it and it works fine. If I have a power failure, the backup beeps indicating it is not receiving ac power. But the bipap continues. If you have a separate humidifier, it has a connection for it that is not on the backup. Therefore the humidifier would stop and the bipap or cpap would continue to run.

Roger... · Post by **Roger...** » Thu Nov 10, 2005 12:35 pm

UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supplies) vary in their capacity and can be a good way to go if you don't plan on moving the unit around on trips.

Cost of a 900VA UPS cost about $65 at the Microcenter and they only needs 1 overnight charge to get it ready for use. Larger and smaller units can be obtained as well. An advantage to a UPS is the self-contained recharging and a lack of fiddling to be sure it hasn't been disturb.

Where a UPS won't work well is the alarm that happens when the power goes off. On the units I have here, they create a “Wake-Up” event that isn’t much different than an obstructive event. When the “Wake-Up” alarm goes off, it wakes the entire house. I suppose the wires to the noisemaker could be cut, but is that good for all uses?

Another option might be the Battery Packs that are sold at Kragen's for around $30. These units will jump start a car and many have built in chargers. None that I know about have alarms. To use these would require the user to create a wiring interface to their Puffer. This is where the commercial battery options make more sense for those without the tools to create interfaces. Maybe as the battery backup options get better in price it won’t make sense to look at anything else.

derek · Post by **derek** » Thu Nov 10, 2005 7:32 pm

Ted and Johnny,
Here's the link to some small sealed (leak-proof) batteries from Digikey:

Small sealed batteries from Digikey

I would consider the Panasonic 12 - 20 Ah 12v units ($34 - $44) and weighing 8.4 - 14.6 lb. You can see the sizes. Note that the BB line at the top of the page is quite a bit cheaper. They may also be quite good.

For a charger I would use the Xantrex Xpower 2amp charger ($20.99 at Beach Audio), $29 list. Xantrex makes a quality line of battery equipment.

Xantrex charger at Beach Audio

I have not dealt with Beach Audio and cannot vouch for them.

The important thing about choosing a battery is to use a deep-cycle one. You could, as has been suggested here many times, use a larger marine/RV deep-cycle battery. I would not recommend using one of the "jump-start" battery packs (as suggested above) they will probably have starting batteries designed for a short burst of hign current rather than a sustained low current drain.

Here's a photo of the Xantrex PowerPack 400 I settled on.

Note that the ac outlet from the humidifier is unplugged from the apap. I have used it for six months without a hitch, and through several 1 - 2 hour blackouts. It uses a 20 Ah battery. I purchased it for $69.99 at overstock.com, which was a steal because the list is around $150. It's no longer available there, but they are listing a smaller one, that should be good for several hours, at $49.99. It uses a 12 Ah battery, which I think is marginal in size.

The Plus model I have is way overkill because I don't use the inverter, and it has a high pressure tire pump, and a lamp. Maybe if the apap fails I can use the tire pump???

_________________

CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): humidifier, APAP

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Nov 12, 2005 1:43 pm

Derek,
In your photo, you have the cpap machine connected to the DC socket. Why do you use that instead of the regular plug connected to one of the two AC sockets on the battery pack? Thanks.
plangster

derek · Post by **derek** » Sat Nov 12, 2005 2:40 pm

Guest,
The ac outlets on the PowewrPack are driven by a dc-ac inverter. These generally have an efficiency of around 80-90%, and so will waste some of the battery power.

The real point is: why bother going from dc to ac through an inverter and then back to dc (inside the xpap)? The xpap has an internal power supply that converts ac to dc, so why not use the 12v dc directly?

I measured the current draw of my APAP while running on dc. It's about 0.75 amp at 12 v. which is only about 9 watts.

Dan01 · Post by **Dan01** » Sat Nov 12, 2005 5:35 pm

I bought a UPS at costco and hooked it up. Something is better than nothing. When the power goes out it starts beeping a little at first.