Battery backup

[andrasnm]

Just recently we had a 24-hour storm and no power, fortunately I had a cheap, crappy power pack, but now I am in a need for a Generator and a power bank for CPAP. Any ideas which one is the most cost effective. (battery), I think I can get a generator at Costco (that no online vendor can beat).

[Lane101]

For a short term (few hours to a few days) back up for CPAP only batteries are easiest. If you need power for lots of other items/appliances then you should look at generators. There is a long thread under CapnLoki with lots of details on battery backup options from DIY agm lead acid battery packs to off the shelf Lithium batteries. Note that for a generator you need to figure out fuel availability. If your entire region is without power gas stations can't pump gas so you only have what is in your gas can. If you plan to operate a sensitive medical device you need an inverter generator that will give you clean power. Also make sure you understand safe generator use from both a carbon monoxide and an electric shock prevention perspective.

Note that for my CPAP I rely on two DIY battery packs each built around a 20 amp hour agm lead acid battery that are good for a combined total of four days CPAP use (used for camping) with all my details on this posted in the CapnLoki thread. Have a solar panel that can extend use to 7+ days. We also have a small 1,800 watt generator at home for emergencies. Can run one appliance (e.g. refrigerator or small window air conditioner), recharge battery packs/electronics and a light or two. Did not get anything bigger due to gas consumption concerns. The generator burns roughly a gallon every 6 hours so with 12 gallons stored in a shed over 30 feet from our house we can get three days of use if needed. No desire to store any more gas than that. So far only used once to keep refrigerator food from spoiling when power was out for 7 hours. Note that if you store gas you need a location away from your house and you need to add stabilizer. Also, even when stabilized, you need to rotate the gasoline out once per year (dump in your car) and get fresh gas. Additionally, since this is for emergency use, you need to keep a spare spark plug, air filter and oil for your generator as if the power outage extends for more that a few days you will need to replace or top off these item at a time when normal retail options are unavailable.

[Ray4852]

you get what you pay for when you buy a generator. do you loose your power a lot or this is the first time. if you can live with out your cpap for one night. this is the most cost effective way for you. sleep normal. your need is different than mine. my way is not cost effective for you. my system is setup for off grid camping for 2 week or more. if my power goes out at the house. I can plug my equipment into my generator or use my camping setup. I have two Yamaha inverter generators, 3 victron 20 amp battery chargers, 3 100 amp lithium battle born batteries. I power my cpap and oxygen concentrator with one 100 amp battery for 8 hours. it takes about 5 hours to charge the battery back to 100 percent with a 20 amp charger. I plug it into the generator. I also have just for the cpap only the portable outlet battery. what ever happens out there I'm ready for the long haul. I also have one solar panel, but this way is not cost effective for me. solar is very overrated and expensive for my area. if you need it for your cpap only, I recommend the portable outlet battery.