Power outages?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Nov 22, 2004 9:29 pm

What do you do if there is a power outage? I noticed that our electric company has a number to call & register equipment if it for a medical need in case of power outage (not sure what they do, maybe try to restore power as soon as possible?). Have any of you done this? I have the Remstar machine & am curious as we have just moved to the South where ice storms have been known to knock out power for days. I can't imagine being without my machine.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Nov 22, 2004 11:04 pm

Well consider yourself fortunate since the Remstar will run from 12VDC directly. Just order the 12V cable if it didn't arrive with the cpap and go sleep in your vehicle or connect it directly to a deep cycle battery . The battery should last a few nights if it is fully charged. The down side is keeping the battery in your bedroom and keeping it fully charged for that time when it's needed, perhaps never.

I have a Resmed cpap. It uses AC power. A battery can be used but a inverter is required which itself uses power and adds to the expense of a standby system.

I have only lost power once and it was a long night indeed. Now I am building my backup system. I am also waiting to see if the new Resmed models will have 12V capability.

I haven't contacted my power company but have thought about it for a few years now. Seems like they would turn the power on ASAP either way. I mean if a dozen poles snapped from the ice I dont see how a list will speed things up. Better to be prepared yourself. As a minimum I would buy the connector so you could go sleep in your car even tho it would be a bit cold. With no power the house would be a bit cool also. And the cable might come in handy for a quick nap on your next road trip.

cpap.com has the cable with connector for $ 24.95
Good Luck,

Chris

wading thru the muck! · Post by **wading thru the muck!** » Tue Nov 23, 2004 5:42 am

I sure hope I never have to deal with a few days with no power!

Aside from the cpap issue have you thought about installing a back-up generator in your house?

cpap.com lists a battery pack made for xpap machines [url]shttps://www.cpap.com/productpage/89[/url]

...although, it looks like you would only get one night out of it.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Nov 23, 2004 10:37 am

Thanks for the ideas! Sounds like a generator is the way to go for more than a day or two outage. I'm going to call the electric company & see what advantages (if any) there are to registering my CPAP machine with them.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Nov 23, 2004 2:45 pm

I've looked into generators and the only way to go is diesel if you don't mind the expense. Gas just isnt reliable & a few days worth of fuel would cost a small fortune and spoils in a few months. Looked into solar. Thats the way to go. Sell power to the utility company every day. My experience with generators in my workplace isnt good unless its a diesel. But thats an issue for a different chat board.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Nov 23, 2004 3:16 pm

In early 2005 Aeiomed is planning on coming out with it's lightweight, battery powered CPAP, the Aura. It's very small and is designed to be the first machine to handle the types of problems on the guy/gal who posted this thread encountered.

Here's the Companys Website http://www.aeiomed.com/

Here's the CPAP Newsletter Covering It: https://www.cpap.com/DisplayNewsletter/18

Cheers

UKnowWhatInSeattle · Post by **UKnowWhatInSeattle** » Tue Nov 23, 2004 4:16 pm

As I mentioned in an earlier post:

I use a rechargeable "jumpstarter" type device when I go camping. It's a Xantrex Powerpack 400 (around $90 at GI Joe's or Sears). It weighs around 20 lbs and will run my Remstar on 12v DC for 3 nights (without the humidifier... don't even try with it!). It also has an inverter built in, so can run 120v AC as well. That would be a little less efficient on AC, so I don't know how many nights would be expected.

It is a great alternative to a 60lb lead acid marine battery, which is the usual 12v suggestion. I've got one of them, also.

I did have a problem in the Xantrex's little rubber feet burned rings in my new hardwood floors. The rings didn't show up for a few days, so I couldn't figure out what they came from. I don't know if it was the chemistry of the rubber feet or some residual battery acid from the factory. Unhappy about that.

geestman · Post by **geestman** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 3:47 am

Please read my new topic 12V power cord

geestman · Post by **geestman** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 3:47 am

Please read my new topic 12V power cord

geestman · Post by **geestman** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 3:48 am

Please read my new topic 12V power cord

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 2:34 pm

The electric company got back to me with all sorts of forms to fill out & have a dr. sign & then said they'd make a decision on whether or not I could be on their "list" But then they went on to say that being on their list was NO guarantee that they could restore power to the people on the list first. So, basically we are on our own I guess. I never sent in the paperwork because I saw no point in doing all that work for nothing.
I do not understand the battery hook up stuff that you describe. Maybe it's because I'm a woman or I'm not good in math, but it's like reading Greek to me! I have no idea how you would hook up a machine to the power source & how you keep the power source charged. Maybe someone can explain it in Electricity for Dummies format! (step by step, etc)
Many thanks