power on 24/7?

[carojae]

Suddenly I wondered if I should unplug my machine when I wake in the morning. I think it's off but the 3 buttons are lit up all the time after I've pressed the off button.
Good idea to unplug?

Thoughts?

Jim

[timbalionguy]

Your choice, and it does save a little energy. But not necessary. The only thing running in the machine is the power supply and the microcontroller. They don't 'wear out' like the electromechanical components do.

I leave my machine plugged in all the time.

Also, if you have an older machine, and start unplugging it and plugging it in, this will increase the risk of an electronic failure. OTOH, if the machine is new or newer, this can decrease the risk of electronic failure.

[billbolton]

Suddenly I wondered if I should unplug my machine when I wake in the morning

When I am at home, I switch mine off at the power outlet (that is, break the electrical power circuit with a physical switch) for two reasons...

1. If something happens to the mains power (over/under voltage or spikes), the xPAP machine wont be impacted

2. It forces a "cold boot" on the internal circuitry in the xPAP, so I know for sure what state the xPAP is in when I'm about to start treatment.

Neither of these are overwhelming reasons to "unplug/switch off", but for me it it is a very simple thing to do as pretty much all Australian domestic power outlets have on/off switches.

When I am travelling I generally don't switch the xPAP off overnight if I am staying in the one location for several days, simply because the power switch (if there is one at all) is usually in an inconvenient location, so its not worth the trouble.

If I am in a known bad power location, such as East Timor, I will pull the plug out of the back of the xPAP machine when I anot using it.

YMMV

Cheers,

Bill

[GumbyCT]

My BiPap Auto draws 60 mA when at idle. That is less than most light bulbs draw. About as much as cell phone chargers draw.

IF you are getting your data from the LCD, it won't do any calculations when it is unplugged and I doubt that anything displayed would/could be accurate.

I have mine connected to a power strip that makes it easy to switch off but I just don't. We have stable power here but if I that it would matter I would hook it to my UPS like I have the LCD TV and satellite box. Or just run it off a battery.

[Kevin G.]

A minor and I do mean minor argumentin favor of keeping the machine on is that it may extend the life of the electrical components. When you turn electronics off and on it results in thermal transients in the electronics. These temperature changes have been associated with reduced life span of electronics. Keeping the machine on will reduce these thermal transients and thus aguably will lead to a longer life of the electronics.

Having said that in my experience my last machines lasted so long that that it was out of date by the time it failed inspite of it being turned off and on each day.

I would not make a decision based on this argument.

[navyvet]

A minor and I do mean minor argumentin favor of keeping the machine on is that it may extend the life of the electrical components. When you turn electronics off and on it results in thermal transients in the electronics. These temperature changes have been associated with reduced life span of electronics. Keeping the machine on will reduce these thermal transients and thus aguably will lead to a longer life of the electronics.

Exactly, for the equipment's sake it's better not to unplug it every day. But that's minor. It's personal preference either way, no "overwhelming" reason to put much thought into it either way.

My take? I see no reason to unplug it and so I don't, it's the easiest route to take.

[Slinky]

Ah, but just think of the energy savings if all of us would turn all of our standby type of equipment truly OFF w/a power switch!