Battery questions and other

[michaelthomas]

... Is a big no no to lower the setting to say 12-15 and see if my AHI stays considerably below 5? ...

Nope. But be certain to monitor carefully, can change only one thing at a time. Changing too much or not too frequently can confuse the situation.

But don't be too surprised if your AHI score climbs pretty dramatically. That can often happen.

I'll try dropping it by 1 point and run it for a week at a time and see how it affects things with the goal of keeping it below 5.

Is getting software to monitor my smart card, or should I be fine with the few stats the unit gives me from the LCD? I usually check the leakage and AHI once and a while (once a month or two) and it always stays between .4 and 1.3 and leakage is usually 40-60 (forget the units). Other than that, mine doesn't tell me much else I really care to know.

[JohnBFisher]

Software or just the summary data... If you keep careful track the summary data should suffice. I use the detail data only when I am trying to sort out an unusual problem. Like you, I check my machine to make certain my AHI remains low and nothing else is out of whack. But the SW does help sort out odd problems. So, I would just use the summary data at first.

[moresleep]

...
If I went the route of using a Deep Cycle battery, I'd probably pick it up locally since Amazon doesn't have much of a choice and most places have insane shipping prices and by the charger and case online. Ideally I would like to get 4 days out of the battery on my setup, I know I can get a DC adapter for my unit for about $25. I would also like to take it camping when going camping, if it isn't insanely heavy and bulky. Using the specs on the CPAP.com battery, I'm guessing a 38 AH battery will give me 4 nights based on 8 hours (I usually only sleep 4-6 hours).

I was looking at something like this, since it is quite self-enclosed and cheap, but will only last for a little over 1 night.
http://www.amazon.com/Schumacher-IP-125 ... 173&sr=8-1 and would probably not handle the constantly charge.

I would like to have my unit plugged into it all the time rather than having to deal with charging it from time to time if possible. I suspect it would draw more off the battery than a trickle charger can charge and will always leave it slightly uncharged. Not sure if it would harm the battery either.

A 38 AH battery should give you somewhere between 18 and 27 hours of Cpap operation, if your Cpap really only takes 10 watts of power. But, just think of what that 105 AH battery you mentioned will do. Of course, it might be a bit heavy for camping.

The Battery Tender type of chargers are not trickle chargers. Instead, they switch through several levels of charging as appropriate, all the way down to float charging. They are meant to be safe for the battery plugged in all the time, unlike a trickle charger. See http://batterytender.com/automotive.html. Even if the charger does not keep up with the Cpap while it ijs operating, during the day it will fully recharge the battery--you need that, or the battery would run down and be ruined. I have the Battery Tender Plus, and it keeps my 79 AH battery fully charged--I rarely see it charging at all. I believe the Battery Tender Jr. would work fine for you as well.

[archangle]

I went through a lot of John's guide and considered putting something like that together, but it is very heavy and bulky, and I don't like the chance of fumes even in the case if I can avoid it.

Your main choices of battery are lead acid or some form of lithium battery.

On rare occasions, lead acid batteries can explode. This can spray sulfuric acid around. They can leak acid, especially if you turn them over.

However, don't panic too much. Most car batteries are lead acid batteries. While they do sometimes explode, it's pretty rare. Think of your own life. How many cars have you and your friends had and how many car batteries have you seen explode over how many years?

While it's a bad thing, it's not like a stick of dynamite going off. It's usually a case of the battery case bursting, leaking acid, spraying some acid around, making fumes, etc. Maybe some minor plastic shrapnel.

Lead acid batteries may produce hydrogen, but with the kind of charger you're going to use for CPAP, it can't produce hydrogen quickly enough to turn your house into a bomb.

Lithium batteries tend to be lighter and much more expensive. Lithium batteries have a tendency to burn or explode. Reputable manufacturers try very hard to design the charging circuits to prevent the possibility of fire or explosion. Don't ever try to charge a lithium battery with anything other than a charger recommended by the battery manufacturer.

If a lithium battery burns or explodes, it's a much worse problem than a lead acid battery exploding. The chemicals that come out are much more toxic to humans. The fire can be much hotter.

I think that a rechargeable lithium battery presents a bigger health risk than a lead acid battery under reasonable use.

With reasonable precautions, I don't think either one is a big risk. Get a quality charger. If it's a lead acid battery, use a fairly low current. Keep the battery in a battery box that will contain spills. Put the battery box into another tub in case it leaks. Check the battery occasionally. Don't locate the battery right next to you.

[michaelthomas]

I went through a lot of John's guide and considered putting something like that together, but it is very heavy and bulky, and I don't like the chance of fumes even in the case if I can avoid it.

Your main choices of battery are lead acid or some form of lithium battery.

On rare occasions, lead acid batteries can explode. This can spray sulfuric acid around. They can leak acid, especially if you turn them over.

However, don't panic too much. Most car batteries are lead acid batteries. While they do sometimes explode, it's pretty rare. Think of your own life. How many cars have you and your friends had and how many car batteries have you seen explode over how many years?

While it's a bad thing, it's not like a stick of dynamite going off. It's usually a case of the battery case bursting, leaking acid, spraying some acid around, making fumes, etc. Maybe some minor plastic shrapnel.

Lead acid batteries may produce hydrogen, but with the kind of charger you're going to use for CPAP, it can't produce hydrogen quickly enough to turn your house into a bomb.

Lithium batteries tend to be lighter and much more expensive. Lithium batteries have a tendency to burn or explode. Reputable manufacturers try very hard to design the charging circuits to prevent the possibility of fire or explosion. Don't ever try to charge a lithium battery with anything other than a charger recommended by the battery manufacturer.

If a lithium battery burns or explodes, it's a much worse problem than a lead acid battery exploding. The chemicals that come out are much more toxic to humans. The fire can be much hotter.

I think that a rechargeable lithium battery presents a bigger health risk than a lead acid battery under reasonable use.

With reasonable precautions, I don't think either one is a big risk. Get a quality charger. If it's a lead acid battery, use a fairly low current. Keep the battery in a battery box that will contain spills. Put the battery box into another tub in case it leaks. Check the battery occasionally. Don't locate the battery right next to you.

Was mostly concerned about any fumes coming out of the box than anything else.

[archangle]

Your profile now shows a REMstar M series CPAP. There are multiple versions of that machine.

Some versions will run the humidifier off of 12V, some require 120VAC for the humidifier.

Most UPSs and standby AC supplies don't supply proper 120VAC power, but what's called Modified Sine Wave (MSW) power. Some devices will be damaged by MSW power. For instance, ResMed says their S8 model humidifiers will be damaged by MSW power, but S9 humidifiers won't.

I haven't seen any official statements about Respironics humidifiers vs. MSW.

The heated humidifier often uses more power than the CPAP machine. Some people will not use the humidifier if they're using battery power to extend the battery life.

[michaelthomas]

Your profile now shows a REMstar M series CPAP. There are multiple versions of that machine.

Some versions will run the humidifier off of 12V, some require 120VAC for the humidifier.

Most UPSs and standby AC supplies don't supply proper 120VAC power, but what's called Modified Sine Wave (MSW) power. Some devices will be damaged by MSW power. For instance, ResMed says their S8 model humidifiers will be damaged by MSW power, but S9 humidifiers won't.

I haven't seen any official statements about Respironics humidifiers vs. MSW.

The heated humidifier often uses more power than the CPAP machine. Some people will not use the humidifier if they're using battery power to extend the battery life.

I don't use the humidifier at all, I didn't really notice a big improvement and it is more hassle to deal with.
I think mine is model 510.

I also dropped my setting from 17 to 15 and the last two nights my AHI hasn't climbed, in fact it went down. But I think that is because it was a bit higher since I had a hole in my hose and I patched it a few days ago so the 7 day average takes a bit to adjust. Going to run it at 15 for a few weeks before attempting to lower any more.