PowerPack for Camping with S9

[lali0020]

I've read some past posts on here about the Portable PowerPacks but not all of them talk about the S9 and I wanted to clear up some questions I have. First I'm looking at using either the Xantrex 600HD PowerPack or the Duracell PowerPack 600HD which I've heard are the same thing. From what I can gather, I believe the S9 can run on these with the H5i on but I would turn it off so I get more battery life. Is the best way to turn it off simply to have the system in Auto climate control and turn it down until it says "off"? Will that eliminate all power being consumed by the humdifier and I can just put some water in there for passover humidity?

Does anyone have any thoughts on just plugging into the AC outlet and using the inverter on the system vs buying the $100 DC cable from Resmed specifically designed for DC input to the S9? How much added efficiency will there be? Does anyone use this option for Camping and if so how many nights in Passover can you get out of these before low battery warning?

I'm very happy I found this thing because I live in MN and want to go to the boundary waters camping area where there is no electricity and the other options were so expensive I just couldn't justify it. However with this, although it weighs 30lbs, I can at least go camping for 3 days and maybe more way out in the bush.

Also if anyone uses this and has a solar recharging panel they use with it, I would be interested in knowing how well that works for them. Thanks.

[Super Iridium]

Sorry that I don't know exact answers to your questions, but I can give you some general information based on some recent experience camping with my CPAP.

1. I don't know exact figures, but I believe that if you want to get the maximum amount of time out of your battery, get a DC cord and connect the 12 volt battery directly to your machine. If you use the battery to run an inverter and then convert the AC current immediately back into 12 volts DC, you are wasting part of your battery charge for nothing.

2. I believe the correct way to avoid having power going to your humidifier is to disconnect it from the blower unit entirely. I think if you turn the humidifier down to "zero", you will still be wasting some part of your battery charge on powering the humidifier unit, which isn't good. I don't believe there's much benefit to using the humidifier in passive "passover" mode as there's already lots of humidity in most tents.

3. If you want to get the most "bang" or electrical charge for the $, you should buy a deep-cycle AGM battery like what JohnBFisher recommends. I just built one using the parts he recommends, and his design is excellent -- far, far superior to and much cheaper than any of the backup units being sold. My unit uses a 35 Ah battery and ran around $180, which is less than half that a comparable backup battery would run.

[lali0020]

The reason I was considering using the Duracell Powerpack was that it was only about $170 on Amazon and is 28Ah weighing only 27 lbs. The deep cycle batteries worried me for any back packing trips. I can handle an extra 30 lbs but 60 or 70 and I wouldn't make it too long. Also the powerpack is nice since when I'm not camping I can use it in my car as a jump starter in the winter or for extra power if I'm running any of my tools out in the yard that might not be battery operated.

I'm not sure how to use the S9 without the H5i chamber attached. I don't think my climateline hose would fit over the output from the blower section. Any idea how much power is used by having it attached but not heated? Is it just the power to the LED? Thanks.

[Super Iridium]

Very interesting. Is this the product that you're talking about?

http://www.amazon.com/Duracell-DPP-600H ... 901&sr=8-1

It looks like it has the same basic battery inside of it that I used for my backup -- a sealed, lead-acid AGM battery. I think that it's important to have one that is marked as "deep cycle" or "marine" because they are designed to allow a more complete discharge of the battery for each cycle. But it looks like that's what's used in this unit.

For the price, you get a 28 Ah battery plus a nice carrying case and a built in inverter that you wouldn't really need for your CPAP but it might be useful for other applications. Plus the radio. Not a bad deal, from what I can see.

If you want to get a comparison, here's some similar 28 Ah AGM deep cycle batteries that you can get from http://www.atbatt.com:

http://www.atbatt.com/sealed-lead-acid- ... iv_battery

They cost between $85 and $100, so for the extra $70 or so that you are spending for the Amazon one, you're getting that nice case and the built in radio and inverter.

[OregonTrail]

I just bought one of these at Costco for $68:

http://www.amazon.com/PowerStation-Hi-C ... B005CL1OPC

I was told that the DC-12 Converter for the S8 series also works for the S9 ??? Is this correct??

[OregonTrail]

I plan on using my S9 without the humidifier. From what I can tell from http://www.resmed.com/us/assets/documen ... lo_eng.pdf It should last all night easily. I will be traveling by car and re-charging the battery, and will be camping out some nights and in homes or lodges other nights. This is very light weight compared to some of the other options. I am packing light since I will be car camping and don't have a lot of room. I am just trying to figure out what converter I need, and the best buy for one! Any ideas?

[Ticman]

Using a battery like Oregon Trail posted and this you don't need to convert DC/AC/DC.

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/DC-Con ... hines.html

Looks to me like this would be more efficient. It can be used in a 12V or 24V setup.

I plan on getting this and using my boat batteries during a power outage. They are group 31's and wouldn't be practical for camping but for home backup they should work great. I can even use my humidifier and climateline hose.

[voltaire]

Using a battery like Oregon Trail posted and this you don't need to convert DC/AC/DC.

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/DC-Con ... hines.html

Looks to me like this would be more efficient. It can be used in a 12V or 24V setup.

I plan on getting this and using my boat batteries during a power outage. They are group 31's and wouldn't be practical for camping but for home backup they should work great. I can even use my humidifier and climateline hose.

I think this will work fine. I would also prefer this product.

[OregonTrail]

I will have that setup in a couple of days...getting ready for a vacation. I will let you know how it works!!

Kipp

[OregonTrail]

Used this setup for the last 3 nights and it worked great! Barely moved the meter on the powerstation. I am pretty sure I could of used the S9 all week on a single charge!


Powerstation $68, Resmed 12 volt cabling $75....being able to sleep soundly while camping....PRICELESS