Traveling by car this summer-- question

[snuginarug]

I'll be taking a road trip this summer and am concerned about my machine being in a hot car. Does anyone know how heat resistant CPAP machines are? Car travelers... what do you do? Keep the machine in the trunk, in the car seating area? Do you leave it in the car when grabbing a meal or making a pit stop? How careful do you have to be?

[palerider]

I'll be taking a road trip this summer and am concerned about my machine being in a hot car.

much more tolerant of the heat than people.

there should be storage specs in the back of your manual.

[Cardsfan]

Security wise, it is better to leave valuables in the trunk, out of sight of thieves, than visible in the cabin of the parked vehicle.
Temp. wise, it is cooler in the trunk of a parked car, than in the cabin of the car. If the A/C is running, leave it in the cabin with you.

We travel all over the place. I always take my cpap. . You can't let it stop you from living your life, or enjoying your trip worrying about the machine. Don't take shifts guarding the car, that's no way to live. I also don't worry about distilled water. Whatever drinkable water comes out of the hotel tap is what I use in the humidifier. I do have a Medical Equipment tag on the case. Just to deter some punk who might swipe it thinking it is a computer. I just treat it like the rest of my luggage. No special treatment. If I am in a hotel for several nights, I leave it set up. (empty the water tub every morning) and stick a note on it "medical equipment, please not not touch".
Enjoy your trip, don't worry about the machine.

[snuginarug]

Thank you for all the replies!

I checked the specs. Very good idea! Rather obvious too, don't know why I didn't think of it. it is safe from 41° to 95° I don't know how hot cars get though. I'm guessing the cabin could get over 95° when sitting in the sun for a long time. No idea about the trunk. I think I'll store it in the cabin and bring it with me if I plan on being out of the car for more than half an hour. I'm not at all worried about theft. I take necessary precautions, like not leaving valuables in plain sight, but I am fatalistic about theft. I try very hard to stop only at large truck stops out in the middle of nowhere. Mainly because it is easy to get on and off the highway, but also because big chains like Loves are safer.

[HoseCrusher]

You can load your heat resistant things into a cooler and put that into your trunk. This provides some insulation from the heat.

[palerider]

Thank you for all the replies!

I checked the specs. Very good idea! Rather obvious too, don't know why I didn't think of it. it is safe from 41° to 95°

Storage Temperature: -20° to 60° C (-4° to 140° F)

[CapnLoki]

I'll be taking a road trip this summer and am concerned about my machine being in a hot car. Does anyone know how heat resistant CPAP machines are? Car travelers... what do you do? Keep the machine in the trunk, in the car seating area? Do you leave it in the car when grabbing a meal or making a pit stop? How careful do you have to be?

No problems - my PRS1 560 has a "storage temperature" of -4 to 140 degrees. Hopefully, even in the trunk it won't get worse than that. But if you're in the desert, you might keep it in the passenger compartment, covered of course. I don't see why the risk is any worse than for any other item - do you carry all your luggage into the diner when you stop for lunch? I would think its all safer in the trunk (or hidden out of sight) of a locked car.

[bwexler]

I have traveled regularly by motor home and by car. In the motor home it stayed setup on the night stand even when traveling. In the car/minivan I just put it in the back with all my other luggage. I never go anywhere hot, unless you consider Baker, California or Las Vegas hot. I have never seen it over 125' F in either location. A locked car in those places can probably get to 160'-180' F. I have had to be careful when touching the steering wheel or upholstery at times.

I have never given a thought about special handling of my PAP equipment. After more than 2.5 years on each of two PAP machines, not a hint of a problem.

[D.H.]

Don't forget a to make a CPAP packing list ahead of time.

Always keep a copy in the CPAP bag in case you are hospitalized and somebody has to pack it for you (not just on vacation).

[Guest]

As mentioned you should be fine but there are many variables and you haven't mentioned where on the planet this will take place or the color of the car which can make a difference.

I once left my ol' tank inside a black Geo Metro in NC for 3 or 4 days. I think it was in April and kinda warm with no place to park in the shade while I was away. It was a hatch back with a lot of glass. I kept it in the back buried and out of direct sunlight. It did survive.

I wouldn't worry about a couple hours. And sometimes thieves see a nice bag and think it must be worth money somewhere.

Have a safe trip.

btw - I remember your posts from a several yrs back. Glad you are sticking with it.

[zoocrewphoto]

My road trips always involve cats, so anything that is safe for my cats would be safe for any computers or cpap. I do keep the bag concealed as it looks similar to a laptop bag, and I would not want it stolen. I've never had a problem with it.

[jdc562]

I travel a lot in the desert, where the interior of cars can become much hotter than the outside air--like an oven. Whenever I have sensitive electronics in the car, I put them in a very well insulated cooler. Sometimes I put well sealed bottles of water in the cooler to reduce the rate of heating. However, if I do this, the bottles go on the bottom, with a layer of towels between the bottles and the equipment. I use enough towels to absorb any leaking water to prevent it from slopping onto the equipment.

[snuginarug]

Thanks again for all the replies! This has really put my mind to rest. I was quite worried. I will rest much easier knowing how sturdy CPAP machines are.

Chicago Granny! Thanks for remembering me! I have stuck with it and after 2.5 years of real struggle, I finally adjusted to it and have been doing well since then. Going on 7 years now, I think
Thank god for CPAP. Totally changed my life.

You guys are great. Thank you for your support.

[jamor]

S I also don't worry about distilled water. Whatever drinkable water comes out of the hotel tap is what I use in the humidifier.

I travel a lot for work -- I have always just gotten filtered water from the vending machine (Desani/Aquafina) if I can't get easy access to distilled. Is one safer than the other? I used tap water in my machine when I first got it in an emergency, and while I didn't clean as thorough as I do now, it seemed to develop a pink slime in the corners shortly after that trip. So I stopped using tap water of any kind.

[Pugsy]

I travel a lot for work -- I have always just gotten filtered water from the vending machine (Desani/Aquafina) if I can't get easy access to distilled. Is one safer than the other? I used tap water in my machine when I first got it in an emergency, and while I didn't clean as thorough as I do now, it seemed to develop a pink slime in the corners shortly after that trip. So I stopped using tap water of any kind.

Tap water is still fine...just dump it each morning and let the chamber air dry. The pink slime thing can happen with distilled water too...I know because I have seen it on my S9 even with using distilled water. Usually because I haven't washed and dried the chamber in a while.
It's the lack of cleaning that lets the pink slime develop..not what's in the water or not. It's actually a common bacteria that we all have around everywhere and I forget the official name. Easily cleaned up with soap and water though.

If you feel better getting bottled water...any out of a vending machine as long as it doesn't have added flavoring should be just fine and pretty much all equal. Just stick with the basic water in a bottle without the added "foo foo" stuff and you should be fine. I would dump and air dry each morning though...limits potential mineral build up because bottled water has minerals. It's the minerals that help with the flavor.