Uninterruptable Power Supply's

[Bearcat42]

I have read several threads pertaining to UPS's and other back-up battery solutions for power outages and I am leaning toward an Uninterruptable Power Supply as a back-up because of the automatic switch to on feature.
For those of you who actually use a UPS, which make and model do you use? Also, where you did you purchase it at? Thanks in advance.

[howkim]

Really great question!! I was just looking into the same kind of thing. The IT guys at work recommend APC (I think) for computers. Not sure which of their products would be appropriate, though.

[SleepyInIndy]

No expert here, but if I was looking for one here are the things I would consider.

1) Does the UPS put out a pure sine wave AC? Some CPAP machines only like a pure sine wave from what I have read.

2) How much power do you need? Machine only or will you be powering a humidifier also? Is CPAP the only load on the UPS?

3) How much capacity in hours of use do you want? One night, two nights, three, four before recharging? The more capacity the more cost. Also the more bulk and weight.

4) Cost and warrenty.

5) Finally, is the simplicity of a UPS more appealing to me than a battery/inverter setup?

[Pirateghost]

Here ya go:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000E6LEI2



I use for CPAP only. I don't think it would power humidifier all night nor do I care. As long as I have my machine running I'm ok.

[TheDreamer]

I currently use one of those...

Though I've been looking at getting an APC SmartUPS XL from UPSforLess (though I've never ordered from them before....but they have sell refurbished units for a lot less than new ones) IE: an SU700XLNET is $199...a comparable new is twice that. But, then adding battery cabinets at $250 each to get desired runtime....

Though at the low draw of a CPAP, is should be long enough for most typical outages...and maybe only one cabinet to handled an extended outage.

Still, its all pretty expensive...especially compared to non-sinewave UPSs.

They do have non-XL models for less. (though for some reason APC has cheaper SmartUPS models that don't do true sine-wave....)

OTOH, I have purchased from refurbups.com. Many years ago I bought a 1250VA SmartUPS to protect my RPTV HDTV from them....back when $3500 was considered a great price for a 43"....I've been happy with the UPS.

The Dreamer

[Bearcat42]

I have read several threads pertaining to UPS's and other back-up battery solutions for power outages and I am leaning toward an Uninterruptable Power Supply as a back-up because of the automatic switch to on feature.
For those of you who actually use a UPS, which make and model do you use? Also, where you did you purchase it at? Thanks in advance.

I should have made this post a 2 part question. My second part would have been this. Can someone please explain how to find what is compatible with a CPAP machine? I wish I knew more about electronics but I am at a disadvantage in this area. I read where a UPS has a run-time of, lets say around 20 minutes at a given voltage. So how do I know if it will work for me? Thats why I am unsure what I need.

[Hawthorne]

Pirateghost - A few questions -
Do you leave your machine plugged into this unit all the time?

Are you at all aware when it comes on?

How long have you have you been using it?

Any quirks that have happened with the machine with this?

Have you had long power outages and found it works well?

I may think of more questions later but that's it for now! Thanks!

[LinkC]

Dreamer, your profile says you have an M-Series Pro. That machine actually runs on 12vdc (via the 110v "brick") and would do just fine on a plain ol' battery. Granted, if you wanted auto-switching during an outage things get a bit more complicated.

[Bearcat42]

Here ya go:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000E6LEI2



I use for CPAP only. I don't think it would power humidifier all night nor do I care. As long as I have my machine running I'm ok.

Pirateghost: How many hours of run-time can you get out of that model, and I am curious about the questions Hawthorn brought up. Thanks

[msteinkoenig]

You can use something like a kill-a-watt to measure how much power you device uses. Based on this you can determine what UPS size to get. I usually go for APC UPSes because they have replaceable batteries and it is much cheaper to buy a new battery when it goes out to a whole new UPS. I wouldn't guess these machines use too much power but with heated humidifier maybe they do. I will measure my Series M Auto w/Cflex tonight and see how much it uses.

Mike.

[tattooyu]

I've been wondering about this myself, but since I have a ResMed, I think I require the more expensive option of pure sine wave AC.

Hey, Bret (sleepguy), you should create a battery backup called Pur-Sine for us CPAPers!

[Pirateghost]

Longest I have used it is around 4 hours.

I leave it plugged in all the time.

When power goes off, I get one loud beep, same when power is restored. It is loud enough all I have to do is reach over and turn off humidifier.

This post viewtopic/p303757/Respironics-Mseries-r ... power.html has some good info.

Edit: FWIW: Last night before bed I unplugged that UPS from the wall to simulate a power outage. Went to bed at 11 woke up around 730. The led on the UPS showed 80 power level. I guess I could go 2 or 3 days with that UPS unit. I had the APAP AND the humidifier plugged in and running. APAP is 9-13 and humidifier was set at 2.

[KSMike]

Hey PG,

Can the alarm(s) be silenced on that unit, and is the battery user replaceable?

[Pirateghost]

I don't know about changing the battery. You can't turn off the beep or LED but it only beeps once when power goes off again when restored.