Just got back from a car camping trip and my ResMed machine worked well, sort of. Knowing that I'd be unable to plug into a 120AC source, I purchased a 12V DC converter from the Lincare folks with an adapter that plugged into my cigarette lighter in my car. Then I cut the wire between the adapter and the converter and spliced in about 20' of lamp cord. It worked, but not all night except for one of the four nights I used it. I thought it was my car battery loosing power, or the connections, but the car started right up every morning and the connections were good. Long story short, in the product info that came with my machine I discovered that it was only good at altitudes below 8700'. I was camped at about 9100' to 9200'. I used it at altitudes below 8700' with no issues. Something to consider before you go car camping away from the grid. Next is a backpacking trip with a portable model (an Everest), rechargeable batteries and a solar panel. I'm still working on component compatibility.
rm
Car Camping
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Re: Car Camping
Keep us posted..interesting stuff!
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| Mask: Hybrid Full Face CPAP Mask with Nasal Pillows and Headgear |
| Humidifier: HumidAire H4i™ Heated Humidifier |
| Additional Comments: Started Aug '07 CPAP Escape at 11 then 9, S9 APAP range 9.8-16, now 10-17 |
ResMed S9 range 9.8-17, RespCare Hybrid FFM
Never, never, never, never say never.
Never, never, never, never say never.
Re: Car Camping
What machine were you using?
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Bearded_One
- Posts: 597
- Joined: Fri Nov 17, 2006 9:35 am
- Location: Northern Virginia, near DC
Re: Car Camping
The inverter / power supply that you are using may have a low voltage cut out that is shutting off when the battery voltage goes below a certain point. The battery still has enough juice to start your car but the voltage is low enough that the power supply shuts off. A low battery shut off may be saving you from a call to AAA and your car battery from an early death.
Are you using a heated humidifier? A heated humidifier uses much more power than a CPAP alone uses and can make a huge difference in battery life and it is possible that a car battery will not be able to power a CPAP with heated humidifier over night and still be able to start your car in the morning. It is not good practice to run your CPAP from your car's battery because starting batteries are not meant for that sort of use. Discharging a car battery to the point that it will not start your car will damage it and dramatically shorten its life.
Are you using a heated humidifier? A heated humidifier uses much more power than a CPAP alone uses and can make a huge difference in battery life and it is possible that a car battery will not be able to power a CPAP with heated humidifier over night and still be able to start your car in the morning. It is not good practice to run your CPAP from your car's battery because starting batteries are not meant for that sort of use. Discharging a car battery to the point that it will not start your car will damage it and dramatically shorten its life.
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