Thinking about small generator for backup

[Woodgod]

I am considering buying a small generator to power me resmed 9auto set CPAP, has anyone else done this and if so what did you buy? I worry allot when Tstorms come around and dont sleep well because of the worry of loosing power. I think the reassurance of knowing it was there would really help me to sleep better. All the little stuff helps, Actually i guess thats not little, the machine running or not running. Any advice would be very helpful. thanks

[Goofproof]

Due to the cost of a gen and fuel, and the bother to keep it in running condition, makes a gen a poor choice just for xpap

A deep charge battery system is the better choice, but really you could have done even better with a 12 volt d/c powered brand of xpap. You could use the gen to recharge the battery system as needed.

A gen is a choice when you need more power. such as food refridge, lights, water pumps and heat, but the way fuel costs are, you will pay for it. Jim

[2Tim215]

Generators are a great way to go if you can find one now. I doubt it unless you travel out of Sandy's projected path a good distance. I bumped up the Deep Cycle Battery Post as there is great information there and something I plan on having in place for the next round! If you decide on a Generator and can find one I would suggest buying a little more wattage than you need. Champion makes one that Tractor Supply carries for about 320.00. It is a 3500watt with 4000watt surge. Very quiet with approx. 12 hour run time per tank at 50% power. The less items running at once the longer you will get from a tank. It has a 5 star rating with some reports of 16 hours per tank. If you live in a rural area it won't be a problem with neighbors. These were designed to be used in RV parks to give you an idea of how loud they aren't! I believe rated at only 69db's. As posted above, gas prices make it a expensive choice but I believe if you are able it's great peace of mind and can be used for many other things. The lower the wattage usually means the less fuel it will use. Keep in mind you will need a heavy duty extension cord for your main power supply and never run a small extension cord into a larger one. The higher amp rated cord needs to be first in line then you can branch out from there with smaller ones. Hope this helps!

[Lizistired]

Why would you want a generator running outside your window...?
Why would you want to have to get up and go fill the fuel tank...?
Get a battery backup and get some sleep.

[chunkyfrog]

DH bought this one.
Hope it works--we'll let you know.
http://www.harborfreight.com/engines-ge ... 66619.html

[Goofproof]

I bought a 800 watt gen, (made in China as everything is now days Coleman). I got it because its the largest one I can handle now, too small to useful really. I never tried to start it, just put oil in it and rewrapped it. I hope it will run the furnace and freezers one at a time, but it probably won't. The price was right. Jim

[2Tim215]

Why would you want a generator running outside your window...?
Why would you want to have to get up and go fill the fuel tank...?
Get a battery backup and get some sleep.

Get a battery backup and get some sleep.

I am curious about the battery back up. Are you talking about the Factory ones or the Deep Cycle like posted by archangel? How long does the battery last for a CPAP with humidifier before it needs recharging?

I realize some people don't have the option for a generator based on where they live etc. I like having one where I live because we are in an area where winters can be quite rough and the generator charges our back-up batteries as well as giving us more options than the CPAP. We usually have our Police Scanner going as well as a small TV for news and updated information with a few small lamps with the low watt energy saving bulbs. The Deep Cycle Battery Back-up post sounds like good advice and I'll end up doing that soon. With this storm we were told power outages for possibly two weeks. I sure hope not as we live in cold country!

[2Tim215]

I bought a 800 watt gen, (made in China as everything is now days Coleman). I got it because its the largest one I can handle now, too small to useful really. I never tried to start it, just put oil in it and rewrapped it. I hope it will run the furnace and freezers one at a time, but it probably won't. The price was right. Jim

Hi Jim, here is a link to show what wattage is needed as well as safety tips. You will have to scroll down a bit. It's a great chart in pdf so you can save it to your computer. I have the 3500watt 4000watt surge and can run my furnace, fridge, CPAP, and a few lights. With 12 hour run time no need to worry about getting up to refill it. At night we don't run much with it anyway. Here's the link to at least give you an idea of what the 800watt could do.

http://www.nyseg.com/MediaLibrary/2/5/C ... ochure.pdf

[Lizistired]

I bought a Diehard 1150 last year but have not had the need to use it yet other than jump starting vehicles and my lawn mower.
I will tonight. I checked/topped off the charge today. I will let you know tomorrow how it goes.

[archangle]

As a guess, expect 3-6 nights CPAP on a fully charged deep cycle marine battery. Even if you have a generator, a battery is good so you don't have to run the generator all night long. However, if you want to charge the battery during the day on a generator, you'd want to get a more powerful charger for use only while on the generator during an extended outage.

Be careful with generators. I'll bet money there will be several deaths of people who put their generator in the garage, carport, kitchen, etc. if Sandy causes widespread power outages.

[2Tim215]

I bought a Diehard 1150 last year but have not had the need to use it yet other than jump starting vehicles and my lawn mower.
I will tonight. I checked/topped off the charge today. I will let you know tomorrow how it goes.

Sounds good, let me know. My family came up today to get us set-up and ready, our biggest fear are the trees at this point. We have a lot of oaks and huge pines trees that can be a HUGE problem! The good news is that the wind and rain today knocked off a lot more leaves so the oaks are more wind resistant, the bad news is now the ground is soaked and soft!

[Lizistired]

Generators make sense for daytime stuff, freezers, refridgerators... not for XPAPS!

[2Tim215]

As a guess, expect 3-6 nights CPAP on a fully charged deep cycle marine battery. Even if you have a generator, a battery is good so you don't have to run the generator all night long. However, if you want to charge the battery during the day on a generator, you'd want to get a more powerful charger for use only while on the generator during an extended outage.

Be careful with generators. I'll bet money there will be several deaths of people who put their generator in the garage, carport, kitchen, etc. if Sandy causes widespread power outages.

You are right, unfortunately some people don't read the warnings. They are strictly for outdoor use only!

As a guess, expect 3-6 nights CPAP on a fully charged deep cycle marine battery.

Wow, that is a lot more than I expected. Sounds good. What are your thoughts on the "Battery Tender" brand slow chargers? I have one of them and would be one less item on your list I would need! I believe it is also 1.5 amps.

[Goofproof]

What are your thoughts on the "Battery Tender" brand slow chargers? I have one of them and would be one less item on your list I would need! I believe it is also 1.5 amps.

Battery Tenders are to maintain battery charge over long time without damage to the battery. To use a Gen to recharge a Deep Charge Battery you also need a faster charging charger, to reduce the Gen run time.

I was correct looks like my 800 watt Gen is close to useless everything I need to keep running draws more watts than the Gen can handle, It may run a freezer if I can get past the start load, could be used with a battery charger for the xpap battery, if I had one. I do have a car starter I could use, but without food and heat, I don't need air. Jim

I'll just sit here and wait for FEMA to take care of me!!!!!

[Starlette]

I REALLY want to understand this part of our therapy. However, you all are talking WAYYYY above my head. Where we live in Denver, the power went out at 1am, luckily I took of my FFM just in time. I know Hubbs knows about batteries since he charges the batteries for the boats when his family does the annual fishing trip. No offense to Hubbs, but I'm trying to comprehend/grasp this all with as little help from him. I'm visual at learning. Can you show pictures of what this looks like?

Starlette

I don't like going near things that have the potential for blowing up or producing sparks