12V Vehicle Interverter for F&P Icon+

[YetAnotherNewGuy]

Hi everyone, I am the newly-diagnosed proud owner of an F&P Icon+ CPAP machine.

I'm looking into buying a 12V inverter that will let me power my CPAP unit from the cigarette lighter in my car, since I'm taking a road trip of around 1000 miles with a friend of mine soon and we'll be taking turns driving and sleeping.

I've tried to research it, but I've found everything from "the cigarette lighter in a vehicle simply does not output enough power to supply a CPAP unit, no matter the inverter" to "I head someone say that X inverter works great with the exact make and model of your device".

Which inverters out there, if any, can serve me on this road trip? I'm hoping to avoid buying a costly battery if I can avoid it. Would an 80W continuous output inverter do the job? If not, what continuous watt output should I be looking for? 150+?

Any insight or advice is appreciated.

[YetAnotherNewGuy]

Also, do I need to put out for a Pure Sine Wave inverter or will a Modified Sine Wave inverter do me?

[palerider]

viewtopic/t95636/Battery-power-for-Fish ... -Auto.html

[Guest]

(the site won't let a guest post links to it, so I removed your link)

Yeah, that's the thread I was in. It mostly talks about using an inverter with a BATTERY, not a cigarette lighter, and there isn't really any consensus: one guy says it's impossible; another guy says maybe 75W will be enough, but he doesn't know; another says he's been using a 400W for years but sometimes it stops working for no reason; another says 300W isn't enough to run his Icon+, and that MSW inverter will burn out the humidifier so I have to get a PSW inverter instead; and it goes on like that.

I was hoping for a larger pool of experience addressing my particular question (as opposed to a battery discussion that incidentally has some overlap with my question), and hopefully even get some kind of consensus from the old pros here.

Thanks everyone for your help!

[JDS74]

The user guide for this machine indicates an amp requirement of 1.43 max at 115 v. That translates to about 150 watts or about 13 amps at 12 volts.
So, what is the max amperage at the cigarette lighter in the vehicle?

[HoseCrusher]

Many 12 volt outlets are wired and fused for 10 amps.

If you are running 14 volts (while the engine is running) that would give you a maximum of 140 watts and if your unit only draws that amount it may work.

The issue is that you would be at the max and wires may heat up.

It would be better to wire directly off of the battery and use a 20 amp fuse. This would give you some headroom.

[chunkyfrog]

I would advise running WITHOUT humidity unless auxiliary power is used.
My DeVillbiss plugs right into the "lighter" port, and will run while car is moving or parked on acc.
I remove the humidifier.

[YetAnotherNewGuy]

Thanks everyone for your help! The comments I've gotten have been really useful, and I think I've got it figured out.

So far it seems:
- the F&P Icon+ has a Max Rated Current Input of 1.43 A @ 115 V, which is just under 165W
- inverter efficiency can reportedly range from 90% to as low as 50%, so I will need an inverter capable of 2 x 165 = 330 W
- 165W @ 12V gives a max draw on the cigarette lighter of under 13.8 A
- the cigarette lighter is fused at 15A (checked to be sure), which is the standard for this model so I can assume it's wired for 15A as well, so no power supply problems

I'll be testing a 400 W continuous output Modified Sine Wave inverter in the cigarette lighter tonight. The vehicle engine will be idling, the humidity will be off, and the humidifier removed.

Some remaining concerns:
- is Modified Sine Wave safe to use with the Icon+, or do I need to get a significantly more expensive Pure Sine Wave inverter instead?
- did I buy more wattage than I need, or is it true that some inverters can only deliver 50% of the wattage on the label?
- do I need to test my CPAP machine with inverter while the vehicle is in motion also, or will tonight's idling test be sufficient?

I'll post results in this thread sometime tomorrow. Thanks again!

[HoseCrusher]

I prefer pure sine wave to modified sine wave, but it really depends upon the machine. You may want to try to contact F&P and ask if their machines will run properly on a modified sine wave supply.

Inverters usually are optimistic with their ratings, but I think the optimism more likely runs in the 80 - 90% range rather than the 50% range. With that said I am sure you can find one in the 50% range.

Vehicle at idle should be fine.

[TangledHose]

Modified sine wave should work, I've powered my Airsense off a battery with a modifies sine wave inverter and it did just fine.

You say you have an F&P Icon, they have an airplane mode which reduces the power draw for use on an airplane flight (not to be confused with wireless airplane mode as in the Airsense) this mode reduces draw to 75 watts or lower.

You can shut humidifier off on the Icon, but you can't run the machine without the humidifier tub installed, the silicone seal of the tub creates the seal so the machine doesn't leak air.

[chunkyfrog]

When checking the power output of a battery, note that cranking amperage is not for sustained use.

[YetAnotherNewGuy]

Okay, test results:
- Icon+ needs the reservoir in order for the lid to form a seal and not present a leak (as TangledHose said)
- I put some water in the reservoir to avoid heating an empty one, without any extreme starts or stops there seems to be no problems with water sloshing out into the machine
- I think my care provider has restricted the menu on my Icon+, so I'm not able to use Airplane mode
- no issues with MSW running at full power, with device humidity on or off, and with the vehicle idling or in motion

Thanks again for everyone's input, hope my experience can help someone else someday!

[TangledHose]

Do you know how to access the clinical menu? In the clinical menu you can set the Icon up for increased patient access to settings such as airplane mode, it's very easy to do. If you don't know the trick then just go to YouTube and search either Icon clinical menu, or change pressure on Icon and you should find a few videos that will show you how to get into that menu............you really want to go with the lower power draw of their Airplane mode if you're running off a battery.