Coverage for partial power outage

[Clizby]

I *think* I know what the answer will be on this, but checking just in case.

I have plans in the near future to go to a country that is know for frequent power outages. I do anticipate that at times we would have power to charge a battery, and my hope is that at night we would have power some of the time (there will be a generator in use as well). Rather than a long-term solution I was wondering if there's something that doesn't necessarily need to run 8 hours but may help with the gaps that is perhaps not as pricy as a full "camping" type solution. I currently have an Airsense 10.

[mlmollenkamp]

Resmed makes a battery backup, and there are somewhat less expensive 3rd party battery backups. You can leave the machine plugged into the battery, with a power supply plugged in to charge it. When the power goes off the CPAP will continue to run on battery, which will then start recharging as soon as power is returned. Note that the humidifier and heated hose are not going to work well with this setup, they draw much much more power than the machine by its self. A quick google search will find plenty of options like this.

You could also consider a computer UPS. It will be much less efficient because the Resmed power supply isn't as efficient as running the machine directly. But for short outages its a practical solution. Its probably more expensive than the battery solution, at least if its large enough to operate for a full night like the backup battery. But if you had access to one for other reasons its practical.

Various home grown solutions are possible as well, some have been discussed on this forum.

The battery systems designed specifically for 24V CPAP machines will probably be the best all around, but are somewhat pricey.

[bayareacpap]

I *think* I know what the answer will be on this, but checking just in case.

I have plans in the near future to go to a country that is know for frequent power outages. I do anticipate that at times we would have power to charge a battery, and my hope is that at night we would have power some of the time (there will be a generator in use as well). Rather than a long-term solution I was wondering if there's something that doesn't necessarily need to run 8 hours but may help with the gaps that is perhaps not as pricy as a full "camping" type solution. I currently have an Airsense 10.

You should immediately buy an automatic voltage regulator once you get in country. Unstable electrical grids cause voltage spikes, which can be hard on electrical equipment. It will also convert power to be like US standards.

[Sleepzilla]

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[bayareacpap]

I *think* I know what the answer will be on this, but checking just in case.

I have plans in the near future to go to a country that is know for frequent power outages. I do anticipate that at times we would have power to charge a battery, and my hope is that at night we would have power some of the time (there will be a generator in use as well). Rather than a long-term solution I was wondering if there's something that doesn't necessarily need to run 8 hours but may help with the gaps that is perhaps not as pricy as a full "camping" type solution. I currently have an Airsense 10.

You should immediately buy an automatic voltage regulator once you get in country. Unstable electrical grids cause voltage spikes, which can be hard on electrical equipment. It will also convert power to be like US standards.

Automatic voltage regulators typically have surge suppression so you don’t fry your electronics in a power surge and protect from brown-out power where voltage drops below 100 volts, which is common in many countries.

[Sleepzilla]

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[bayareacpap]

https://www.cyberpowersystems.com/products/ups/avr/

[Sleepzilla]

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[D.H.]

You should immediately buy an automatic voltage regulator once you get in country. Unstable electrical grids cause voltage spikes, which can be hard on electrical equipment. It will also convert power to be like US standards.
...
Automatic voltage regulators typically have surge suppression so you don’t fry your electronics in a power surge and protect from brown-out power where voltage drops below 100 volts, which is common in many countries.

First of all, the original poster did not say which country [s]he was going to. If the country in question has electricity in the 220-240 volt range, it's unlikely that there would be a brownout that drops below 100 volts. Also, some countries are known for voltage spike, and some are known for frequent outages (and some are known for both). Knowing which country the destination would be helpful in answering the original question.

[eric_j]

If you’re flying, you can’t bring something like this, but my solution to the power outages in my town/region is a 100Ah LiFePO4 12.8V battery, a car adapter for the CPAP, and a charger. I manage them all with an embedded computer that also runs off the battery. It’s about 20lbs (comparable capacity AGMs are >65lbs) and much smaller than other types of battery. It’ll run my CPAP for 2-3 nights with everything on (heated hose and humidifier) between charges, and it only takes 1.5 hours to charge for each night worth of usage.