Hybrid Car for an emergency power source for CPAP?

jules · Post by **jules** » Wed Jan 02, 2008 11:35 am

This is not mine but an idea posed by an email friend.

Recently we had a power outage lasting 5 days. During this time I was unable to use cpap as I had no backup power supply.

We drive a Prius and my friend knows that. I know there are 12 volt sources in the car. The questions become

how to do?

feasible?

safety concerns?

concerns about leaving the car running say outside (since you would be using the gas engine part of the time) during the night ?

I imagine there are others -

This post should be viewed as hypothetical only as I am not going to go out and buy whatever I need in the near future.

For my information only, I have an APAP tank, don't use HH, but I also have an OLD Remstar Choice LS that will run on 12 v but I need to the cord and the fuse for it - it is a noisy machine.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Jan 02, 2008 12:18 pm

Interesting idea... I think I'd chat with the Toyota service department about it.

Good luck!
B.

gandalf · Post by **gandalf** » Wed Jan 02, 2008 12:28 pm

A couple of things to keep in mind...

1) It would probably require a long cable run from the car to the bedroom. This could take several 12V extension cords, assuming you're plugging into the lighter socket. Besides ths cost of the cords, this run could cause a voltage drop such that the machine wouldn't work.

2) lighter plugs have a limit to the current you can draw from them..usually somewhere between 10-20A. If your machine requires greatter than 20A, you'll just be blowing fuses. (The owners manual may tell you what the limit is.)

You can solve these issues with heavier cable runs and connecting direct to the batteries but would it be worth it?

..Mike

Goofproof · Post by **Goofproof** » Wed Jan 02, 2008 12:29 pm

Or you could tap into the U.S.S. Enterprise, and run it off it generator, first you would need to dig a ditch so you could park it close to your house. Jim

Americans, We specialize in making simple things hard.

gandalf · Post by **gandalf** » Wed Jan 02, 2008 12:40 pm

Goofproof wrote:
Americans, We specialize in making simple things hard.

True! But at least we're good at it!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Jan 02, 2008 12:47 pm

Wouldn't it be easier and more practical to go buy a generator? You could run your refig and some lights also. Just need a few gallons of (gasp) gas.

Goofproof · Post by **Goofproof** » Wed Jan 02, 2008 3:06 pm

If you drive a Prius, you don't have to be concerned with being practical, you are way past that! What he probably wants is a perscription for the Prius, so the insurance will pay for it as a XPAP power source. Jim

GumbyCT · Post by **GumbyCT** » Wed Jan 02, 2008 4:18 pm

Goofproof wrote:What he probably wants is a perscription for the Prius, so the insurance will pay for it as a XPAP power source. ::Rolling Eyes:: Jim

I like the way you think.

For some reason I was just thinking about something like this.

If I am not mistaken the CPAP units work on 12VDC. Well the hypothetical one being used here today would.

Since many folks do NOT yet own a Prius & I know nothing about them - let's pretend they do NOT yet exist.

WARNING - using this idea can be FATAL.
Given the above - if it were me, I would work on using extension cords (I already have on hand) to bring the 12VDC from my vehicle to the CPAP unit in my sleeping area. Depending on what I had on hand - going directly to the battery may be easiest - bypassing the on/off key things and more adapters.

This would require making my own adapters and a working knowledge of basic electronics and could easily become fatal for many CPAP foggers reading this.

Therefore this remains purely hypothetical. But if it were me, I would pretend to try it before I planned on not using it.
WARNING - using this idea can be FATAL.

HTH,
GumbyCT (a purely fictitious character)

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): CPAP, Power

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): CPAP, Power

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): CPAP, Power

Bearded_One · Post by **Bearded_One** » Wed Jan 02, 2008 4:41 pm

Using a car cigarette lighter to power a CPAP is certainly doable, all it takes is a cable that you can get from your DME or from a mail order CPAP supplier. A car battery is not a practical solution, and a generator just to power a CPAP is also probably not practical.

A much more practical solution is to use a gelled electrolyte deep cell battery, regulated battery charger, and a 12 volt CPAP power cable. OPTIMA Batteries makes suitable deep cell batteries, and cpap.com sells the proper battery cables.

If you want to run a heated humidifier you will also need to get an inverter to convert the 12 VDC from the battery to 120 VAC. A heated humidifier will DRASTICALLY shorten the length of time that your CPAP battery will last without charging. The inverter will need to be rated at at least 300 VA.

jules · Post by **jules** » Wed Jan 02, 2008 6:47 pm

http://www.priups.com/riddle/answer-1.htm

I will add this site I had been given too

Roadie · Post by **Roadie** » Wed Jan 02, 2008 7:52 pm

Several weeks ago I found myself needing to drive home from work late at night for a couple of weeks. The drive was two hours and there were a few times I pulled into a rest stop to catch some sleep. I do own and was driving my Toyota Prius.

Since I knew I could easily find myself too tired to drive safely I planned ahead and brought my backup CPAP machine and mask with the 12volt cable. Once safely parked in an appropriate parking space, I turned off all the lights, locked myself in, and got hooked up to the CPAP. I left the ignition ON so the heater would keep the passenger compartment warm.

The engine only started up a few times and that was probably to keep the heat up and not the battery. I found the entire experience to be rather nice actually.

I would NOT however use my Prius as a backup power source for my CPAP machine except in the most dire of situations, and frankly if things got that bad I would probably be driving to someplace different anyway.

While I am quite happy with my Prius as a car, it is just not practical as a power source for my CPAP machine in any reasonable scenario.

Roadie

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Jan 02, 2008 9:44 pm

LMAO @ anyone who drives a prius

Roadie · Post by **Roadie** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 6:41 am

Laugh all you want. My wife has tracked the fuel costs, and about 3000 miles ago we broke even on the higher price of the car versus fuel savings. Plus the factor that the car makes far less pollutants than other cars makes us feel better about owning it. But, you are entitled to your opinion, just don't forget that I am also entitled to mine.

Roadie

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 11:06 am

Love my Prius! However, I wouldn't use it as a backup generator .... it would negate one of the reasons I own it .... to minimize polluting the air. Drawing power from the Prius while stopped means the gasoline engine will start periodically to recharge the hybrid battery since there is no braking or coasting to do the recharge.

Mindy

Goofproof · Post by **Goofproof** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 1:26 pm

Roadie wrote:Laugh all you want. My wife has tracked the fuel costs, and about 3000 miles ago we broke even on the higher price of the car versus fuel savings. Plus the factor that the car makes far less pollutants than other cars makes us feel better about owning it. But, you are entitled to your opinion, just don't forget that I am also entitled to mine.

Roadie

Here is the mis-conception, True the Prius saves on fuel cost. It does not however lower polution, When you add in the polution from the production of the battery systems, far more serious polution is caused. So while all trys to cut polution are good, so far this fails the Green Test badly. Jim