Backup Power Supply - Oops

[SleepGuy]

My laziness finally caught up with me. The power went off all night and I have no backup. What a terrible experience--I can't believe I used to feel like this all the time!

Suggestions on the best approach here? I have a basic F&P machine that runs on standard 110 power.

[OutaSync]

You are not alone in that. Hurricane Hannah is on it's way up the coast and I don't have any back-up, either. I knew I was going to have to face this sooner or later. It's just been difficult to think about so many things at the same time.

Bev

[Omaha]

I use the Everest Model. It has an add on battery that is only 1 inch high. W/out heated humidity I easily get 2 nights w/out a charge. It is worth looking into.

[Snoredog]

just get a computer UPS, get a 800-1000VA, plug your machine into it. The larger you get it the longer it will run. Costco sells
them pretty cheap. Nearly all are modified sine wave nowadays and should run your machine and humidifier just fine.

how long will it run? depends on if you are using the heat on the humidifier or not and if you need it to run several days you might
be better off with a small Honda generator.

[JeffH]

My laziness finally caught up with me. The power went off all night and I have no backup. What a terrible experience--I can't believe I used to feel like this all the time!

Suggestions on the best approach here? I have a basic F&P machine that runs on standard 110 power.

Funny how one miserable night will make you get going to fix this, isn't it. I had to go thru it too. The fixes are simple, easy, and give so much peace of mind that it amazes me that everyone isn't ready for a power outage.

Good luck!

JeffH

[birdshell]

Wouldn't it seem that insurance companies would want to have us all get some kind of battery backup with our machines? Or, is that just me? There are a lot of potential consequences for the insurance company. Those actuaries must not have found that there is risk vs. benefit advantage.

We are not going to be happy with even one night off our treatment. We almost HAVE to be proactive in supplying backup power as a result.

Karen,
For whom CPAP is NOT an option

There is electricity in the lightning...any kite fliers around? I have a key.

[billbolton]

What a terrible experience--I can't believe I used to feel like this all the time!

If its any consolation, you used to feel much worse!

A night off CPAP is bad enough but its only one single night of disordered sleep in what is otherwise a long period of well ordered sleep.... before xPAP treatement you were suffering the effects of (probably) years of disordered sleep!

Cheers,

Bill

[SleepGuy]

What a terrible experience--I can't believe I used to feel like this all the time!

If its any consolation, you used to feel much worse!

A night off CPAP is bad enough but its only one single night of disordered sleep in what is otherwise a long period of well ordered sleep.... before xPAP treatement you were suffering the effects of (probably) years of disordered sleep!

Cheers,

Bill

Bill, you're absolutely correct--it was much worse back then.

Still I've had a rotten day--I thank my lucky stars for a good doctor who diagnosed my OSA. I was utterly clueless. And I'm equally happy that I didn't stop the therapy experience my the first words that crossed my mind the first time I tried a CPAP: "You Have Got To Be KIDDING!!??!!!"

I LOVE my CPAP and use it flat-out every night, all night. Amazing.

[IndyJudy]

Hello Snoredog
I don't recall reading about using a UPS before. Interesting and sounds simple. Are there any other specifications for a non-techie to look for? What is "modified sine wave", an output specification? I know I've read about marine batteries on this forum, but not UPS. Thanks for the information. I'm a member of Costco and will check this out.

[SleepGuy]

Snoredog, I'd never heard about using a UPS--seems like a very good solution. I don't want to subject myself to another power outage night. I'm gonna check out the UPs-es at Costco tomorrow.

Karen, I have Blue Cross. See if you can get them to cover my UPS!

[birdshell]

<snip>

Karen, I have Blue Cross. See if you can get them to cover my UPS!

I have Blue Cross as a carrier for my insurance, too. Just a guess, but I think we are both out of luck. Maybe they think we will use any UPS for our computers?

Karen

[LoQ]

I've been thinking about this for a long time but just haven't done anything about it yet. You should probably check the specs for your machine. The specs for my humidifier say that it won't run on modified sine wave (squarish) inverters. The pure sine wave inverters are more expensive. I think I saw one ResMed machine that said it couldn't be run on any inverter.

Inverter Chart for ResMed Machines

My ideal would be to run on battery all the time, with my battery recharger constantly recharging the battery, so that if power goes off in the middle of the night, I don't have to get up and fuss with anything. That's the synopsis of my plan, anyway.

[LoQ]

IndyJudy -- Power options for your machine

[Bearded_One]

My IntelliPAP has both AC and DC power input jacks. When the AC power fails my machine automatically switches over to my Li-Ion battery pack -- it doesn't miss a beat.