Resmed S8 and Battery Power

[bcab17]

Now that I'm getting a S8 Auto II, I am looking into DC power options. I've searched and read some posts, but I'm still somewhat confused.

I am not a camper. I am looking for something that will work in my bedroom when we loose power. My DME rep told me about the Resmed DC-12 Converter (part number 33942), which I found at cpap.com. It appears to connect to a car cigarette lighter plug on one end and the S8 on the other. This would be fine if I wanted to sleep in my car, but what about the bedroom?

What would I need to connect to a stand-alone battery (auto, marine, etc.)? Is there a cable with a female cigarette lighter jack on one end, and jumper cable style clamps on the other? Is that all it would take?

What about the battery? What are some of the better options for use inside your home? Is there some type of rechargeable battery that would work? What about those car battery chargers that re-charge via AC? Would they remain charged when not plugged in to AC, and running the S8 (10 pressure and no humidifier) for an entire night?

So sorry for these dumb questions (and I realize this one has been asked before), but I have absolutely no experience with these things.

[billbolton]

A search on "battery" in this forum should produce a whole host of information for you.

The thing to note for your particular need is that if you must have humidification, then you will need to use a true sine wave inverter to power both your S8 and the humidifier.

If you run the S8 directly off 12V DC, the humidifier will not heat, and will only run in passive passover mode.

Heated humidifers use a lot of energy compared to a flow generator, so you need a lot more battery capacity to support humidifier operation.

Cheers,

Bill

[bcab17]

Thanks Bill.

No I would not be using a heated humidifier. CPAP.com does have a battery pack with DC converter specifically for the S8 line, but $299 seems very expensive: https://www.cpap.com/cpap-machine/cpap- ... cable.html

I did do a search. In many threads people were referring to certain items by number, which made it difficult to understand what they were specifically talking about. I'll keep looking.

[5aces]

I see you are in the U.S.A but certainly you could find a product like the one above.

I have the Motomaster Powerbox 800 A/600 W Power Pack with Inverter.
In the picture you will see the 3 covered 115+- 10 V AC RMS outlets.
This product can be recharged by your vehicle lighter socket,optional solar panel or household outlet.
Confirmed safe to use with a ResMed cpap by ResMed,just use the regular plug.
Also,it has a pair of booster cables to jump start your car,a digital power output display,AM/FM Radio with Alarm Clock,emergency light and can be hooked to another battery for longer run time.
I purchased this unit on sale at Canadian Tire for $149.99
More than enough to run your cpap for a few nights.
(more limited run time with humidifier,of course)

[bcab17]

This looks like an excellent solution. I really like the ability to recharge the battery by AC or car lighter socket. Is this battery safe for indoor use (fumes, fire/shock hazzard, etc.)?

Are you saying that I would NOT need the expensive ($80.00) "Resmed DC-12 Converter for S8" with this battery...just use the S8's regular AC cord? Could taking the Resmed DC-12 Converter out of the loop cause any problems with the S8 (perhaps when it's running on battery power, and the juice runs out)? I thought I read somewhere that the DC-12 Converter was necessary when running the S8 on DC.

I did a search on the Motomaster, and it appears to be available only in Canada. I guess I'll bring the product description with me into a few US stores, and see what I can find.

[carbonman]

This would be fine if I wanted to sleep in my car, but what about the bedroom?

..hey, nobody said this was going to be easy.
....some sacrifice may be necessary......from time to time.

[5aces]

Yes,plug the cpap in using the regular cord.

When using the Motomaster PowerBox to operate an AC appliance and the low battery warning sounds,the warning gives you time to shut your AC appliance off before loss of AC power.
If you ignore the warning the PowerBox automatically turns off a few minutes later to prevent battery damage.
In the event of an overload,low battery voltage or overheating,the PowerBox automatically shuts down.

The PowerBox will operate most devices rated up to 480 W.

This thing has you covered nine ways to Sunday!

As long as you had fuel in your car and it would start,you could charge up the PowerBox from the lighter in an emergency.
The double ended lighter socket plug is included too!

Safe for indoor or outdoor use.
(keep two inches of ventilation around the box,that's all)

[bearded_two]

Several companies make similar batteries, some are just a 12 volt battery, charger, and cigarette lighter outlet. Some have AC inverters (but don't run a ResMed humidifier from one), some have air compressors, some have radios, some have lights, some have jumper cables; there are all sorts of combinations. The batteries in these things have gelled electrolyte and are safe to use indoors (they won't spill). Most discount stores and large auto parts stores sell them. If you get one with an inverter, you can plug your regular CPAP power plug into it; however it is better to use a DC cord made for your CPAP and plug it into the cigarette lighter outlet on the battery. Using an inverter reduces the battery life by about 10 to 20%. If you use a DC power cord, a 12 Ah battery will be big enough to power your CPAP for one night (as long as your pressure is set at about 12 cmh2o or less). 12 volts, 12 cmh2o, 12 Amp hours = one night of CPAP.

[5aces]

http://www.resmed.com/us/assets/documen ... lo_eng.pdf
Here is the guide from the horses mouth.

http://www.homecarenewengland.com/pdf/2 ... sa-eng.pdf
Quote:
Can I use my humidifier with battery
power?
Yes (Note: Only the HumidAire 3i integrated
heated humidifier is compatible with the VPAP
Auto). You will require a larger capacity battery
and a more highly rated inverter.
No power will be supplied to your humidifier if
your VPAP Auto is connected to a converter.

[Lou Cypher]

http://www.resmed.com/us/assets/documen ... lo_eng.pdf
Here is the guide from the horses mouth.

http://www.homecarenewengland.com/pdf/2 ... sa-eng.pdf
Quote:
Can I use my humidifier with battery
power?
Yes (Note: Only the HumidAire 3i integrated
heated humidifier is compatible with the VPAP
Auto). You will require a larger capacity battery
and a more highly rated inverter.
No power will be supplied to your humidifier if
your VPAP Auto is connected to a converter.

Ok, so break this down for me like Batteries for DUMMIES..

I have the S8 Autoset II and H4i humidifier...

I can just plug my CPAP into this like I plug it into the wall and it will run both the cpap and humidifier ?

The other thing is this item isn't sold in the USA?

If not, can I not order one from Canada and have it shipped to me??

[5aces]

Really this unit is for your xpap blower with NO humidifier.

You plug the regular wall outlet cord from your xpap machine into the PowerBox 3-prong outlet.

You can expect two nights use before you will have to recharge the PowerBox.

The output of the inverter is non-sinusoidal.
Some equipment may be damaged by the inverter's modified sine wave output (non-sinusoidal).
Speed controllers found in some fans,power tools,kitchen appliances and other loads may be damaged.

The H4i Humidifier attatchment requires a pure sine wave inverter output=more expensive.

This unit is great for camping and power outages to run lights,laptop,cellphones-light duty items.

No need to buy the exact model that I have,it is heavy and will cost too much for shipping.

Take a look at this:
http://www.duracellpower.com/backup-pow ... k-600.aspx

Should be able to pick one up somewhere in the States and it's almost a spitting image!
p.s.-I'm tempted to plug in my S8 Elite II with H3i Humidaire just to watch what happens...

[bcab17]

Thanks for this awesome info. The Duracell model looks like it's the ticket.

My only point of confusion is in regard to connecting my Resmed S8 Auto II to this battery using the normal AC cord. So, to make sure I'm understanding this correctly, please tell me if the following statement is correct:

Since this battery has a built in inverter (modified sine wave) it would be safe to connect the S8 II using the standard AC cord. However, by using the Resmed DC-12 Converter and connecting the S8 II to this battery using the DC socket, it would result in the battery charge lasting longer, and it would provide additional circuit protection for the cpap machine.

Does that sound right? If it does, then I guess I would have to decide whether the extra $80 for the DC-12 Converter is worth it.

[5aces]

You use the regular AC power cord from the xpap to plug into the AC outlet of your PowerBox.

No harm will come to the xpap or the PowerBox battery because of the safety features built into the portable PowerBox.

No need to buy the 12 V ResMed accessories,that is the point of using this product.

If you want to run the ResMed 12 V system,there is a lighter socket receptacle for that but it will not give you any more protection.

I have not tested run times with the 12 V ResMed system using this PowerBox,so I can't comment on how it compares to using the regular AC cord.

As I mentioned,I paid $149.00 for this setup,it works and does other tasks at an affordable price.
(I see TigerDirect.com has it for $139.00 USD,there ya go...)
Another link,looks like the mother manufacturer's site:
http://www.xantrex.com/index.asp

[bcab17]

Well, I was ready to purchase the Duracell 600 until I checked out the Battery Guide at resmed.com, which says that the S8 and S8 II line requires a pure sine wave inverter (and that the HumidAire line of humidifiers should not be used with inverters at all).

So I think this means that using the Duracell 600 with the S8 Autoset II will require the use of the Resmed DC-12 Converter...another $80.

Man, this is confusing.

[bearded_two]

A battery charge will last about 10 to 20% longer if you use a DC cord rather than plugging your CPAP into an inverter. You won't have to worry about using an inverter if you use a DC cord and plug it into the cigarette lighter outlet on the battery. Do not use your humidifier with a battery, it uses too much power to be practical to power it with a battery; also some humidifiers require special inverters and some humidifiers are not supposed to be used with any inverter.