Camping with CPAP?

[cflame1]

could check with John... I think that he had a battery thread and I know he uses an ASV

[idamtnboy]

I drive a ford explorer so I think the battery should be sufficient. So are you saying you have an adapter that can hook up to car batteries?? Or a cigaret adapter for recharging a Lithium ion batery? As I understand it my central apneas only happen when my body is introduced to positive air pressure. My initial study w/out cpap had no centrals but during titration when I was on bipap I had a lot of them.

A car battery is not a good choice. They're not built to be deep cycle discharged. With the humidifier in use CPAPs consume a surprisingly large amount of power. A key factor is the number of nights you will be using the battery, and what recharge capability you have available to recharge it during the day. In my case I used a 125 amp hour deep cycle battery to run an S9 with humidifier. I had it hooked up to my pickup to recharge in the daytime. Running the CPAP for about 7 to 8 hrs per night, and running the pickup up to two hours in the daytime to recharge the battery, it still was discharged down to about 1/4 or 1/3 charge level by the end of the third morning. A fourth night would have been the limit.

If your unit consumes about 70+ watts that will translate to about 5 to 6 amps from a 12 volt battery. For 7 hours use that adds up to ~60 amp hrs of power for one night. I found that a 12 volt plug into an accessory outlet would not supply enough power to run a 12 volt to 120 volt inverter.

Go back and reread the other battery threads from the past 6 months. You'll find some interesting info about what folks have learned about power consumption, what they have done to cut it, and what has been done to make sure they have power for the entire camping stay. There are no simple wallet-friendly answers.

The most reliable solution is to camp where you have access to electricity, or use a generator. The generator is problematic from the standpoint of cost and noise.

[Roger2]

The most reliable solution is to camp where you have access to electricity, or use a generator. The generator is problematic from the standpoint of cost and noise.

I can absolutely attest to that. I have two of the beasts, one large one ( a Yamaha 9000 watts) we used for frequent winter power outages when we were in Alaska and a smaller Coleman 2500 watt for camping. The larger one has a tank that will run for 18 hours before running out of gas and the smaller one only runs for 2.5 hour before running out of gas. Both are very noisy and the larger one is way too big to be carried around for camping. The smaller Coleman also very noisy would need to be refueled two or three times a night which is really inconvenient. The smaller one also surges when it runs out of fuel which usually burns anything connected to it out since when they surge, the output voltage also surges.

The camping generator by Yamaha comes in several sizes but they are expensive and at best with a larger one will only run for about 4 hours before running out of fuel. They do however have surge protection on them, or so I have heard. It would be nice if someone could come up with a detachable gas tank to extend the running time of the smaller units but as far as I am aware, there are none. I thought about going to a boat dealer to see if they could rig one like they use for an outboard motor on a smaller boat.

Camping where an electrical hookup would be ideal if one is available where you are camping but there usually is not where I need to go.

Roger

[nanwilson]

I camp all the time and use a 12 volt deep cycle marine battery and a 300 watt mod. inverter & can get four 8 hour nights without a charge. I use my F&P 604 without the humidifier.

[Roger2]

I camp all the time and use a 12 volt deep cycle marine battery and a 300 watt mod. inverter & can get four 8 hour nights without a charge. I use my F&P 604 without the humidifier.

How many hours could I get out of the same setup with my O2 concentrator? It runs on 115 volts, draws 15 amps and per Apria, would need about 1700 watts.

Roger

[idamtnboy]

How many hours could I get out of the same setup with my O2 concentrator? It runs on 115 volts, draws 15 amps and per Apria, would need about 1700 watts.

Roger

Theoretically, 30 to 45 min. Realistically, 0. 1700 watts divided by 12 volts is about 140 amps. I don't think you'll find an affordable inverter to handle that. 140 amps for 1 hr is 140 amp hr, more than typical deep cycle battery will provide.

[SleepFacts]

I know a fellow who flies with VIP's directly to Iraq from Washington, DC on a C-17. He attaches a Lithium battery to his CPAP, because the three phase current on the military aircraft would harm the CPAP.

Have you tried Provent? It'd FDA approved, but not yet by insurance companies.

[Roger2]

Theoretically, 30 to 45 min. Realistically, 0. 1700 watts divided by 12 volts is about 140 amps. I don't think you'll find an affordable inverter to handle that. 140 amps for 1 hr is 140 amp hr, more than typical deep cycle battery will provide.

I kind of felt the battery would not work for me. If I did not require the O2 in addition to the cpap it would probably be fine. I will see if a boat mechanic can somehow rig a spare tank on the small generator to extend the running time. If they can just remove the existing tank and put whatever connecter the boats use instead it might work, at least it is worth a try. I hope I can find someone on the off-season now but if not I will wait until next spring.

I will keep watching in case someone comes along with another solution.

Roger

[jamiswolf]

Roger2 wrote: I will keep watching in case someone comes along with another solution.

Hi Rog, I just had to comment...before I'd go to the trouble of a generator (and the noise and smell) wouldn't it be easier to simply carry bottled oxygen? I don't know the cost considerations, but for car or RV camping, that would seem to be an obvious solution.
Jamis