Thinking about small generator for backup

[Goofproof]

My experience with my xpap, the FnP Icon Auto running off a battery.
The Icon auto, when its just plugged in will draw 60 watts doing nothing.
When its turned on and the hose and humidity are turned off it draws 90 watts.
Turn on the hose and humidity and its close to 300 watts.

Wow! My PRS1 Auto and S9 AutoSet only draw about 30 watts average from the AC power line running all night with 14 or higher pressure and the humidifier going.

When not blowing, they draw very little power.

However, that's another good point. Unplug your CPAP when not in use if you're on battery power.

Yeah the Icon is a power pig for sure, it calcs out to over 15.00 a month for a paperweight. Add the extra power use when I am actually using it. I bet xpap costs me 25.00 a month with this POS machine. But hey if you buy the software it will play a song for an alarm!!

Your powers of math conversion are flawed to the Max. Worst case, your machine would use 2.5 amps @ 12 volts d/c. 300 watts @ 120 volts a/c = 2.5 amps @ 12 volt d/c. If it did draw 30 amp d/c, the wire gauge on the power supply would need to be 10 gauge (Very Heavy).

I miss trust your numbers totally, my O2 compressor only draws 335 watts and its 5 times bigger and has to work much harder. Jim

[DiverCTHunter]

Anonymous Guest already said it, but running a generator in the garage or within a 20-foot radius of a window is asking for a one-way ticket on the Hearse express. Be sure to wear your CM-50s if you do so the medical examiner can have an exact time of death.

I don't think anyone's mentioned it yet, but the battery charger Archangel recommends is a trickle charger, not a float charger. If you leave this plugged in when the battery's not in use, then make sure to use only flooded lead-acid batteries and check the water level monthly.

[squid13]

If you use a deep cycle sealed battery for your back up battery I think you should use a AGM or Gel battery. If you tip it over there is nothing in it to spill out. I have an AGM battery and use the Battery Tender Plus to keep my charge.

[jencat824]

I have experience with a 5000 watt generator. We needed one for my hubby's massive fish tanks, so got one big enough for fridge, freezer & my CPAP, also TV for him, since he things he can't live without it (just give me a book & a flashlite). Used this setup for 8 days during aftermath of hurricaine IKE (yes I live in So. Indiana, but we got backlash storm from that), and I used CPAP successfully. If you want to protect your food, CPAP & sanity, this is a great investment.

Some DON'TS
1. Don't use indoors
2. Dont use in garage (we ran ext cord from outside uncovered patio into garage to plug into a outlet that ran into house)
3. Don't let exaust fumes blow in direction of your open windows
4. Don't run out of gas - remember pumps may be out & get a few gallon cans to stock up before storm
5. Don't forget your friends will be praying for you.

Just my 2 cents worth.
Jen

[archangle]

So, whether you use a battery or a small generator, they go in the garage? If so, how do you connect it to your pap?

Starlette

If you run the generator in the garage, you are going to DIE!!!

OK, now that I've got your attention.

Not everyone who does it dies, but there are deaths every year from people trying this. Whether you die depends on which way the exhaust blows.

You're not safe if you leave the garage door open.

Never run the generator anywhere you wouldn't leave a car running all night long.

With a deep cycle battery the size of a car battery, you can set it right next to your bed. Put it in the battery box. About the only thing you can do is turn the battery over and spill acid. If you spill the acid, it can damage the carpet. Unless you get it in your eyes, you'll be OK if you just wash it off.

Don't check the water levels with a match or a candle.

If you use a generator, you put it outside and run an extension cord.

[archangle]

If you use a deep cycle sealed battery for your back up battery I think you should use a AGM or Gel battery. If you tip it over there is nothing in it to spill out. I have an AGM battery and use the Battery Tender Plus to keep my charge.

An AGM or Gel cell battery does have the advantage of not spilling. If that makes the extra cost worth it for you, go for it.

[DiverCTHunter]

If you use a deep cycle sealed battery for your back up battery I think you should use a AGM or Gel battery. If you tip it over there is nothing in it to spill out. I have an AGM battery and use the Battery Tender Plus to keep my charge.

An AGM or Gel cell battery does have the advantage of not spilling. If that makes the extra cost worth it for you, go for it.

One thing to consider with AGM and Gel / Sealed Lead-Acid is that they can't be refilled if the electrolyte boils off. Make sure you're using a multi-stage float charger and not a trickle charger on these types of cells.

[rested gal]

To see more discussions:

LINKS to Battery operation, camping, power outage
viewtopic.php?t=9682

[DagoRed]

My experience with my xpap, the FnP Icon Auto running off a battery.
The Icon auto, when its just plugged in will draw 60 watts doing nothing.
When its turned on and the hose and humidity are turned off it draws 90 watts.
Turn on the hose and humidity and its close to 300 watts.

Wow! My PRS1 Auto and S9 AutoSet only draw about 30 watts average from the AC power line running all night with 14 or higher pressure and the humidifier going.

When not blowing, they draw very little power.

However, that's another good point. Unplug your CPAP when not in use if you're on battery power.

Yeah the Icon is a power pig for sure, it calcs out to over 15.00 a month for a paperweight. Add the extra power use when I am actually using it. I bet xpap costs me 25.00 a month with this POS machine. But hey if you buy the software it will play a song for an alarm!!

Your powers of math conversion are flawed to the Max. Worst case, your machine would use 2.5 amps @ 12 volts d/c. 300 watts @ 120 volts a/c = 2.5 amps @ 12 volt d/c. If it did draw 30 amp d/c, the wire gauge on the power supply would need to be 10 gauge (Very Heavy).

I miss trust your numbers totally, my O2 compressor only draws 335 watts and its 5 times bigger and has to work much harder. Jim

Stay on the cpap mate.
watts are calculated as follows. amps x volts = watts. and visa versa. 10 amps at 120v does not have the same potential as 10a at 12v. so 10 amps at 120v is a 1200 watt load. 10 amps at 12v is only a 120 watt load. My numbers are good. Dont believe me? Google it mate, and again stay on the cpap the foggy head will go away hopefully

[archangle]

I don't think anyone's mentioned it yet, but the battery charger Archangel recommends is a trickle charger, not a float charger. If you leave this plugged in when the battery's not in use, then make sure to use only flooded lead-acid batteries and check the water level monthly.

It's not a simple trickle charger. It drops the current level to a very low level when the battery is fully charged. I'm not quite sure whether it has multiple current levels or just on-off, but it works fine with unsealed lead acid batteries. I haven't hooked it up to a sealed lead acid battery long term.

I have had mine hooked up to deep cycle marine batteries and the batteries usually last 5 years or more. I never had to add water more than once every couple of years or so. Between me and my dad, we've probably run through at least 8 batteries that we've had no trouble with charging them this way.

I have one battery I keep hooked up with a 7 day timer to only run the charger 12 hours one day a week for extra "safety," but they seem to last just fine even on 24/7.

[archangle]

So I only used it about 5 1/2 hours.
The strange thing is, I checked the "percent of charge" and it said 90%. But when I plugged the charger adaptor in, it said 55.
Where's Gumby??

The "percent charge" indicators on lead acid batteries are very poor at estimating actual remaining amp hours. It's very difficult to measure this accurately. Batteries just don't act repeatably in terms of voltage vs. charge remaining.

[123.Shawn T.W.]

Back to generators ...

Buy a Honda EU2000i cry once enjoy the rest of your life ... Many have run for over 25,000 hours!

Very quiet to run "campground approved" uses very little gas, will run all night, CLEAN sine wave power, weighs about 50 pounds, and big enough to run your fridge!

We can hardly hear ours running outside when we are inside, we have to listen for it! Chain it down so it doesn't decide to go live at someone else's house!

Never run a generator inside a garage, and bother trying to electrocute the repairman by pluging into a outlet with a "suicide cord"! Besides you will probably fry your generator when you try to power the whole neighborhood!

[Lizistired]

Thanks Arch. I'll see what it does tomorrow.

[Guest]

newflash
Con Ed Shuts Down Power In Lower Manhattan, Preemptive Shut Down "Likely" For Brooklyn

maybe they should turn on their generators so they can kill their neighbors
and most campgrounds dont care quiet or not generators will go off at 11pm

[Guest]

Stay on the cpap mate.
watts are calculated as follows. amps x volts = watts. and visa versa. 10 amps at 120v does not have the same potential as 10a at 12v. so 10 amps at 120v is a 1200 watt load. 10 amps at 12v is only a 120 watt load. My numbers are good. Dont believe me? Google it mate, and again stay on the cpap the foggy head will go away hopefully

ya know when more than one person trys to tell you over and over again that you are making a mistake anyone with half a brain would pause and review their work but then anyone with half a brain could tell that there is no way on earth any cpap would be drawing 30amps of current at 12v the 30a figure would just jump out at them
what else do you have that draws 30 amps at 12 volts?

btw - still waiting for the formula you are using to calculate so i can help you find out where you went wrong