BG-C222 Battery Geek cpap battery reviews

I live in a mountainous region which is quite prone to power outages in winter with snows and ice storms. I'm a little nervous about trying to set up one of the marine battery contraptions that I have read about here because it's unfamiliar territory to me. Maybe I just need a little hand-holding on that, I don't know. The Battery Geek product is pretty darned expensive, but appears convenient and perhaps effective. I would really like to hear from those who own one of these and use it full-time. Are there any problems with the recharging over time? Any input at all would be helpful.

Aacchh! No response. Will try again. Is there anybody here who ownes one of these things?

How long do the outages last?

I don't have any information on them, other than what is available on their website, and a brief talk with one of their geeks. I was interested in it because of hurricane season. Which for 2008 is almost at an end, but in 6 months, the 2009 season will be here.

At my pressures, this unit would give me at least 2 nights of sleep. If we go past two nights with no power, we'll be leaving the area any way because I can't do processed food.

Thing is, power can be unstable for months even after it's restored. So a unit like this could be very helpful.

The talk I had with the geek said they are trying to come up with a solar unit which can recharge it relatively quickly, and thus would allow it to be used beyond the two nights.

DreamStalker wrote:How long do the outages last?

Well, it varies from year to year, obviously--but anywhere from a couple of hours to a couple of days over the past 5 years or so....and then there were the blizzards (rare) when we were out and totally snowed in for 5 days.....

Kiralynx wrote:. . . At my pressures, this unit would give me at least 2 nights of sleep. . .

I think that's a somewhat optimistic estimate, unless maybe the nights are short.

It is rated at 18.5 amp-hours. My REMstar Auto (tank) at 10-14 cm uses about 1 amp and I expect your BiPAP SV uses at least as much. If it used the same, that would be about 18.5 hours, theoretically, but 1) it probably isn't all usable before the voltage drops too low to keep the machine running, and 2) deep discharge would probably result in a short battery life.

I wouldn't count on more than about 12 hours, maybe less. There's no substitute for amp-hours if you're looking for long-lasting battery power. Ability to charge between times would make all the difference, of course.

Wayne

I have one; and it is great. One time it powered my IntelliPAP for nearly three nights (I accidentally turned off the power strip). When I use my autoM, I use it to replace the power brick.

Bearded_One wrote:I have one; and it is great. One time it powered my IntelliPAP for nearly three nights (I accidentally turned off the power strip). When I use my autoM, I use it to replace the power brick.

OK, I can be easily confused at times, so need to ask for clarification. I'm asking about your experience with the battery over time when used full-time. Meaning to ask how the charge then holds up when the power goes off for several days at a time. So I am not understanding your reference to turning off the power strip.....(when you still had electricity? or when the electricity went off?)
I would be using my Remstar M series Apap at pressure of 10-20 with flex at 1.

WNJ wrote:I think that's a somewhat optimistic estimate, unless maybe the nights are short.

Trust me: In hurricane season, if you haven't got air conditioning, you don't sleep much more than about 6 hours, 'cause it's too darned HOT. After Hurricane Katrina (we had evacuated to Baton Rouge), I stayed awake with a small battery-powered fan until around midnight, then carefully turned the fan off, and tried to sleep. Too hot -- I dozed until about 5a, then gave it up and got up again. (I wasn't on CPAP then.)

I was particularly interested in the possibility of recharging it with solar.

The battery is charged with a small power brick, and when I am using it at home I leave the charger plugged in. My CPAP has both a 12 volt power jack and an AC (house) power jack. If the AC power goes out, the CPAP automatically uses 12 volt battery power. I have the battery charger and the CPAP plugged into a power strip. I had accidentally turned the switch on the power switch off one time and I did not know that I was running just off of the battery. I ran the CPAP normally for two nights, and on the third night my CPAP stopped running about a half an hour before I normally get up. It had powered my CPAP for a total of about 23.5 hours during those three nights. My CPAP is set at 11 cmh2o, you shouldn't have a problem with running your CPAP from the battery for at least two nights. The battery comes with two cables, one is to plug it into a cigarette lighter to charge it, and the other plugs into the cigarette lighter socket on the battery. The battery includes an assortment of little adapters to fit CPAP machines, one of them properly fits my IntelliPAP and my auto M. The battery itself is like a large hardcover book with a cigarette lighter socket on the side. The case is black painted metal.

I have an auto M that I use for traveling. The battery will fit in the case with the CPAP machine (I don't use a humidifier).

Edit: It should be easy to charge it with a 12 volt solar panel.

Thanks, Bearded One. Now I get it. You must be the only one on the forum who owns one of these. Are there reasons you decided not to set up one of the marine battery arrangements? (other than for travel, obviously).

Anyone know if I could us my Flexible Spending Account (FSA) to pay for this?

plr66; I got the Li Ion battery for travel; I also have an RV deep cycle battery, which should last at least a week, but weighs over 60#.

I just called the administrator of my Payflex and she said that I could get the money back for a battery backup with my Payflex acct!

Get an AGM deep cycle battery like the Optima D31M and a charger like the Battery Tender Plus and that setup will easily give you a week of 8-hour sleep nights using passover humidity without a recharge and without damaging the battery.