No power...No Cpap

The batteries do wear out.... the usual number I hear is 3-5 years. There are places (like hospitals) that replace batteries every 2 years whether they need to be or not.

I've lived in my current place 3 years now...and all my UPSs have either had the battery replaced or the UPS was acquired since I moved here.

The Dreamer.

I'd been debating about getting a battery, because I wanted a lightweight battery with a good run time, and I didn't want to spend a lot of $$. My requirements are mutually exclusive, so I've been putting off getting a battery. Then my power went out last night....

The two contenders were the cpap.com battery pack with Resmed S8 converter for $299, and the Battery Geek C-222 battery with the S8 converter for ~$200 more. Still, I'd likely get an extra night out of the C-222. Then I happened upon the Owell Industries C-266 battery for ~$310 plus the S8 converter for another ~$75. I just ordered it. Although the power wasn't out that long last night, it was enough to seriously disrupt sleep ... on a night when I was trying a new mask and thus not getting much sleep! I hope there are no more outages at least until I get my new battery!

twokatmew wrote:Then I happened upon the Owell Industries C-266 battery for ~$310 plus the S8 converter for another ~$75. I just ordered it.

So where did you find it?

Kiralynx wrote:

twokatmew wrote:Then I happened upon the Owell Industries C-266 battery for ~$310 plus the S8 converter for another ~$75. I just ordered it.

So where did you find it?

I got it here: http://www.bestcpapprice.com/Owell-Indu ... 0-516.html
It looks like some Resperonics machines don't require an extra adapter....

twokatmew wrote:

Kiralynx wrote:So where did you find it?

I got it here: http://www.bestcpapprice.com/Owell-Indu ... 0-516.html
It looks like some Resperonics machines don't require an extra adapter....

Looks like quite a nice unit. I'm getting near to when I might need one. <sigh> August and September are bad for hurricanes.

Darn, that's a good price....compared to what the C222 was going on other sites. Think I'll make a note of it for possible future traveling....

The Dreamer.

I keep a battery in a box near my bed.

I keep a little pink rabbit with a marching bass drum beside my nightstand.

klockemy wrote:I keep a little pink rabbit with a marching bass drum beside my nightstand.

If it keeps going and going that may not be helpful for a good night sleep.

Kiralynx wrote:I'm getting near to when I might need one. <sigh> August and September are bad for hurricanes.

Yes, it'll be bad storm time here too, but nothing like in some other areas. Some years ago we had a terrible summer storm, and the power was out for five days. I wasn't on CPAP back then, but I'd just been grocery shopping and had filled the freezer. I was lucky that I had no damage to my house, as several neighbors and friends had quite a bit of damage. So many trees were down that driving was very difficult.

My brother lives in Houston and has learned to deal with flash floods and storm damage. IIRC, it was Katrina that swung by and took out his roof and much of the upstairs in his home. My dad lives in Arkansas and regularly has lengthy power outages. For a while he was on oxygen, and they were bringing him tanks of oxygen because he couldn't use his concentrator. When my mom was still alive, a huge tree fell on the house during a storm. In Arkansas, my dad gets summer storms and then ice storms in the winter.

I feel very lucky not to have had to deal with that kind of damage. But now that I've said that, watch us have a tornado....

TheDreamer wrote:The batteries do wear out.... the usual number I hear is 3-5 years. There are places (like hospitals) that replace batteries every 2 years whether they need to be or not.

I've lived in my current place 3 years now...and all my UPSs have either had the battery replaced or the UPS was acquired since I moved here.

That is so true... about batteries wearing out. I have a similar replacement schedule for the batteries in my vehicle... they get replaced after two or three years whether they are bad or not.

The other issue with having a battery on standby is that an unused battery can build up a film of sulfide on the plates internally that weakens the battery. That is why I always look at the date on a new battery I am purchasing... to ensure it has not been sitting around for too long. The new one I purchased today was manufactured just last month... June.

So if you have a battery sitting around for emergencies it would be a good idea to put it on a trickle charge once a week... or better yet place it into service once/week then trickle charge it. At least this way you know your backup system is working and ready to go.

twokatmew wrote:Yes, it'll be bad storm time here too, but nothing like in some other areas. Some years ago we had a terrible summer storm, and the power was out for five days. I wasn't on CPAP back then, but I'd just been grocery shopping and had filled the freezer. I was lucky that I had no damage to my house, as several neighbors and friends had quite a bit of damage. So many trees were down that driving was very difficult.

We won't discuss how much we lost from the freezer and fridge -- along with both the units for Katrina.

twokatmew wrote:My brother lives in Houston and has learned to deal with flash floods and storm damage. IIRC, it was Katrina that swung by and took out his roof and much of the upstairs in his home. My dad lives in Arkansas and regularly has lengthy power outages. For a while he was on oxygen, and they were bringing him tanks of oxygen because he couldn't use his concentrator. When my mom was still alive, a huge tree fell on the house during a storm. In Arkansas, my dad gets summer storms and then ice storms in the winter.

Most likely it was Rita, if it was the same year as Katrina. Of course, ironically, I have Hurricane Ike to thank for my finding this Forum -- I was hunting for information for my CPAPper bro-in-law in Ohio whose power was out thants to Ike. And then, about two weeks later, I was diagnosed myself... and headed straight back here for information!

twokatmew wrote:I feel very lucky not to have had to deal with that kind of damage. But now that I've said that, watch us have a tornado....

Me, I'm praying for an easy tornado season (cause I have friends in such zones), and a hurricane season of fish storms. IOW, storms which go straight up the middle of the Atlantic, and don't bother anyone except the fish!

But at the same time, I'm thinking I really need a battery back-up. Just in case. I mean, if we had to leave because of no power, my husband's lost wages and 2-3 nights in a hotel would be WAY more than the cost of the battery.