One night without CPAP, ohhh my head!!!

Snuffle-nose · Post by **Snuffle-nose** » Tue Dec 07, 2004 12:12 am

Hi people

Last night there was a severe storm where I was, it knocked off the electricity and I was forced to sleep without my CPAP.....Slept very poorly last night kept on waking up and each time I woke up my head would ache/hurt on waking briefly during the night.

I woke up during the night as soon as the electricy was restored, I quickly hooked my mask and CPAP and slept with it after the power was restored. I woke up in the morning. Depressed, Tired and still filling the effects of broken sleep. I am sure I didn't get 8 hrs of decent sleep last dure to the power blackout.

I know very well that I can't sleep out my CPAP/mask as I wake up been a trainwreak frist thing in the morning. Depressed,tired and agro I was all day after having a poor night's sleep. As I know this will not the last time I have a poor night's sleep due to thunderstorms and lightning!!!!

wading thru the muck! · Post by **wading thru the muck!** » Tue Dec 07, 2004 7:57 am

Thanks Snuffle-nose,

Your post makes me think more seriously about investigating power back-up options for my pap.

I've heard the headaches are killer when you come off cpap.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Dec 07, 2004 9:32 am

Ouch! Yes, I wish I could afford a battery backup, but can't right now. I'm not looking forward to losing power. Hope you get a good nights sleep tonight!

chrisp · Post by **chrisp** » Tue Dec 07, 2004 5:07 pm

I set up a backup system for my 420E. Here is what I did.
1 12 V Deep Cycle battery from Wal-Mart $59
bought a 12 V adaptor for the cpap from cpap.com $25
Battery box from Wal-Mart $ 7
12 V automatic charger for deep cycle battery $41
12V accessory outlet $ 4
Put the battery in the box. Connect the accessory outlet to the wing nut on the battery.
Connect the charger to the battery.
Put the lid on the battery box
When the power goes out change the power cord and plug it into the adaptor on the battery. Switch on the CPAP and go to sleep.

The Battery will run my 420E for about a week @ 8 hrs per night before charging is required. This is figured using a 115 Amp Hr battery.

If you have a Resmed CPAP you can add a 300 Watt inverter ($45) and plug into it. It will not run as long but should still last 3 nights..

When power is restored the charger will automatically recharge the battery.

For a truely seamless operation you could remain connected to the battery always. If the power went out while asleep you wouldn't even know since you will be connected to battery power.. The charger would keep the battery charged . Sort of like a poor mans UPS (uninteruptable power supply like those used in large computer rooms) .

A smaller battery may be used if you only need 8 hrs capacity. 1 of those booster /chargers for about $60 will work and are much lighter..

If needed you could connect to a solar panel or install a battery isolator in your car to charge the battery if the power is expected to be out for a long time.. I plan to take my battery to work and charge it there if the power is expected to be out for a very long time.

This sounds much more complicated than it really is..All for less than $200.

Mine works great . I tested it for 3 days . Taking the battery to 1/2 its rated capacity @ 1 amp equals about 57 amp hrs. Thats about a week at 8 hrs a night. The CPAP uses about 1 amp. depending on the pressure .

Hope this helps somebody out there..Hope you never need it also..

AirHog · Post by **AirHog** » Tue Dec 07, 2004 7:42 pm

Great info, thanks chrisp.

onemorething · Post by **onemorething** » Tue Dec 07, 2004 10:08 pm

Chrisp,

Thank you for the great info on power backups. I really hadn't thought about it. I live in an area where we do have power outages. So I will plan on taking your advice.

onemorething

WindFlyer · Post by **WindFlyer** » Wed Dec 08, 2004 11:05 am

IMPORTANT reminder for battery backup systems users- I just found out that my ResMed Humidaire humidifier cannot be plugged into an inverter (battery supply converted into 110AC) and when I tried the unit lost power and would not turn on anymore. It is being fixed right now but I know now that when it comes to humidifiers it may be better to keep those plugged into the wall directly.

chrisp · Post by **chrisp** » Wed Dec 08, 2004 6:59 pm

CORRECTION !

Windflyer is correct. You must use a Pure Sine Wave inverter . I use a AIMS 300 . It is available at http://www.invertersrus.com for $130 .

Info regarding inverters and CPAPS at http://www.invertersrus.com/faq.html

Please delete the Wal Mart inverter @ $45 and replace it with the AIMS 300 or similar Pure Sine Wave inverter.

Thank you Winflyer for pointing this out. I have so many gadgets I sometimes forget what They are for.

Sorry Again.

Cheers,

Chris

Mask

One night without CPAP, ohhh my head!!!

One night without CPAP, ohhh my head!!!

Power Backup