Backpacking & tent camping

I don't have first hand experience, but there are dental appliances that are suppose to treat moderate or mild apnea. I'm been thinking about using one for just for camping.

bbbmmmlll wrote:I don't have first hand experience, but there are dental appliances that are suppose to treat moderate or mild apnea. I'm been thinking about using one for just for camping.

There have been some discussions here about some of them. Search for dental and see what you come up with.

bbbmmmlll wrote:I don't have first hand experience, but there are dental appliances that are suppose to treat moderate or mild apnea. I'm been thinking about using one for just for camping.

I think the odds are fairly low for the dental device working and even worse for it working really well.

JohnO wrote:

idamtnboy wrote:

JohnO wrote: Kill-A-Watt usage: Time: 9:10 and 0.06 KWH with 8:30 therapy hours.

That is hard to believe, but it must be true since that's what your numbers show.

I'd agree it is hard to believe. I'm hoping someone else with the PRS One Series 60 will chime in. I also wonder if the newer PR units use significantly less power than the older units, or, perhaps run the humidifier much less than the Resmed S9 Autoset. My room is pretty well humidified since I added the whole house humidifier a month ago, so perhaps my heated humidifier does not run very often.

idamtnboy wrote:The last two nights my S9 with humidifier on, and no EPR, shows a power consumption of 0.18 kwh for 6.7 therapy hours each night. That falls almost dead on what is in the Resmed battery guide for the minimum power for an S9 w/ H5i, which is 20 amp hours for 8 hours use. That equates to 2.5 amps which at 12 volts is 30 watts. That is about what I experienced on my camping trip last summer. I have 2 deep cycle batteries and used each one for 2 nights. They had something like 1/2 power left according to a hydrometer.

It looks like the upshot is, if powering your CPAP from a light weight battery for several consecutive nights is a high priority, then get the Remstar 60!

It seems that way!

John

His numbers are somewhat consistent with my numbers without humidification heat. Maybe the humidifier wasn't heating that much of the time due to room air temp and humidity.

I get about 30 watts full blast humidity and a little under 10 watts with no humidity.

John, it appears that you have the same machine that I have (PR DS560S with the heated humidifier). I picked mine up on Thursday, but haven't been able to use it yet since they had to order my mask. I should receive it via UPS drop shipment Monday.

Anyhow....we hope to be able to have everything in hand and ready to go by the end of April because that's when we plan to leave on our annual 6-month long motorhome trip around the nation. It would appear that the battery backup system that you talk about here would work great for me. I just have one question. Did you have to order a separate 12V DC cable specifically designed for use with the 560S such as the one mentioned by here by archangel?

Thanks for your help,

Dee in FL

Quote: Postby archangle on Fri Mar 15, 2013 4:35 am
You just need the Respironics DC cable for the 60 series machines, and it will work with that battery.

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/dc-powe ... hines.html

Realize that you won't get a lot of run time with small battery packs. Maybe a night or two without humidifier. Much less with the humidifier heat turned on. Unquote.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

JohnO wrote:

Sir NoddinOff wrote:I've not had much luck with the lifetime of lithium ion batteries in my various laptop computers. Usually one to two years is about their usable life and then when I buy a new one it's about half what the original price was of my entire laptop!

Good observation and good question. I've got the C-222-like battery here, thanks to Cosmo's pointer:

http://www.bestcpapprice.com/Compact-Po ... p_516.html

While I've had it for a month, today is the first day I've charged it up. I will test it at home tonight with my standard humidifier setting of 2 on my PRS One Series 60, to give Pugsy some idea of how long it lasts.

As you mentioned, my laptop battery life always starts out great with 4+ hours of use, but after 3 years is down to 30 minutes or so. I would like to think I'll get more life (calendar life) from the CPAP battery because I only intend to use it a few times a year. As opposed to daily use of my laptops. The owner's manual suggests "topping off" the charge once a quarter. It also suggests charging it at least half-way for storage.

I really like the size of this unit. It is sort of like a thick laptop. It seems to weigh about the same as a vintage 2000 laptop with 3-4 batteries.

John

DeeMax45 wrote:Anyhow....we hope to be able to have everything in hand and ready to go by the end of April because that's when we plan to leave on our annual 6-month long motorhome trip around the nation.

Are you going to be spending nights away from your motor home? If not, then you really don't need a battery pack. Your MH batteries will provide plenty of power for whenever you're not plugged into shore power.

Hmmm....guess I hadn't considered running the machine by using the motorhome's inverter for when we don't have shore power. Good thought! However, I would still like to have a backup power unit to use at home in case of power outages.

Dee in FL

idamtnboy wrote:

DeeMax45 wrote:Anyhow....we hope to be able to have everything in hand and ready to go by the end of April because that's when we plan to leave on our annual 6-month long motorhome trip around the nation.

Are you going to be spending nights away from your motor home? If not, then you really don't need a battery pack. Your MH batteries will provide plenty of power for whenever you're not plugged into shore power.

DeeMax45 wrote:Did you have to order a separate 12V DC cable specifically designed for use with the 560S such as the one mentioned by here by archangel?

Greetings Dee!

I did not need to order a separate cable. It -does- require a different power plug tip that the fine folks at BestCPAPPrice threw in for free.

After I ordered, they phoned me to ask what machine I was going to use it with. When I told them it was the newer Philips Respironics Series 60 machine, they said they would throw in the plug.

http://www.bestcpapprice.com/Compact-Po ... p_516.html

As I wrote above, I'm very pleased with the machine. As others have written, you may very well be able to power it from your RV, but if you need a battery, this seems to be a winner!

John

DeeMax45 wrote:Hmmm....guess I hadn't considered running the machine by using the motorhome's inverter for when we don't have shore power. Good thought! However, I would still like to have a backup power unit to use at home in case of power outages.

Depending on how close to your house you park your MH when at home you might be able to just use it for your backup power. Backup power supplies have been discussed here quite a bit the past couple of years so you may want to peruse some of those threads. Just search for backup.

There is no question the battery unit JohnO is suggesting is a great way to go, if weight and portability are your primary criteria. If not, and if cost is a concern, then a deep cycle battery is the way to go. That's probably what's in your MH for RV power. They also will power your CPAP for many more nights than the Li-on battery JohnO is talking about. Life of a battery is always a consideration also. Even with minimal use all batteries eventually give out anywhere from 2 to 6 years. So if you end up using the backup a half dozen times in six years, $299 is a fairly high cost. A deep cycle with about 5 times the energy of the Li-on cost about $90 at Costco.

So, do whatever best fits your needs and desires, but be aware there are options available.

JohnO wrote:

DeeMax45 wrote:Did you have to order a separate 12V DC cable specifically designed for use with the 560S such as the one mentioned by here by archangel?

Greetings Dee!

I did not need to order a separate cable. It -does- require a different power plug tip that the fine folks at BestCPAPPrice threw in for free.

After I ordered, they phoned me to ask what machine I was going to use it with. When I told them it was the newer Philips Respironics Series 60 machine, they said they would throw in the plug.

http://www.bestcpapprice.com/Compact-Po ... p_516.html

As I wrote above, I'm very pleased with the machine. As others have written, you may very well be able to power it from your RV, but if you need a battery, this seems to be a winner!

John

Thanks for the additional info John. I'll make sure to mention to them that I'm using the Series 60 machine if that's the direction I decide to go.

Dee

Depending on how close to your house you park your MH when at home you might be able to just use it for your backup power. Backup power supplies have been discussed here quite a bit the past couple of years so you may want to peruse some of those threads. Just search for backup.

There is no question the battery unit JohnO is suggesting is a great way to go, if weight and portability are your primary criteria. If not, and if cost is a concern, then a deep cycle battery is the way to go. That's probably what's in your MH for RV power. They also will power your CPAP for many more nights than the Li-on battery JohnO is talking about. Life of a battery is always a consideration also. Even with minimal use all batteries eventually give out anywhere from 2 to 6 years. So if you end up using the backup a half dozen times in six years, $299 is a fairly high cost. A deep cycle with about 5 times the energy of the Li-on cost about $90 at Costco.

So, do whatever best fits your needs and desires, but be aware there are options available.[/quote]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I hadn't thought about it being an Li-on battery. You're right...that would be sort of a pricey item to use for just a few times before it's lifetime expired.

Using a deep cycle isn't an option though for a couple of reasons. One is that I wouldn't feel comfortable having a regular battery like that in my bedroom in case I were to need it and the other is that both my husband and myself are limited to the amount of weight that we're allowed to pick up and those puppies weigh a TON!

Guess I'll just have to keep researching the subject.

Thanks for the input,

Dee

DeeMax45 wrote:Using a deep cycle isn't an option though for a couple of reasons. One is that I wouldn't feel comfortable having a regular battery like that in my bedroom in case I were to need it and the other is that both my husband and myself are limited to the amount of weight that we're allowed to pick up and those puppies weigh a TON!

Very valid point about the weight. Yes they are heavy. The only thing I can think of at the moment is a wheeled cart. If you wouldn't have a problem moving a cart from the garage, or shop, into the bedroom then you might have someone build up a battery 'station' that you just wheel in when needed. It would have the battery, charger, inverter, and outlet, all on the cart. With your machine I guess you don't need the inverter. Large diameter wheels, like 4", would make it easy to push, unless you have stairs to traverse and then all bets are off.

Don't be concerned about having a deep cycle battery in your bedroom. This has been discussed here before. Most batteries are so well sealed there is no danger of leaks, liquid or gas, and if properly wired up there is no danger from the electricity. JohnBFisher has posted excellent instructions about building up a battery backup system.

Other than this, and the Li-on battery option, I don't know have any more ideas at the moment. As you have undoubtedly determined by now, battery backup for CPAP ain't a simple proposition, unfortunately. Keep looking and thinking. You'll find an answer that works, I'm sure.

Extra info. When you edit a quote in the reply box be sure that both the beginning and ending

codes are complete. Both the left and right brackets, [ & ], have to be present, and the ending quote code must have the slash, /. Otherwise the quote doesn't format properly. It's very easy to accidentally delete part of the quote codes. I do it all the time and then have to add them back in.

idamtnboy wrote:

DeeMax45 wrote:Using a deep cycle isn't an option though for a couple of reasons. One is that I wouldn't feel comfortable having a regular battery like that in my bedroom in case I were to need it and the other is that both my husband and myself are limited to the amount of weight that we're allowed to pick up and those puppies weigh a TON!

Very valid point about the weight. Yes they are heavy. The only thing I can think of at the moment is a wheeled cart. If you wouldn't have a problem moving a cart from the garage, or shop, into the bedroom then you might have someone build up a battery 'station' that you just wheel in when needed. It would have the battery, charger, inverter, and outlet, all on the cart. With your machine I guess you don't need the inverter. Large diameter wheels, like 4", would make it easy to push, unless you have stairs to traverse and then all bets are off.

Don't be concerned about having a deep cycle battery in your bedroom. This has been discussed here before. Most batteries are so well sealed there is no danger of leaks, liquid or gas, and if properly wired up there is no danger from the electricity. JohnBFisher has posted excellent instructions about building up a battery backup system.

Other than this, and the Li-on battery option, I don't know have any more ideas at the moment. As you have undoubtedly determined by now, battery backup for CPAP ain't a simple proposition, unfortunately. Keep looking and thinking. You'll find an answer that works, I'm sure.

Extra info. When you edit a quote in the reply box be sure that both the beginning and ending

codes are complete. Both the left and right brackets, [ & ], have to be present, and the ending quote code must have the slash, /. Otherwise the quote doesn't format properly. It's very easy to accidentally delete part of the quote codes. I do it all the time and then have to add them back in.

Hmmm....I wondered why that post didn't look right. Posting to a forum is a relatively new thing for me even though I've been online since '95. Please bear with me as I educate myself on the correct procedures. I really appreciate your advice both in helping me make a good battery backup decision and also concerning the ins and outs of correct forum posting. Shucks...where's that heart emoticon when ya need it?

Deep cycle is definitely out of the picture so now onward and upward. I'm not sure if the one shown here is a Li-on or not, but I'm assuming so since it would appear from your post that there are only the 2 choices..deep cycle 12V DC or a Li-on. Anyhow...even though the web site <http://www.cpaptravelbatterypack.com/ph ... packs.html> is presently stating that their battery is not compatible with the PR 60 series, Elsa from their sales department assures me that they do have one that is compatible and that they are in the process of updating their web site to include it. She says that the price would remain the same as presently shown.

Since my sleep apnea severity was rated as moderate versus severe, I'm actually tempted to just wing it for awhile without making any kind of battery backup decision.

I picked up my machine last Thursday so my compliancy clock is already ticking. But since they didn't have a size small in the Quattro FX for Her in stock they had to order it so it's supposed to show up att my front door today. So other than my titration study, this will be my first night using the system. I'm soooo looking forward to feeling better and having energy to do more than just exist!

Dee in FL

DeeMax45 wrote: Deep cycle is definitely out of the picture so now onward and upward. I'm not sure if the one shown here is a Li-on or not, but I'm assuming so since it would appear from your post that there are only the 2 choices..deep cycle 12V DC or a Li-on.

Would a battery jump start unit work for you? Price is $100 or less and would also come in handy to jump start the caravan.

My guess would be no. One of my hobbies (which I hope to get back to soon) is astrophotography. Basically we are talking about running a laptop, camera, telescope and a few other items in the middle of a field; so not to unsimilar to running a CPAP at a campsite. Most folks use deep cycle marine batteries for this. Reason being, these batteries are designed to deliver amps over a long period of time (ala "deep cycle"). Most jump starters are like automotive batteries; they deliver high amperage for a relatively shorter period of time and then need to be recharged. It is why it is recommended that your start your engine when you are jumping someone else off.

I realize deep cycle batteries are not a good solution for back packing, but just wanted to clarify the difference between these jump starters. I expect that battery would run a CPAP for several hours, but multi-night without recharge? I doubt it, but it might depend on the power requirements of your CPAP.