This category is for articles about different power options for your xPAP machine.

International Travel (power adapters)

Most xPAP units can handle international power. However, to use your unit in a foreign country you may need an adapter to allow your machine to plug into the power outlets in that country.

To find the type of plug adapter your machine will need, you can go to the CountryCodes.org website. Click on the country in question. This brings up information about the specific country, including the standard voltage and hertz along with the plug format (grounded and ungrounded).

Aditionally, you might want to consider looking at the World Electric Guide. This seems to provide a comprehensive list of plug options.

Knowing the plug type you need, you can choose to either purchase specific plug adapater(s), a set of plug adapters or a multipurpose plug adapter. Should you be visiting just one country, then purchasing the appropriate adapters might be cheapest. If you often travel internationally, you might consider a kit containing the most common adapters. Additionally, you might want to consider a universal adapter.

To research where to purchase the power plug adapaters, you can use a Google Search for "Power Adapter Plugs".

Additionally, when you travel internationally, don't forget to bring an extension cord, since not all hotels have convienent power outlets near the bed.

12 Volt Battery Power

LINKS to Battery operation, camping, power outage
There are 2 methods for powering a CPAP machine from a battery. Many CPAP machines have a connection for you to plug in DC power directly from a battery or car accessory outlet. Alternatively you can use a DC to AC converter to supply normal household voltage to your CPAP machine. In the following sections we will go into more depth about both methods as well as talk about the pros and cons for both.

Direct DC Power

This is the simplest method. It involves simply connecting a cable from a big enough 12 volt battery directly to the DC IN port on your CPAP machine. Most machines have a DC IN port but there are some exceptions. There is a major caveat though. There is only one heated humidifier that will run on DC power and it is machine specific (Respironics M-series, see below). The humidifier will still work for passover humidification though and this is often times enough, especially if you're only going a couple of nights.

CPAP.com link: DC Cable

Pros
The simplest method
The most efficient use of your precious battery power
No other devices are needed besides your CPAP machine, power cable, and battery. (except for ResMed machines, see below)

Cons
You can only use passover humidification or no humidification (except with some Respironics humidifiers, see below)

Philips Respironics

Puritan Bennett

ResMed

AEIOMed

DeVilbiss

The IntelliPAP autoadjust machine is easy to run on battery power. Runs directly off of typical battery or automotive power without an external adapter. The plug for the machine is a standard 5.5 x 2.5 mm coaxial DC power plug. Center is positive. If you build your own power cable, DeVilbiss recommends a 5 amp fuse in the cable. The machine draws about 3 amps at medium pressures.

Fisher & Paykel

AC Inverters

AC inverters take DC power from a battery or other similar power source, and converts it into AC power similar to what you get from a wall outlet. With the exception of the Respironics machine previously mentioned, using an inverter is your only option if you need to use heated humidification with your CPAP machine. Using an inverter makes the machine operate just like it would at home, which many people appreciate. However, using an inverter has some significant drawbacks that must be carefully considered before using one.

The first drawback is efficiency. Although modern inverters have efficiencies approaching 90 percent, there is some power lost in the conversion process. More losses come from the heavy power cabling required between the battery and the inverter. Although 100 watts of power is only about 0.8 amperes at 120 volts, it is 8 amperes at 12 volts. The higher the current in a given size conductor, the greater the losses are in that conductor due to electrical resistance. Using heavier conductors lowers this resistance, but is also more cumbersome to handle. If you do use an inverter, keep the 12 volt wiring as short as practical to keep your resistance losses low.

The second drawback is that heated humidifiers can use a lot of power, sometimes more than the machine itself. Therefore, you will need to use a considerably larger battery to power both the machine and a humidifier. This could present a real problem for any travel that does not involve a motor vehicle. Another consideration is that if you will charge your battery with a solar panel, you will need a much larger panel for a typical inverter setup. Additionally, the peak AC power requirement of some CPAP machines is much higher than the average power requirement. You need to size an inverter to handle the peak power requirements, not the average power requirements, as these power peaks are repetitive. Make sure you find out the peak power consumption of your CPAP machine, or follow the machine manufacturer's recommendations when choosing an inverter for your machine.

The third drawback is power quality. The power coming from a wall outlet is a smoothly varying AC 'waveform' called a sine wave. Because of the way an efficient inverter must 'switch' the DC power to create AC power, the inverter's output may not be anything close to a sine wave. In some cases, it could be a square wave. Although a lot of equipment will work with an AC waveform that is not a sine wave, many of the heated humidifiers cannot. The heating regulator circuit uses electronics similar to a lamp dimmer, which uses the smooth shape of sine wave AC power to adjust light ( or in the case of the humidifier, heat ) power. Thus, you must use a 'pure sine wave' AC inverter with these machines. Pure sine wave inverters are readily available, but they are often considerably heavier, less efficient and more expensive.

Lastly, the inverter is just one more piece of equipment you must drag along with you when you travel. So, if you are traveling light, a bulky AC inverter can be a disadvantage.

Pros

Able to use heated humidifier. User experience is similar to what you would have at home.

Cons

Considerably larger battery required. Some CPAP machines require use of a pure sine wave inverter. More equipment to take with you when you travel.

Philips Respironics

Puritan Bennett

ResMed

AEIOMed

DeVilbiss

DeVilbiss recommends at 400W, 120V inverter for their IntelliPAP autoadjust machine.

Fisher & Paykel

Choosing a Battery

You can use a straight battery, or any one of a number of 'DC power packs'. Some more popular models are listed below. Its a good idea to have at least 33 percent more battery capacity then you need. If you plan to use battery power a lot, plan on at least 50 percent more capacity then you need. Besides giving you some extra capacity for an unplanned situations, you will also get more life out of the battery.

If you are using a straight battery, make sure it is a deep cycle type. Any type of deep cycle battery will work. Wet cell batteries give the most capacity for the weight, but you have to be careful not to spill the electrolyte. They also may require periodic maintenance, and are not good choices for use in a confined space. ( they tend to 'gas' or give off explosive hydrogen gas while in use. ) 'Gel cells' are good choices as well, and are readily available. A newer type of deep cycle lead-acid battery is the 'absorbed glass mat' or AGM battery. These batteries are often easy to recognize as they have cylindrical cells. These are very good batteries for portable use, but they tend to be expensive.

With any 'straight battery', make sure you use a fuse in the power leads close to the battery. Lead acid batteries can produce tremendous currents in the event of a short circuit, enough to heat wiring red hot. The fuse should be as close to the battery terminal as possible. Both the load and the charger you use should be fused, or you can have a fuse that is common to both. The fuse is usually in the positive lead. I like to use a connector of some sort between the battery/fuse and the load. This makes it easy to disconnect the battery from your CPAP machine for charging, or to use for other purposes. There are lots of good choices. Two that come to mind is a 2 pin .093 pin Molex connector (available at Radio Shack, their part number 274-222), or 'Anderson Power Pole' connectors. These are hermaphroditic power connectors that are becoming increasingly popular in automotive applications.

Although not strictly necessary, you might wish to keep your battery in a battery box. These make your battery system appear neater, and often make the battery easier to carry. these are widely available at automotive and marine supply houses.

Black and Decker 400

Around $100 at any Walmart, Home Depot and other major distributors. Comes with jumper cables. autobarn link:

400 watts

Xantrex

Xantrex battery with built in trickle charger, is self contained, tidy and has a carrying handle. Available online and off-brand at CostCo. Amazon links:

600 watts

500 watts

Car Charger

Car Charger/DC Plug/DC Cable Purchase a power inverter for your car. It can be purchased from radio shack, walmart, or just about any store with an automotive section. It just plugs into the lighter outlet. If power is out for a few days, it can be charged from the inverter, assuming you can run your car for a few hours to do the charging.