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

International Travel (power adapters)

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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

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

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.