Outlets Off while Boonedocking
My wife and I are gearing up for boonedocking, and we just discovered that none of our outlets in the trailer work when not connected to Shorepower. Aside from a generator, what alternatives to we ha...
Forum Discussion
For RV use, a 12 volt CPAP is essential. Unfortunately many of the providers just don't seem to understand what that means. My wife and I both got new CPAPs and had to exchange them. The tech came to set them up but they where 120 volt machines. Most manufacturers make identical looking and performing models which use 12 volts instead of 120.
The standard 120 volt machines are power hogs. In addition to run one from a battery you need an inverter. Inverters waste a lot of power. The best are about 90 percent efficient but most are a lot worse. A standard 12 volt CPAP will pull about 3 amps or a bit more and uses about 30 amp hours per night which is the majority of the useable power from most RV batteries. The humidifier usage is additional and can be greater than what the CPAP itself uses. My wife sets her unit on a hot water bottle to avoid needing the humidifier.
The standard 120 volt machines are power hogs. In addition to run one from a battery you need an inverter. Inverters waste a lot of power. The best are about 90 percent efficient but most are a lot worse. A standard 12 volt CPAP will pull about 3 amps or a bit more and uses about 30 amp hours per night which is the majority of the useable power from most RV batteries. The humidifier usage is additional and can be greater than what the CPAP itself uses. My wife sets her unit on a hot water bottle to avoid needing the humidifier.
