CPAP Battery for Boondocking

[Bionic_Man]

Newly diagnosed with sleep apnea. Insurance requires me to use the CPAP machine (a Dreamstation) a minimum of 21 out of 30 days a month for the first year in order for them to pay for the machine.

We do some boon docking, and have a trip over July 4 where I will be over a week without power at night (will run generator during the day at least 8 hours for batteries in the houseboat).

What are people using for a battery/portable power station in similar circumstances?

[Durb]

We have a week long houseboat trip planned for next summer. Both my wife and son are on CPAP machines and the boat specifically advises against using their power for CPAPS. My son and I both came to different solutions.

He bought a Jackery power station and the foldable 100 watt solar accessory. He used it on his Dream Station machine for a night and it drew down 8% of useable power.

I bought a Battle Born 100AH Lithium battery for our trailer and plan to install it in my MinKota battery carry case and take that. I will also take my 60 amp trailer charger with us to top off the battery if it gets low. Should take about an hour on the daily generator run. The case makes it easier to carry (32#) and serves an additional use for my trolling motor. We bought a 12V power cord from Amazon (around $40) and have tested everything in our trailer, works good. The battery was expensive but offers me many other advantages with the trailer. I didn't mind, can't put a price on health.

[mkisamore]

i used two battery chargers with built in inverters while i was hunting in idaho wilderness each one lasted 6 hours per night for 2 nights so if you are able to charge them during the day you would only need one they cost a little over a hundred bucks but were well worth it walmart carries them they have 120 volt plugs on them. Stanley peak 1200 amp chargers are what i see on their website now

[Bionic_Man]

So, just circling back to close out the thread. I ended up buying a DC power plug for my CPAP, and this from Amazon.

Tried it last night. After wearing the CPAP for 8 hours, this still had 83% battery life left. So, for anyone looking for a solution, this one seems to work.

[Tiger4x4RV]

After almost 7 years of using my CPAP on the coach's 12V battery system, I added a small electric refrigerator and there was no longer enough juice to go around. My solution was to purchase two small lithium "solar generators." They won't run the CPAP on 12V (not enough amps on that port), but the CPAP runs fine when using their built-in inverters. Each cost less than $200 with coupons found on Amazon or on YouTube reviews, they are light enough for me to lift easily, they recharge quickly from the truck alternator when I drive, and each powers the CPAP for 2 nights without humidifier.

Caution: The results for your Dreamstation will be different. My camping CPAP is an old Phillips 60W. My HMO recently stopped supporting my old faithful CPAP and they gave me a new one which draws 90W and won't work on my RV's electrical setup. The old one still works and I can buy filters and such from CPAP.com, but my insurance won't pay for that. Insurance also did not pay for the 12V cord to use in the RV or for my two little power supplies.

Buying two may not be what you need, but think about it. Two small ones are cheaper than one big one, you can charge one while you use the other, and if one fails you still have the other one.

[theoldwizard1]

pinesman wrote:
If you can put in a 12v outlet near the bed, this 12 volt cord will probably work fine. Like others have said, the heated humidifier is the biggest power hog on the machine
Dreamstation 12v cord

Concur ! Much more efficient than running the CPAP off of an inverter. If you have a pair of 6v golf cart batteries and are NOT running any other items over night, I think you will do fine.

Spend the money and get a battery monitor like a Victron BMV-700. This way you will know exactly how much power you have in the batteries.

[Bumpyroad]

since bionic man has insurance, why are folks suggesting he pays out of pocket for one? as far as masks go, I have settled on a ResMed swift FX Bella gray after trying at least a dozen different masks. as far as set up/etc. the amount of pressure required should have been established initially by the Dr. and mine hasn't changed for 20? years. is 9.
bumpy

[dedmiston]

Bionic Man wrote:
Maybe I didn’t explain my situation adequately. I’m concerned about use in my RV but my big trip is on a houseboat that we are partners on. The inverter on the boat is not accessible where we sleep.

I don’t mind paying cash for this. The respiratory therapist gave me a pamphlet on one made by the company that makes the cpap. But also advised me to just go on Amazon and pick one up.

I was thinking something like this.
Amazon

Ahh. Houseboat. Different scenario indeed.

Since you have about a month before your trip, I would pick up a Kill A Watt and plug your CPAP into it to see how much power you're actually using per night. Then you can compare your nightly usage to the capacity of the battery to see for yourself whether it will work.

And here's a workable link to the battery: CLICKY.

Good luck.

[2oldman]

Bionic Man wrote:
I was thinking something like this.
Amazon

Clicky doesn't work but url does. That unit *should* work, but you'll need to verify the power consumption of the Cpap to make sure.

[Bionic_Man]

Maybe I didn’t explain my situation adequately. I’m concerned about use in my RV but my big trip is on a houseboat that we are partners on. The inverter on the boat is not accessible where we sleep.

I don’t mind paying cash for this. The respiratory therapist gave me a pamphlet on one made by the company that makes the cpap. But also advised me to just go on Amazon and pick one up.

I was thinking something like this.
Amazon

[Lwiddis]

Even if you are camping far away from others, running a generator eighth hours a day is a pain. With adequate solar panels and batteries on most days you won’t need the generator at all. Since this will unfortunately be a continual issue, get solar.

[Johno02]

Get the 12V cord, and have an outlet installed beside your bed. Been doing that for 10+ years, and it works perfect. Only thing though,, at home, if power goes off, lack of air wakes me almost instantly. In the RV, as I am connected directly to the battery supply, if external power goes out, 12V is OK, and CPAP continues running as if nothing has happened. Therefore, I sleep on peacefully. Can be good or bad, whatever.

[pinesman]

If you can put in a 12v outlet near the bed, this 12 volt cord will probably work fine. Like others have said, the heated humidifier is the biggest power hog on the machine
Dreamstation 12v cord

[dedmiston]

There's a pretty good forum at CPAPtalk.com with a lot of technical expertise. It isn't a very friendly place, but you can dart in with questions and then dart back out.

Since the CPAP is really a lifetime commitment, you might want to consider just buying your device outright. The functionality and fit of the masks is such a personal decision, but the service from the equipment providers isn't great at all. The providers work for their insurance clients, not for you.

Just like with eyeglasses, you have the right to call your doctor's office to get your prescription. Once you have that, you can upload it to https://www.cpap.com/ and buy your own equipment. Depending on your insurance co-pays, you'll probably save in the long run by buying your own device.

As far as running it in your RV, you have a few options if you aren't already hooked up to shore power. You can get the 12V adapter for the CPAP and just plug it into a 12V outlet if you have one at your bedside. If you don't have an outlet, you can probably pay a mobile tech to install one pretty cheaply.

You can also run a small dedicated inverter from your batteries to your bedroom, but the small inverters don't typically work well with the needs of the CPAP device, especially the humidifier.

If you spend a lot of time in your RV, it's worth it to invest in your power system. You can upgrade to four 6v batteries, add solar panels (a great investment!)), and install a large enough inverter to power your televisions, coffee maker, etc. (and of course the CPAP at night).

It all depends on how much time you spend in your RV and your budget.

Also, if you travel a lot, make sure you have access to your prescription. Save it to your Google Drive or someplace where you can access it from anywhere. It stinks to be on the road and have something go wrong with your device and not be able to replace it without the prescription. If you have the prescription though, you can walk into a CPAP retailer and explain your situation and see if they have an older refurbished device that they can sell you cheaply.

Good luck.

[GordonThree]

You must have a decent amount of batteries that you need at least eight hours to charge them. Pickup a Victron Phoenix 375 pure sine inverter, about $120 on Amazon.