OldGreyEagle Posted May 18, 2010 Share Posted May 18, 2010 Spun off as I thought this could be useful I also use a CPAP machine mostly because I like to breathe and live. I can get 6 hours from a small marine type battery and then need to recharge it. At Summer Camp I can use the Dining Hall to recharge the battery during the day and then at night collect it and back to camp. Sorta of a hassle but beats having the nickname, Buzzsaw... What do others do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perdidochas Posted May 18, 2010 Share Posted May 18, 2010 What brand of CPAP? What brand/size of battery? Also, do you plug it in to an inverter, or does your CPAP have a DC input? I'm curious, because when I go on weekend campouts, I just rough it without the CPAP. I'd enjoy them more if I could sleep better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGreyEagle Posted May 18, 2010 Author Share Posted May 18, 2010 I have a Respironics Brand Remstar Plus M series Model 200M I use an inverter to plug the unit into The battery is a small Wal-Mart Battery for Jet Ski's, Ever Start I think it is. I am thinking I could use a bigger battery, the unit itself is rated as 12 volt and 3 amps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perdidochas Posted May 18, 2010 Share Posted May 18, 2010 Much thanks. I may have to look into that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGreyEagle Posted May 18, 2010 Author Share Posted May 18, 2010 First time I used it on a campout it was dubbed the "De-Snorerizer" and I was prohibited from coming on events without it Seems I had a reputation for vibrating the ground Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NE-IV-88-Beaver Posted May 18, 2010 Share Posted May 18, 2010 I'm using a Sullivan Series V CPAP machine having logged over 16,000 hours on it. While camping, I am currently plugging my machine into a Diehard Portable Power 1150A system but that only gets me two nights at best. This became a real issue with Jamboree staff registration this year. Anyone who had a CPAP listed on their medical got rejected unless they resubmitted their form with a notation that their CPAP was battery-powered. I'm supposed to be there from July 21st to August 5th, a total of fifteen nights. I couldn't find any system that could give me any where near that length of battery life. So everyone that I know with a CPAP said that they had a battery-powered machine knowing full well that they were going to be continuously recharging their batteries. I don't know what Jamboree gained by this except for making staff aware that they couldn't depend on and wouldn't be responsible for providing a continuous power source for those needing CPAP machines. Yet everyone can plan on bringing and operating a small, personal fan, go figure!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GernBlansten Posted May 18, 2010 Share Posted May 18, 2010 What a perfect opportunity for enhancing the scouts pioneering skills and service. Just get a fireplace bellows, some duct tape and a signup sheet for the scouts to rotate bellows duty through the night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basementdweller Posted May 18, 2010 Share Posted May 18, 2010 Inverters????? Wasting your Battery. Before I start, I have no business association with any of these companys I have a 12 volt DC cpap machine Goodknight G420 It is very small and light. I have back packed Shenandoah national park with it. 1st you cannot use a humidifier 2nd dump the inverter it is wasting your battery 3rd get a dc powered machine for camping. Buy a used one, no prescription required. http://www.secondwindcpap.com/ Here is the Statistics for my set up the machine takes .4-.6 amps to run depending on the breathing cycle. Sooo, 8 hours sleep X .5 amps means I need a battery that will provide 12volts 4 amp hours per night. I have an assortment of 12 volt 7 amp our batterys I take two for a weekend trip they weigh about 7 lbs for the pair. A deep cycle marine battery is 100-150 amp hours so I could theoretically go for 25-35 days on a marine battery. To top off the setup I have added some brunton solar panels. http://www.brunton.com/product.php?id=409 I have the 6 watt version. REI had them on close out last fall for $50. During the summer we have 16 hours of day light and I am positive it will not fully recharge the batteries. But it will buy me more time in the back country. I have pictures of the setup if your interested. I have been on cpap for 14 years and have extensive experience and I am willing to help if you are interested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GKlose Posted May 19, 2010 Share Posted May 19, 2010 I know a scouter :-), that has a ResMed AutoSet II that he runs off of a garden-variety Black and Decker rechargeable battery he bought at WalMart. There is a DC-DC converter that the ResMed requires (which was about $40), but other than that, everything works fine. Used at summer camp, recharged daily in the nurse's shack. While the machine normally has a heated humidifier attached to it, that was left out of the equation, in order to reduce electricity usage. I'm told things were a little drier, but other than that, no ill effects for the week. The machine ran fine for 8+ hours on this particular battery (it was tested at home for a week prior to summer camp), and was not tested for 2 or more nights. It may have been fine. Anyway, this scouter is now working with an oral appliance (called a "PM Positioner"; Rx through an oral surgeon) and that is working out well. In this case, it seems to be a suitable substitute for "no power" situations. Anyone interested in hearing more can send me their email addresses through a PM. By the way, there is an interesting resource www.cpaptalk.com, where lots of people discuss camping and CPAPs. There are also a couple of posts related to this PM Positioner idea. Guy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GKlose Posted May 19, 2010 Share Posted May 19, 2010 I have to add a note of concurrence to what B-Dweller says. Many CPAPs have DC inputs (the ResMed AutoSet II is unusual in that it requires a DC-DC converter, for reasons I don't fully understand). An inverter takes DC (the battery) to turn it into AC. There is a loss of efficiency in that step. It is much more efficient to go straight from a DC battery to the DC input of the *PAP (if it has a DC input). More efficiency means the battery lasts longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perdidochas Posted May 19, 2010 Share Posted May 19, 2010 Thanks for the info. My CPAP (don't remember the model) has a DC input. I will just search for an appropriate adapter for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basementdweller Posted May 19, 2010 Share Posted May 19, 2010 Wow this topic died pretty quick. I was hoping for some more information and innovative ideas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortridge Posted May 19, 2010 Share Posted May 19, 2010 A timely item from Buck Tilton mentions "The Everest" battery-powered model: http://www.backpacker.com/medicine-man-sleep-apnea-cpap/community/ask_buck/250 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SR540Beaver Posted May 19, 2010 Share Posted May 19, 2010 @OldGreyEagle - "Seems I had a reputation for vibrating the ground." You can leave it at home on fishing campouts. You'd be great for spooking the nightcrawlers to the surface for the bait fishermen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basementdweller Posted May 19, 2010 Share Posted May 19, 2010 If your close to Ohio let me know. I can hook you up with a free battery setup for your cpap machine. All you need is the cigarette lighter plug to plug from your cpap machine. I have a source of free batteries, now they are used but will last monthly camping for over three years. Just PM me if you would like to partake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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