Need portable power for my CPAP machine

[john61ct]

Watts is not storage capacity, just peak output, usually for a very short time.

That whole product category is full of scammers, very opaque, impossible to get accurate info about most products without disassembling them.

Reviews are a whole scammer industry, very suspect.

Nothing is better value worldwide than a pair of those Deka FLA GCs.

 

[Gabex35]

I have a goal zero yeti 400 lithium that i use for all around power at camp but also recently purchased a 12v power brick for my airsense 10 and run it off my vehicle . so far i have spent about 4 nights with that setup and it has worked well. the 12v brick and cable is pricey but i wanted a more efficient means to power the CPAP while camping.

 

[fire_strom]

I built this to power my wife’s CPAP. 40ah LiFePo4 battery and some other parts. Seems to be good for 3 or so nights with humidifier turned on.
-G

 

[basicfish]

That’s a pretty cool set up, what size pelican box is that? And where did you get the battery? I’ve been using a regular old 35 amp hour Duracell wheelchair battery. I get about three nights with my Z1.
I like your solution much better.

 

[fire_strom]

As far as I remember:
S3 case T6000- $33 eBay
Valence U1-12RT- $299 eBay
BlueSea Panel-
Anderson Plug Panel mount- eBay
ABS plastic panel and ABS glue- eBay
Weights about 16lbs. Waterproof in storage and transport, not while in use.
-G

 

[restorationrides]

I built this to power my wife’s CPAP. 40ah LiFePo4 battery and some other parts. Seems to be good for 3 or so nights with humidifier turned on.
-G

That is a sharp-looking setup and very well executed. The only caveat I can think of is being careful of heat buildup as this setup looks like it would have a difficult time shedding heat while surrounded by foam (insulator) and within an plastic (poor thermal conductor) enclosure.

This is not intended as acriticism. It's just a generalized observation. The LiFePo4 battery technology that you have selected looks to be a good choice for what you're using it for. And it is considered much more thermally stable then Lithium Cobalt, but it still runs the risk of being overheated and incurring thermal damage if the heat of charging is not dissipated effectively.

RestorationRides

Sent from my REVVLPLUS C3701A using Tapatalk

 

[fire_strom]

It only warms up when charging and the lid is open during that process. The foam is only in direct contact on the side of the battery that is oriented downward and the bottom inch or so around three other sides (tapered side walls of red case). If it over heats it will be a battery or charger fault. It isn't at all in an insulated cooler type enclosure but I can see how it appears to be in the photos.
Regardless I will keep an eye on it.
-G

 

[Regcabguy]

I have sleep apnea and am 6'4" and weigh 215#. I was originally prescribed a machine which lasted a few weeks.
Chucked it in favor of a dental appliance(mouthpiece) which cut my incidence from 10/hr to 5.9.
No more daytime naps and much better portability. Might be worth trying.

 

[cobound]

GREAT THREAD! This is just what I’ve been looking for! I have an AirMini (new travel CPAP) that does not have a separate humidifier but a disc that uses no added power. So, from a simple point, I’m thinking I may have a short term option - tell me if I’m on the right track:

For years I’ve used a Yellowtop Optima w/ a 12v plug wired direct to run my 50qt ARB, usually good for 1-3 days of solo power, before I toss it back in my Jeep (the battery is for when I’m not wheeling and it’s left at camp). Basically, the 12v hookup is exactly what it’s meant to do, run off the vehicle or a deep cycle battery. If I’m at home or have access I change the cord to a standard 110.

Wondering if I approached it from two options:

- use that battery, plug an inverter into the 12v and run my AirMini w/ it’s reg power cable...I would imagine this would suffice for a night or two?

- buy a 12v power cable for the AirMini (if available, I’ll have to look) and plug into the battery directly, as I do my ARB Fridge.

Either way, buying a 12v cable or an inverter would be a cost, which would be better? I can only use the CPAP cable for the CPAP...but I could use the inverter for other things...guessing they’d both cost about the same.

Anyway, I don’t have an immediate need for a large power source at the moment, and want to take some time to research them for what I really need before I jump at putting a permanent one together in my small trailer, which will eventually be used to power other items, such as lights, recharge mobile devices, other electronic things...not just a CPAP. I’ll look at those previous links shared to see what they are recommending.

Full transparency, I’m not all that up on electronics/electrical need something simple

In lieu of buying a pricey Goal Zero Yeti 400 hastily, thoughts on that working short term?

TIA, this was a great thread for me to pop into. Headed for a 3 night stint on June 29 and a weeklong trip the end of July.

B

 

[BlueCruiser88]

Goal zero yeti 400 lithium and be done with it. Best Buy seems to have the best prices. Can recharge via a/c d/c solar and cars 12v port.

It may be a deductible medical expense if you have a savvy tax guy.

 

[john61ct]

Sure if finances allow or portability, very limited living space force the issue.

But otherwise, far better value to go with the Duracell FLA GCs upthread.

Much cheaper, much longer lifetime and much higher capacity.

 

[BlueCruiser88]

Yeah compared to golf cart batteries and whatever else you must rig up with inverter etc... I would go goal zero all day (or anker powerhouse) or whatever all in one system is avail. I think you want compact, grab and go reliable. I hear you on the finances though. Still saving up for my yeti 400 (my yeti 150 been amazing but I’m pushing it’s limits).

 

[Wiley]

Im no power expert, but I would put in an auxilliary battery and try and safely hook it directly to that, avoid an inverter as they are not efficient, but if you can connect straight to the battery you could use the alternator, or a solar panel to charge the battery. A bit pricey maybe, but you are talking about your health here. Oh crap just saw the 2grand price tag on your machine, yeah I would be wary of hooking it up without being sure you wnt damage the machine. Good luck, a guy I know brought his down to Bahia de los Angeles when we went down, and I was concerned for his machine hooked up to the Mexican lines haha, at 2 grand I wouldn't have dared.

 

[chet6.7]

An inverter has many uses,it depends on how much money you want to spend.The 12V cable for my CPAP machine is $25,I hook it to a a 12V socket that is hooked to the battery.
This is the socket,I don't think NOCO is the best quality,but it seems to work.
https://www.amazon.com/NOCO-GC018-A...TF8&qid=1529294905&sr=1-7&keywords=12v+socket

 

[cobound]

Some reasearch:
AirMini 12v power supply is $87
Goal Zero Yeti 400 found one for $383 (disc ends 6.18)

I already have a battery setup, so I’m going to try the 12v power supply first. See what happens.