Camping with a CPAP machine
Submitted: Wednesday, Jan 06, 2010 at 22:55
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jtw2005
Hello all, I've done a lot of trawling on the net but can't find the answer I need.
We have a poptop van fitted with a 105 Ah deep cycle battery. My wife uses a CPAP machine (Heatlhdyne Tranquility Quest) the only thing I can find out about the power consumption is that it's rated at 75VA. I have tested it and it runs perfectly on a 300 Watt inverter but I'm wondering if it will run all night?. We have a battery isolator to recharge the battery while driving but I don't want to run out of power for lights etc.
Any info, expriences or advice will be appreciated.
Thanks Jeff
Reply By: Member - John (Vic) - Wednesday, Jan 06, 2010 at 23:01
Wednesday, Jan 06, 2010 at 23:01
Plenty of info on this site about CPAP machines and the power issues etc.
Have a look
here for CPAP threads
Should keep you reading for awhile.
Cheers
AnswerID:
398008
Follow Up By: jtw2005 - Saturday, Jan 09, 2010 at 15:55
Saturday, Jan 09, 2010 at 15:55
Thanks all for the info and advice - seems like we'll be fine without having to do anything further.
Jeff
FollowupID:
667444
Reply By: Member - Don M (NSW) - Thursday, Jan 07, 2010 at 06:54
Thursday, Jan 07, 2010 at 06:54
Jeff,
I don't know what a CPAP machine is but, for what it is worth, 75va equates to 6.25A @ 12V. On this basis, you would use around 50AH overnight...(8hrs) or less than half your battery capacity.
But, if that important then why not put in an extra battery to accommodate the CPAP machine and isolate it from other lesser critical items.
AnswerID:
398022
Reply By: Member - Jim H (SA) - Thursday, Jan 07, 2010 at 08:20
Thursday, Jan 07, 2010 at 08:20
Hi
I used a cpap machine with an 300 Watt inverter when camping many times. It runs all night without any problem.
Mine is a resMed. However I have now changed to a machines which incorporates a 12 V system. I had to get a new machine but it just makes it a little easier.
AnswerID:
398029
Follow Up By: Member - Kevin B1 (WA) - Thursday, Jan 07, 2010 at 11:05
Thursday, Jan 07, 2010 at 11:05
When camping I run
mine on a 100 A/H deep cycle no problems except I only use the machine and don't run the humidifier as that uses heaps of power to run.
FollowupID:
666886
Reply By: Luke2 - Thursday, Jan 07, 2010 at 19:03
Thursday, Jan 07, 2010 at 19:03
i set one up for a bloke last year. worked fine. it had a transformer but i was able to unplug where the 240v went in and I got an adapter to run it straight off 12v which is more efficient than running it thru an inverter. just
check the input voltage for the unit and if it's 12v you can get an adapter from jaycar or similar.
AnswerID:
398135
Follow Up By: GerryP - Thursday, Jan 07, 2010 at 22:26
Thursday, Jan 07, 2010 at 22:26
Luke, I agree, but one would needs to be careful as the model Resmed I have uses opposite polarity (centre pin is negative). I blew the internal fuse, which necessitated the unit being stripped and a new fuse soldered in place. Fortunately, the Resmed dealer fixed for free, but not something you can do yourself, especially on the road.
Cheers
Gerry
FollowupID:
667022
Follow Up By: Luke2 - Friday, Jan 08, 2010 at 09:52
Friday, Jan 08, 2010 at 09:52
you you're right - I should have mentioned that when I made up the adapter I used a multi meter to find out which wires were positive and negative and made the adapter the same polarity.
FollowupID:
667086
Reply By: Oztravellers - Thursday, Jan 07, 2010 at 22:56
Thursday, Jan 07, 2010 at 22:56
My wife has a Resmed CPAP that runs off the 12V dc adapter. It draws a tad under 3A with the humidifier going, so for an 8hr sleep that's approx 24Ah. My van has a lead/calcium battery and I have two 40W solar panels on the van's roof. I find that the battery pulls up OK by about mid morning on a sunny day of course. I also have a Honda 20ei generator for a back up.
AnswerID:
398176