CPAP

[jprepairs]

My wife and I use CPAP machines. We can barely get through the night before our 4 new 6v house batteries are discharged while dry camping. Then I need to run the generator fgr about 2 hours to charge up the batteries for the next night. Does anyone have a better solution?

[Marine359]

Originally Posted by jprepairs

My wife and I use CPAP machines. We can barely get through the night before our 4 new 6v house batteries are discharged while dry camping. Then I need to run the generator fgr about 2 hours to charge up the batteries for the next night. Does anyone have a better solution?

First, I upgraded to 170ah LiFePo4. That may not be in your future.
Next, I paid $19 for a 12v adapter for my cpap. This cut consumption by about 20% versus using the inverter and running the cpap through its transformer brick, and having it drawing down my batteries.
Finally, the piece de resistance, I paid about $200 for a cheap Chinese 300wh psw LiFePo4 power station, and offloaded cpap use from the house batteries altogether. That’s the equivalent of 25 dc amp/hrs. The power station will run the cpap on humidity level 2 for three nights (plus cell phone charging) before needing to be recharged. It would probably last for a week or more by turning off the humidifier (but I need that). For recharging the power station, I can plug it into the cigarette lighter outlet in our tv when we take excursions, or plug it into our 120w soft folding portable solar panel. And, of course, plug it into an ac outlet and charging the power station and house batteries simultaneously, when running generator. The power station has a built in mppt controller.. so, now, we can boondock 3-4 days without running the generator. If you pursue the power station solution you may have to choose a bigger, more expensive one to run two cpap machines simultaneously.

[Alpine36]

I use a 300w cheapie PSW inverter to feed only the two tv circuits and my cpap, adding one outlet by the bedroom tv. No issues with just the four GC6v fla batteries. Not so much if we use the onboard 2kw Xantrex inverter, so it usually stays off.
I might add I run my cpap without humidity or heat when off grid.

[scotttkd]

I was able to get through a night by going the 12volt adapter route, but the power station idea looks promising as well.

[figallegro]

Marine 359;

Could you provide some links for the various parts you purchased? There are a lot of options when looking for a PSW and it would be good to see a link for one someone has used.
Thanks

[FL420]

DW and I get through a night of dry camping just fine on the inverter powered by (4) 6Vdc FLA GC batteries. We start the night with the batteries at 12.6 volts and wake up 8 or 9 hours later with them at 12.1 volts. We sleep with (2) ResMed AirSense 10 BiPAPs without using the heated hoses or humidity enabled. We also have a fan blowing and the usual phone chargers and similar low draws like TVs.
I charge the house batteries with a POTEK 10/20/40 amp 7 stage smart charger powered by a gas Yamaha-powered 2000/1600 watt inverter generator every morning and evening.
We did that in the Rockies all last spring, summer and fall. Didn't watch TV news at all except when I needed a haircut. It was heaven on earth. [emoji4]
[emoji40][emoji382][emoji382]... [emoji382][emoji40][emoji106]

[Marine359]

Originally Posted by figallegro

Marine 359;

Could you provide some links for the various parts you purchased? There are a lot of options when looking for a PSW and it would be good to see a link for one someone has used.
Thanks

12v cpap adapter
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K5UVH0M...ing=UTF8&psc=1

Cheap Chinese Power Station
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08F7XNWW4...ing=UTF8&psc=1
Note: Regulated 12v output max is 10amps, so it won’t run a tire compressor. And the display is horrible.

Mppt controller
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075NQQRPD...S08BABSWHZ44W0

110w soft folding solar panel
https://www.lensunsolar.com/Products...product_id=480
Thin when folded and only 7lbs. Fits easily in closet

[HarryStone]

Can you fully charge your batteries with 2 hours on the generator?

[96 Wideglide]

Originally Posted by HarryStone

Can you fully charge your batteries with 2 hours on the generator?

Be lucky if you can bring them from 50% to 80% in two hours!

[Marine359]

Originally Posted by HarryStone

Can you fully charge your batteries with 2 hours on the generator?

Absolutely. The Xantrex XC2000 and the Victron Multiplus 2000 are both programmable for battery type and charging amperage up to 80amps. My generator running on propane puts out about 1,800 ac watts, which is enough to max out the inverter charge profile for LiFePo4. So, yes, I go from 20% to 100% SOC in less than 2 hours. Kinda nice because coincidentally, some of the national parks we’ve been to have a 2 hour generator window from 9-11 am.

Keep in mind, I only need 140-150 amp hours to fill my bucket. Your bucket is much bigger, so 20% to 100% would take more than twice as long.

[HarryStone]

Originally Posted by Marine359

Absolutely. The Xantrex XC2000 and the Victron Multiplus 2000 are both programmable for battery type and charging amperage up to 80amps. My generator running on propane puts out about 1,800 ac watts, which is enough to max out the inverter charge profile for LiFePo4. So, yes, I go from 20% to 100% SOC in less than 2 hours. Kinda nice because coincidentally, some of the national parks we’ve been to have a 2 hour generator window from 9-11 am.

Keep in mind, I only need 140-150 amp hours to fill my bucket. Your bucket is much bigger, so 20% to 100% would take more than twice as long.

That question was targeted to the OP. He's the one having the battery life issue.

[EEKodiak]

Cpaps draw very little wattage, I've used mine with a 300w inverter on a single battery overnight.

[SantinoDad]

Originally Posted by jprepairs

My wife and I use CPAP machines. We can barely get through the night before our 4 new 6v house batteries are discharged while dry camping. Then I need to run the generator fgr about 2 hours to charge up the batteries for the next night. Does anyone have a better solution?

I purchased a CPAP with a small footprint several years ago for a trip to Europe.
Recently purchased a Minnie Winnie 22r, I will be taking that unit with me when I travel in the RV. If plugged in to shore power no problem.
If dry camping, I have researched on Amazon battery units that are specifically designed for CPAP machines with enough juice to get me thru the night. And then recharge the next days usage. Not the expensive.

[Pianotuna]

Originally Posted by jprepairs

My wife and I use CPAP machines. We can barely get through the night before our 4 new 6v house batteries are discharged while dry camping. Then I need to run the generator fgr about 2 hours to charge up the batteries for the next night. Does anyone have a better solution?

The batteries need far longer than two hours to recharge. They may already be sulphated.



I suggest adding a modest to medium size solar panel charging system. Find some good information here: https://freecampsites.net/adding-solar/


Go to a campground as soon as you can and fully recharge the batteries.


Do you know the make and model of the converter?


Try turning off the heater on the Cpap units. Do they have a DC power cord so an inverter would not be needed?