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Old 05-23-2022, 10:37 PM   #1
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Bipap/CPAP machine power?

I have solar power, 380 watts with a 325 amp lithium ion battery. Can I run my bipap/cpap machine
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Old 05-24-2022, 12:08 AM   #2
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Hi Jim,
Assuming your CPAP draws 60 watts of power (either via DC or a DC fed inverter to AC), you will need 480 watt-hours of energy to sleep 8 hours. Your battery with 325 amp-hours of reserve energy at 12 VDC is equal to 3,900 watt-hours. You could run the CPAP for eight nights in a row, even if you had no sunshine during the day. Of course, this assumes no other current draw.
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Old 05-24-2022, 09:36 AM   #3
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Hi Jim,
Welcome.
You have more than enough power to run your machine. The issue is, how much power do you need to run everything else, and for how long without needing to start your generator. 380w of solar is a lot, and may be enough to keep you going for a long time. If you don’t have to use the humidifier, the cpap uses a small fraction of the power it needs to run the humidifier, which is just a heating plate under the reservoir. Resistive elements draw more power than any other type of appliance.

I’m a cpap user, and I operate on humidifier level 1 for 7 hrs per night.
I only have 170ah of LFP power, and a fridge that uses 50ah/day. So I needed to do something to extend my time without generator. I’ve done a couple of things to preserve my battery SOC.

First, buying a 12v adapter for your machine will reduce its power consumption about 20% versus using the supplied converter brick, wherein you have to use an inverter to supply 120vac, and then convert it back to 12vdc for the machine. There’s a power waste in both directions.

Second, is something to consider which has enabled me to extend my boondocking without generator from 2 days to 3 days. I purchased a small cheap LiFePo4 power station (300wh) for $200. When fully charged it can run my cpap on level 1 more than 2 nights, thereby offloading that demand from my house battery. It charges quickly from multiple sources including portable solar.
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Old 05-24-2022, 09:56 AM   #4
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Good information Jim, thanks.
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Old 05-24-2022, 01:39 PM   #5
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Jim, what power station did you buy?
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Old 05-24-2022, 02:19 PM   #6
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Progeny 300w
Cheapest one I could find on Amazon with my must haves:
LiFePo4 battery
Psw outputs
Regulated 12v output
Pass thru charging
It’s worked great for over a year now, and is also handy when we power outages at home. Since it’s Chinese, I’m thinking no customer service or warranty that worth a darn, but it’s cheap enough that wasn’t a big concern. Today, there are several other look alike s from China. Probably all made by the same company.
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Old 05-24-2022, 03:24 PM   #7
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It looks like a good choice with good Amazon reviews. In Googling around, I did find a Renogy (name brand) unit with similar specs (I'm not sure about "pass thru charging") for $199.94 (down from $260) on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XH3MK52...kCode=ogi&th=1
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Old 05-25-2022, 03:28 AM   #8
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Good info and that's a nice little unit. Amazing how they've come down in price.

Hopefully a mod can move this thread to the Electrical | Charging, Solar and Electronics section and maybe even rename the thread to BIPAP / CPAP for search purposes.
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Old 05-25-2022, 05:11 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BobC View Post
It looks like a good choice with good Amazon reviews. In Googling around, I did find a Renogy (name brand) unit with similar specs (I'm not sure about "pass thru charging") for $199.94 (down from $260) on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XH3MK52...kCode=ogi&th=1
I wouldn’t purchase the Renogy for use with cpap. Nothing in the specs indicates it has a regulated 12v outlet (cigarette lighter style). As far as know all the 12v cpap adapters need regulated 12v cigarette lighter outlet. Also, the Renogy is Lithium Ion, not LiFePo4. That means fewer cycles and longer charge times than any of the power stations equipped with LiFePo4.
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Old 05-25-2022, 09:11 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Marine359 View Post
I wouldn’t purchase the Renogy for use with cpap. Nothing in the specs indicates it has a regulated 12v outlet (cigarette lighter style). As far as know all the 12v cpap adapters need regulated 12v cigarette lighter outlet. Also, the Renogy is Lithium Ion, not LiFePo4. That means fewer cycles and longer charge times than any of the power stations equipped with LiFePo4.
Good catch, I missed the battery type, that's important. I wasn't too concerned about the 12V outlet. My CPAP is 24V so I'd use the 120V PSW outlet. I see that Progeny's 350Ah unit lacks the regulated 12V outlet of the 300Ah unit, which is a bit puzzling.

I think you may have found a gem in the Progeny 300. At 300Ah, it has to have a 25Ah LiFePO4 battery. I just checked Amazon and, at best, you'd pay in the low $100s for a 25Ah LiFePO4 battery.

Amazon has free returns within 30 days and many credit cards will double the warranty. I thought the seller's answers to questions seemed to indicate a reasonable level of responsiveness. My needs aren't immediate so I probably wouldn't use it enough in the first 30 days to warrant buying now but I'm keeping an eye on it.
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Old 06-01-2022, 04:48 PM   #11
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what kind of 12v adapter did you get? I am having issues with my wifes BiPAP
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Old 06-01-2022, 05:15 PM   #12
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what kind of 12v adapter did you get? I am having issues with my wifes BiPAP
I'm not sure what kind of adapter you're asking about or what issues you're having. Could you be more specific?

If you're asking about a 12V to 24V step-up transformer, my current 24V CPAP is new so I haven't purchased one yet. In general they're not a straight-forward plug-in device and need to be "wired in", so I plan on either using an inverter plugged into a 12V outlet and plug my CPAP into its 120V outlet or purchasing a power station.

In any case, here's what a 12V to 24V step up transformer is like:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=12v+to+24..._ts-doa-p_2_18
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Old 06-01-2022, 06:05 PM   #13
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There are a number of adapters on Amazon. Just enter your cpap/bipap name
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Old 06-01-2022, 07:11 PM   #14
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I have a Phillips Dreamstation 2 with Phillips 12v interface cord which I plug into the motorhomes 12v outlet. CPAP draws less than 1/2 amp when not running humidifier heater. I do fill humidifier chamber with water, so do get some humidification. I have two 75-watt panels and two 6-volt golf cart batteries with a Blue Sky Energy controller. I easily recharge the batteries after 8 hours of CPAP's use. I had also used with a Phillips Dreamstation 1 CPAP, until it was recalled, with same results.
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Old 06-01-2022, 08:04 PM   #15
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We don't know what nywdq is looking for and why. Many, if not most, newer CPAPs and BIPAPs now need 24V DC, not 12V DC. The stock adapters available online are 120V AC to either 12V DC or 24V DC, depending on the make/model of the CPAP or BIPAP, along with some 12V DC power cords that can only be used with 12V machines.

To the best of my knowledge, there aren't any available ready made CPAP/BIPAP adapters that are designed to connect a 24V DC machine to a 12V DC outlet.

That's why I was asking for clarification in post #12.
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Old 06-01-2022, 09:30 PM   #16
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Example: Resmed S9-compatible 12V to 24V adapter

Quote:
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We don't know what nywdq is looking for and why. Many, if not most, newer CPAPs and BIPAPs now need 24V DC, not 12V DC. The stock adapters available online are 120V AC to either 12V DC or 24V DC, depending on the make/model of the CPAP or BIPAP, along with some 12V DC power cords that can only be used with 12V machines.

To the best of my knowledge, there aren't any available ready made CPAP/BIPAP adapters that are designed to connect a 24V DC machine to a 12V DC outlet.

That's why I was asking for clarification in post #12.
Here's an example of a Resmed S9-compatible 12V to 24V adapter. I've been using one for the past couple of years to power my S9 (without the humidifier) from a 12V outlet in our ERA.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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Old 06-02-2022, 07:23 AM   #17
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Here's an example of a Resmed S9-compatible 12V to 24V adapter. I've been using one for the past couple of years to power my S9 (without the humidifier) from a 12V outlet in our ERA.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I'm usually pretty good at searching but came up dry, thanks.
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