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Re: Power outage - what would you do?

Posted by westernjoe on April 17, 2007 at 18:15:05:

In Reply to: Power outage - what would you do? posted by Captin Cannuck on April 12, 2007 at 06:52:53:

Captain:

What is the wattage rating on your CPAP? Should be shown on the bottom somewhere. I'm guessing around 100W.

This is what _I_ would do:

Multiply the wattage by at a safety factor of 2 or more and get an 'inverter' at the local auto parts store for that wattage. These are getting pretty cheap. Inverter = $50-$100

Then, get a deep cycle 12V battery, as big possible. These are for marine use, wheel chairs, solar systems, RV, golf carts, etc. They are better than a regular ole car battery which is designed for a short burst of high current. But the latter will work if you want. Battery = $100-$200

Then get a trickle charger. These are designed to stay on a battery and keep it charged without over charging. They don't charge very fast but will keep the battery maintained. Auto parts store should have this. Trickle charger = $25-$40

We don't want the battery in the bedroom because there are fumes, and we don't want the inverter outside because the high voltage could be dangerous if it rained. So, one option is to put the battery and inverter in another room, close the door and open the window a bit, and use a regular 3-prong extension cord from it to the CPAP next to the bed. Option 2 would be to put the battery outside and run heavy gauge wire (14awg or larger) inside the house to the inverter sitting next to the CPAP. Inverters can get warm so don't sit it on the carpet.

All of these products can be found at an RV shop or auto parts store.

Now for a quick calculation. If your battery is 100amp/hour at 12 volts, minus 50% for inverter loss and fudge factor, should run a 100w CPAP for 6 hours. About.

Anyway, that's what _I_ would do.


RA


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