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Awful camping experience with CPAP - HELP!
#11
RE: Awful camping experience with CPAP - HELP!
Thanks for the follow-up. Without posting a link, what brand and model of battery did you get?
Sleeprider
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#12
RE: Awful camping experience with CPAP - HELP!
(12-06-2020, 11:42 PM)Sleeprider Wrote: Thanks for the follow-up. Without posting a link, what brand and model of battery did you get?

Well, I thought I was buying an Australian-made battery but, needless to say, it's stamped 'Made in China'.

It's called an Eclipse Deep Cycle AGM 130AH and cost AUD270 with a rather neat bonus gift: a 'Gallant Gear Multi Tool' (axe/hammer/knife/etc). 

The battery has an LCD voltmeter built-in and came with a 5yr warranty.
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#13
RE: Awful camping experience with CPAP - HELP!
That didn't last long.

I went on my third camping trip with the new battery setup last week. Everything went OK, but I noted that the battery meter attached to the battery was reading 'empty' (a little battery icon with bars) yet the actual voltage shown was 12.29V. Odd.

But when I got home and put the battery on my smart, seven-stage charger overnight, the meter on the battery still said empty and 12.29V, despite the charger indicating that it was fully charged.

I don't know what to make of this. Maybe fact that my CPAP seemed to be running OK and the battery charger is new suggests that the meter on the battery is faulty? I have emailed the folks who sold me the battery and I'm hoping for a response on Monday.
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#14
RE: Awful camping experience with CPAP - HELP!
Batteries are great above 12.8 VDC, but charge state drops quickly.  It is recommended that a battery not be drawn below 50%, so for safety, many devices shutoff automatically at about 21.2 VDC. Here you go:

[Image: Car-Battery-Voltage-Chart.jpg]
Sleeprider
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INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
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#15
RE: Awful camping experience with CPAP - HELP!
Thanks. There's no mention of discharge protection in the battery's description though, and when I picked the battery up 'fully charged' from the dealer, it was only reading 12V or so. It then powered the CPAP for two nights OK.

The second time I used it, the battery charged up to around 14V according to the built-in meter and, once again, operated the CPAP for two nights without problems.

The third time, once again starting off with 14V or so, it operated the CPAP OK but then developed this weird apparent 'full discharge' issue despite reading 12.3V. Then there's the problem of its apparent refusal to recharge, in spite of the charger saying it's full.

But it's looking like the built-in meter is indeed faulty, because I just put a hand-held meter on the battery and it reads 13.6V, so back to the dealer it goes!
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#16
RE: Awful camping experience with CPAP - HELP!
I think a known good meter is definitely better. That is odd behavior, and there are battery testers that can sort out the individual cells and resistance in the battery, but I don't have one. A discrepancy of 12.26 and 13.2 is a lot. Most of my batteries seem to settle in at 13.2 volts after a charge and resting for a day.
Sleeprider
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INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
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#17
RE: Awful camping experience with CPAP - HELP!
Well so far, I'm impressed with the battery dealer.

I contacted them last week and described the problem. Later that day, I rec'd an email to say a courier would collect the battery the following day, which they did. Two days later, I rec'd another email, saying a replacement battery was on it's way. It should arrive tomorrow, subject to ongoing 'Covid delays'.

That's good service!
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#18
RE: Awful camping experience with CPAP - HELP!
Calling for an electrician or mathemagician!

My camping battery weighs a ton. Last time I used it, I was wheezing and waddling my way back to the car when packing away, with this behemoth swinging from its carry strap, when I realised that my toes would cop a battering if the strap gave way. Having mashed my toes in the past when moving concrete slabs, this was not an experience I fancied repeating.

So I plan to leave the battery in the car in future, and run a cable from car to tent. I estimate the ideal cable length would be ca. 10M, give or take.

I have tried a couple of online calculators, trying to determine if the voltage drop would be significant at that length, in which case I might have to use a shorter cable. However, the calculators I have tried don't make it clear whether the cross-sectional area of the conductor means I should input the diameter of one conductor, or add the two together, i.e. 3mm or 6mm, 4mm or 8mm (I haven't got the cable yet).

Any ideas?
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#19
RE: Awful camping experience with CPAP - HELP!
Anybody try this one? It's 130Wh which is 35Wh greater than ResMed 24V battery. I'm wondering if the voltage is stable for long usage? It's quite reasonably priced at $78!

I can't post links yet, but Amazon description is:

TalentCell 12/24V Lithium ion Battery Pack PB240B2, Rechargeable 35000mAh 129.5Wh Li-ion Batteries with DC 24/12 Volt and 5V USB Output for LED Light Strip, CCTV Camera, Smartphone and More
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#20
RE: Awful camping experience with CPAP - HELP!
With lead acid chemistry, batteries are very heavy. You have to move to lithium-ion to get power and lightweight. A couple new entries in the market are very impressive for what they offer in terms of 12-volt output and capability for recharge from your alternator or solar power. Either one gives enough power to run any CPAP on DC power for multiple nights, and might make it through a night using the inverter they include. Inverters are very very inefficient, so try not to do that. Do your research and decide what capacity you need. If you avoid the inverter, the 60 watt solar recharger and standard battery packs will go a long way on either the Jackery 240 (6.8 lbs, 240 WH). Jackery 500 (13.3 lbs, 518 WH), or the AntiGravity (PS45 2.85 lbs 166 WH) power stations. I'm on the edge for adding to the sailboat and motorcycle to replace less sophisticated units. You can see the weight to output relationship. On DC power, the smallest unit by AntiGravity will get you multiple nights without the humidifier, heated hose and direct DC power. The bigger Jackery unit is a no brainer if you don't mind something 1/5th the weight of your marine battery with the same capacity, but much more expensive.
Sleeprider
Apnea Board Moderator
www.ApneaBoard.com

____________________________________________
Download OSCAR Software
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INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
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