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[Equipment] Transcend multi night battery
#1
Transcend multi night battery
Has anyone tried the Somnetics Transcend II travel CPAP with their p8 multi night battery?

This is a nice lightweight and compact CPAP machine that I obtained for backpacking and camping. They advertise the fully charged Multi Night P8 battery provides power for 14-16 hrs when the machine is set to 14cm h20.

There is of course some fine print that results may vary depending on various factors.

I have only been able to get about 7-3/4 hrs use with a fully charged battery and a setting of 14cm h20. Not exactly "multi nite" service.

I called the company and spoke to someone who did not seem particularly interested in my problem. She suggested that I probably have leaking which would require the machine to work harder and thus consume more power. She seemed to think it was normal that a battery advertised for multiple night use might only provide one night's power.

Has anyone else used this device with this battery? Is this performance the usual case? Is this known to be a faulty product?

Right now I am very happy with the CPAP machine but disgusted that a very expensive ($330) battery does not perform as advertised.

Should I demand a replacement or am I stuck?
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#2
RE: Transcend multi night battery
Hi arcadie,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
I'm not real familiar with that machine but hang in there and someone will be able to help you soon.
Best of luck.
trish6hundred
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#3
RE: Transcend multi night battery
(08-06-2013, 07:46 PM)arcadie Wrote: There is of course some fine print that results may vary depending on various factors.

The biggest factor is probably the heated humidifier. The drier the air the more it has to run, which is one reason why the results vary so much.

You could try running your CPAP machine with the heated humidifier turned off.

You could also ask for a refund and see what they say.
Sleepster

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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#4
RE: Transcend multi night battery
Are you using it at high altitude?
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#5
RE: Transcend multi night battery
(08-06-2013, 08:54 PM)Sleepster Wrote:
(08-06-2013, 07:46 PM)arcadie Wrote: There is of course some fine print that results may vary depending on various factors.

The biggest factor is probably the heated humidifier. The drier the air the more it has to run, which is one reason why the results vary so much.

You could try running your CPAP machine with the heated humidifier turned off.

You could also ask for a refund and see what they say.

I don't have a humidifier.
(08-06-2013, 09:12 PM)Paptillian Wrote: Are you using it at high altitude?

I think we are at 700 ft. elevation.
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#6
RE: Transcend multi night battery
Okay scratch that. I thought maybe you were up in the mountains somewhere where the air is thin and the machine has to work harder.

The manufacturer should really give more specifics about the conditions under which they tested 14 hours of runtime @ 14 cmH2O on the transcend unit. We know nothing about the environmental factors or how they tested.

Assuming they didn't embellish the numbers and you don't have a defective battery...

Is there maybe a conditioning procedure that needs to be done before the battery can hold a full charge?

Is your environment really hot? I think heat makes batteries less efficient, too.
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#7
RE: Transcend multi night battery
arcadie, there's a footnote on the spec sheet that says:

Quote:*Average. Actual operational time may vary based on altitude, respiratory rate, and tidal volume.
http://www.mytranscend.com/patients/prod...fications/

So either they mailed you a P4 instead of a P8, which would explain your 7 hour runtime @ 14 cmH2O, or they tested the P8 on a tortoise with emphysema Rolleyes
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#8
RE: Transcend multi night battery


Its definitely a P8. I suspect that, as you say, they may have tested the thing on something with scarcely a lung. Our night time temps in the house lately are in the low 60's. My leak rate has been 4.1 liters per hour.

If there's any kind of conditioning process the battery requires there's no mention of it in the instructions.

I should mention that this is a brilliant system, if it works. The CPAP is very compact and weighs a pound or so and the battery is about three by four inches and weighs about the same. I'm really hoping the battery is merely defective as I had hoped to be able to use it on extended backpacking trips. I have a solar charging unit which is also quite compact and light.

Hopefully I can get some useful feedback from their tech people. I was hoping someone here might have used the system and could tell me if the battery performance I've experienced is typical, or not?
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#9
RE: Transcend multi night battery
I'm sorry we couldn't be of more help. Maybe you can exchange the battery for a different one and see if it performs better. Is the battery lithium ion? That technology is often unpredictable. The batteries have to be tested after they come off the assembly line. They also have to be conditioned properly by charging and discharging at the prescribed rate. This should all be done before being sold to the customer. Some manufacturers and vendors do this well, others not so much. The same is true of some of the other battery types, too.

Sleepster

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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#10
RE: Transcend multi night battery
Good news! I succeeded in reaching someone at the company who was helpful, relayed my queries to an engineer and they tell me that the battery is in fact not performing as it should. I'm told that with the CPAP setting of 14 and the compliance numbers I'm getting I should be getting between 13 and 16 hrs on a charge, so I've shipped it off to the vendor who will presumably confirm that it is defective and ship me another.

This is a li-ion battery. I have no idea what charging conditioning is required. They say nothing on the subject in their literature or online faqs other than it should be charged before use.

I am hopeful this particular battery is just a bad one. If this setup works as advertised it will be great.
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