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+--- Thread: Power Outages: What's Your Experience? (/Thread-Power-Outages-What-s-Your-Experience)
Power Outages: What's Your Experience? - Sheepish - 02-04-2018
Two nights ago there was a power outage here. The utility had robocalled me the day before to let customers know, but then I forgot all about it. Also, just listening to the message quickly I mistakenly registered that it was supposed to be for 5 PM instead of 5 AM. The next morning when I woke up, the tell-tale signs of a power outage were there: a whole bunch of electronics had to be reset (except my wifi router and modem, which are on a newly purchased UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply). SleepyHead confirmed there was a 3-minute gap around 5 AM.
However, I slept through the whole outage without noticing a thing.
What's your experience on CPAP during an overnight power outage? Vote in the poll!
RE: Power Outages: What's Your Experience? - Walla Walla - 02-04-2018
I haven't had it happen yet.
RE: Power Outages: What's Your Experience? - The Rog - 02-04-2018
I have a battery backup like they use for computers so when the power goes out and it has the CPAP is not affected but the alarm on the backup sounds and wakes me up.
RE: Power Outages: What's Your Experience? - paulag1955 - 02-04-2018
Hasn't happened to me yet, but I would imagine I would just take the mask off (either with or without waking) and carry on sleeping.
RE: Power Outages: What's Your Experience? - Sleep2Snore - 02-04-2018
I find it very hard to sleep without the machine these days, at first I could, but now if I have no power I have to stay awake.
If I do fall asleep, it is not long before I get a dig in the ribs anyway. So to stay alive and save the risk of being strangled during the night by the missis, I just get up and go downstairs and sit in a chair, might doze, but even that might might give leave to ghostly things flying down the stair towards my chair
RE: Power Outages: What's Your Experience? - mikeh99 - 02-04-2018
When power goes out I seem to wake up pretty fast. I have a manual battery backup which I then have to set up. Then back to sleep. Automatic would be ideal but I don't have that option. Sleep without cpap doesn't work very well for me.
RE: Power Outages: What's Your Experience? - PollCat - 02-06-2018
I've experienced this several times, both at home and while travelling. I'll wake up, gasping for breath and checking the electronics to determine the cause. If at home, I have an old AEIOMed machine that has a battery that I keep fully charged. While travelling, I've been known to change hotels (at the original hotel's expense) in order that I can sleep safely.
RE: Power Outages: What's Your Experience? - SuperSleeper - 02-06-2018
Just so folks know, most of the UPS devices you purchase to protect your TV/PC etc. are woefully inadequate for CPAP. With those UPS batteries, you're only going to get anywhere from a few minutes to a couple of hours of CPAP usage out of it.
There's several threads here on what's an adequate way to power CPAP machines off-grid or when the power goes out, you can search for them, or here's a few:
http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread-WARNING-to-CPAP-Users-PREPARE-for-the-Unexpected-When-the-power-goes-out?highlight=%22when+the+power+goes+out%22
http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread-Backup-power-options-for-CPAP-machines
http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread-My-battery-backup-setup
http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread-Canoe-camping-Cpap-battery
http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread-Deep-cycle-marine-battery-backup-questions-Please-help
RE: Power Outages: What's Your Experience? - OMyMyOHellYes - 02-07-2018
I have my home made UPS system with a 35-39 Ah battery that will do everything it need to for the first night if I have heated humidification on, and probably half a week after that as I would turn off humidification after that first night. (Note that store bought, consumer grade computer UPS systems will not do this - big ones may get you a couple hours, maybe a few....) Have had a couple of short outages overnight (meaning power was on by the time I got up - don't actually know how long they were); I slept through and they went un-noticed at the time.
Before putting together the UPS system together, had a few outages, usually less than an hour. With those, I tended to wake up pretty much as soon as the machine failed. I would either wait it ou or go sit in the recliner to try to sleep without the machine. Usually tend to wait it out though.
OMMOHY
RE: Power Outages: What's Your Experience? - LarryRapp - 02-07-2018
We have a big diesel generator, but the last power outage it didn't work. I am pretty sure that the fuel froze and I have to do something to make sure that doesn't happen again. When it works it waits 15 seconds before starting and then runs until the power comes back on. I live in northern New Hampshire where we get -40 fahrenheit. Diesel fuel turns to jelly. It's really beautiful up here but cold in the winter!