Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire CPAP question

My friend's wife needs to use a CPAP machine while sleeping, which severely limits her ability to go stay at their mountain cabin, which is without electricity. I recently was talking to a fellow who has the same problem and he mentioned he was running his off a battery, but I didn't think at the time to get any details from him. A web search did not turn up any 12 volt CPAPS. Does anyone here have personal experience with this situation? Thanks.

I haven't run my CPAP off a battery yet, however the transformer that feeds it puts out 12 volts, so I'm sure you could either run it off a 12v battery with a plug adapter, or get an inverter to power it at 110v.

Well, that might work. How much power do those things draw? Would a fully charged RV battery work all night? Thanks

I would assume it would work, but I'm no electrical engineer.
I think a 12v RV battery and a small solar PV charging system would do the job.

This guy ran one for about 10 days on one charge.

CPAP on 12v battery

Google "CPAP battery powered" and it will show you lots of options. Few last longer than 13 hours and they aren't cheap. Most are battery packs for the current machine she is using.

that's good to know. I had a chance to go to a remote cabin on a privately owned island in one of the Canadian lakes and had to say no because I didn't want to go a week without my CPAP.

Before I had it, everyone told me I slept horribly but I never knew

now that I have it, I can't sleep without it. I know its a game changer but I hate that its so integral to my daily life.

Stringing along a car battery or whatever might be a pain, but at least I have options

These guys do a great job at supply and seem to have an extensive offering of power options. Might need her machine type.

http://www.thecpapshop.com/cpap-accessories/cpap-power-cables-inverters

I would think power draw would be fairly minimal. I have a ResMed model 10 and the specs are at the below link. Guessing most others are the same or close.

http://www.resmed.com/us/dam/documents/articles/198103_battery-guide_glo_eng.pdf


Hope this helps.

The battery jumper/compressor devices from costco have a 120 v inverter outlet built in. Mine is a Cat Jump Starter (~$85) and works well for at least a night. Only problem is that the battery seems to have a limited reserve. I don't know how long they'd last but while they do they are great. Might get a solar charger or charge off the vehicle for extended use.

My CPAP runs on a 24 volt supply. That's not too much of a problem, since you can get 5 amp buck/boost regulators on eBay for $8. Any voltage supply, 6-35, gets you any voltage you like between 1 and 35. So it is easy enough to get the required power directly from an RV battery or from the much lighter and smaller lithium-ion or lipo packs.

The problem with my particular CPAP is that they use a screwy proprietary plug and socket to deliver power from the power brick. What a PIA.

Whether you use the humidifier or not will make a difference in your power consumption.

My previous unit had a stern warning in the manual that it was not to be run from an inverter, since most inverters do not deliver real sine waves. It's worth checking to make sure you don't damage your machine. Ditching the inverter and using a buck/boost regulator avoids this problem.

I'm due for a new machine in a couple of weeks. First thing I'm checking is whether it has a conventional power connector.

If anybody needs the old one, PM me.

Probably uses the same amount of power as a small fan.

Google travel CPAP. There are some machines that are very small. Some have battery packs or AC/DC conversions.


I'm tired of traveling with my full size ResMed that, although smaller than my previous machines, still takes up nearly half of my carry on bag.

This may be a solution.

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/transcend-travel-cpap-machine-somnetics.html?gclid=CMboptuR7tUCFU-

Personally, I will likely lay hands on the ResMed AirMini Autoset Travel CPAP. Newest technology that matches my normal machine. However, requires a different mask, and it is so new, they do not yet have AC/DC conversion or battery packs. They say both are under development and coming soon.

Not exactly pertinent to the OP's question, but I figured some who backpack and use a CPAP would appreciate the info I found on this thread:
http://www.rokslide.com/forums/sleep-systems/64966-guess-sleep-system-spiking-cpap.html
I'll be picking up one of these lightweight CPAPs for myself soon.

I run mine off of a 12v battery hooked to power inverter when hunting/camping without power.

CPAP user here....

I've recently attacked this very problem and have worked out viable 3 solutions;
1) buy a rechargeable CPAP battery - I bought the "Freedom" brand and it works great (2 FULL nights on a single charge). I'll be using this and adding a solar charger to top it off if i'm in the backcountry
2) use a 12v marine deep-cell battery and hook it to a DC power inverter with normal AC plugs then plug the CPAP into the inverter just like at home (an acquaintance uses this method elk camp) - I also can plug into my car cigarette lighter with the inverter if i don't want to bring another 12v battery
3) get one of the new-ish "travel" CPAP machines. They are very small, but still need a battery to power them if off-grid.

I'm liking the looks of the small travel CPAP - especially if it uses on a fraction of the power as my regular unit.

My CPAP is 24 volt but has a 12 Volt inverter put out by the manufacture. You can run it off a deep cycle 12 volt battery for at least three days but two 6 volt deep cycle batteries would last longer.

A quick search found this. http://www.thecpapshop.com/resmed-150-watt-dc-ac-power-inverter

I run mine off a deep cycle battery and a krieger inverter I got from Amazon. The inverter was about $90 and gets excellent reviews. With the battery (Costco) I was under $200. 5 days is the longest I've run it away from home and the battery was still going strong. The inverter has a voltage display but I don't remember what it read after day 5 but I recall it wasn't low enough to be concerned about another day or two...
Money well spent if you use a cpap.
I have no direct experience with the cpap specific rechargeable batteries but I recall cost was high and life was low.
It's a bit to lug around but as most any user will tell you it's well worth it.

There was a thread on this a few years back where someone figured out the exact draw from a deep cell battery and how long ot would last. Be damned if I can find it.

I'm very interested too. I'm going camping with my boy this week and have to stay in a campground with electric. We're not happy, but it's the best option right now. God help me if there's ever a power outage here.

NOT a CPAP user - but wondering if anyone has looked into using a small Honda generator (with 12 volt output) to power one?
I would think an extension cord would help with the noise, which is minimal to these old deaf ears.

I use a CPAP and when I am away from regular electric power, I carry a deep cycle 12 volt marine battery with a small inverter. Frankly, I don't know for sure how long it will last, but I have used it with no problems for four full nights and also recharged my cell phone a couple of times as well off it. I am sure I could get more nights from it, but so far four nights is all I have needed it. Before use, I charge it up to a little more than 13 volts with a slow charger.