Generators & CPAP

[kdot]

(QUOTE: "Since much of this will be dry camping or boondocking, I installed a mount for an 800 watt Generac generator to keep the battery charged. I chose the generator over solar because my CPAP drains the battery pretty quickly and I need to be sure it will run.)Poniel

This thread was inspired by Tom's recent quote above. My wife also uses a CPAP machine and I bought a Honda 2000 generator to power her machine when we camp in sites that do not have AC. In two such places, there were regulations against using generators from 10 PM to 6 AM but, when the ranger learned that I used it to power a CPAP machine, the regulation was waived. I'm wondering what has been the experience of others? Perhaps Tom could chip in on this (I didn't want to hijack his thread with this issue!)

Kdot

[Bama Rambler]

It's pretty universal, that in cases of medical necessity, allowances are made to allow medical devices and equipment to operate.

The Honda 2000 is pretty quite and running a CPAP doesn't load it at all so it's just sitting at idle all the time which is even more quite. Even with that, I'd be very considerate of fellow campers and place it where it will be the least intrusive. And only run it when it's absolutely required. Which I'm sure you do anyway.

[dragon-roo]

Our state parks are very strict about the no generator rules. In fact it is no generators 24/7! That is why I added solar to our pop up years ago, before it was even fashionable. DW started using a CPAP. I used to get a lot of "what is that thing??" from the solar panels. Those solar panels paid for themselves in reduced site fees from not needing electrical hookups for all of those years. And that was back in the day of $4-5/watt.

I sized our batteries on the new Roo so that we can go 3-4 nights before dropping the batteries below 50% without having to worry about how much we use. Watch TV, use plenty of lights, radio in the morning, etc. That way if we get a cloudy, rainy stretch we don't have to worry. We could stretch it for a week if we had to just by conserving. In the pop up we only had 1/3 as many amp hours. We could still go 2-3 nights though since there were not nearly as many electrical draws and I was very insistent about conservation. DW was tired of always worrying about how much was left in the batteries and wanted to change that when we got the Roo.

Two things to think about if you run the generator just during the day to charge the batteries back up instead of all night...

1. Connect the 12v DC output from the generator as well. This will help charge the battery faster. Just make sure you are not putting too many amps in based on the size of your batteries and the listed maximum charge rate for them.
2. Most all of the converter/chargers that the factory installs are terrible at charging quickly and fully. There are some tricks that you can do to try to help this, or you can replace them with better models.

[dragon-roo]

We did take a small generator with when we went out to Yellowstone with the pop up. It was after returning from that trip with the hassle of the generator that we decided the next thing we were going to save up for was solar

I would never want to go back to a generator at this point.

YMMV

[Flybob]

If primarily running a CPAP you are primarily running at night. I would be careful to choose the quietest one you can get ( Honda or Yamaha) to insure you the best chance of being able to run it. I would not count on a waiver as some places are very strict, and others may pull the waiver if they get complaints. You are also looking for dependability as quitting halfway through the trip is not a good option. The Generac 800 is going to be louder than an "H" or "Y" . The company says "Because there is no industry standard for testing sound levels on portable generators, we do not currently list a decibel rating for any of our portable generators." If they are very quiet, that fact is generally aggressively advertised. Per their specs, it will run about 4.7Hrs on a tank of fuel at 1/4 throttle. You may be getting up in the middle of the night.

[ManlyMan]

If you plan to camp in areas without electricity and tent campers and pop-ups use the same campground, please don’t run a generator after quiet hours. A generator running after quiet hours is incredibly irritating to those who only have a thin piece of canvas to muffle the sound. It’s very rude and makes for a sleepless night for tent campers.

If you really must run a CPAP or other machine, then only use campgrounds that offer electric hookups or find some other quiet way to power the devices. Carry an extra battery and use an inverter and/or solar power.

[dragon-roo]

A couple of more things that I thought of...

• Some CPAPs can be damaged by a modified sine wave inverter. My wife's new one is this way So if you use an inverter make sure to use a true sine wave one or check with the manufacturer.
• Many of them have 12v DC power adapters available from the manufacturer and that is far more efficient than an inverter and will help your batteries to last longer.
• Turn off the heater for the humidifier if it has one. That usually cuts the power use to about 1/4 compared to when the heater is on.
• Use 'airplane mode' if you have one that uses a cellular connection to send data back. That also takes some extra juice.

I second the comments about the noise of a generator at night to tent, pop up, and hybrid campers. Another issue is the exhaust! We camped one time where the wind was blowing someone's generator exhaust right toward the bunk end on our pop up. The CO alarm even went off. If you must use one at night instead of a battery solution, get a site on the outside loop and place the generator in such a way as to help block the sound and exhaust from others. In the middle of the night even a quiet Honda is heard further than you think.


I met a tent camper one time that carried a small battery and charger with them and then charged it at an electric site of a neighbor, or in the ranger station during the day... kept his CPAP going!

[Pooneil]

Originally Posted by kdot

(QUOTE: "Since much of this will be dry camping or boondocking, I installed a mount for an 800 watt Generac generator to keep the battery charged. I chose the generator over solar because my CPAP drains the battery pretty quickly and I need to be sure it will run.)Poniel

This thread was inspired by Tom's recent quote above. My wife also uses a CPAP machine and I bought a Honda 2000 generator to power her machine when we camp in sites that do not have AC. In two such places, there were regulations against using generators from 10 PM to 6 AM but, when the ranger learned that I used it to power a CPAP machine, the regulation was waived. I'm wondering what has been the experience of others? Perhaps Tom could chip in on this (I didn't want to hijack his thread with this issue!)

Kdot

My CPAP has a 12 volt DC supply so I run it off the house battery. My expereince is that the water heater will kill the house battery in 3 nights. If it weren't for needing the humidifier in the cold desert air, I'd just run it off it's own battery and recharge it in the TV during the day. I do that often during the summer in Texas because the air is already warm and moist.

Only needing 12 volts will let me run the generator during the day to charge the battery. The plan is to put in a small amount of gasoline and let it run while away from camp. Or for a few hours in the afternoon when we get back from hiking. I have 50 Feet of 12 Ga extension cord in addition to my house power cord, so I can put it practically anywhere in my camp.

During my home test run with the gen set on eco mode, the engine would not run at a constant speed. The sound of the cycling got annoying within the close confines of my storage area. Hopefully outdoors when I can point the muffler away from the camp, it would be so noticeable. If need be I can run in regular mode where the engine is steady. The Generac is no replacement for a Honda but is 1/3 the cost.

Thanks for starting a new thread.

[Pooneil]

Originally Posted by dragon-roo

A couple of more things that I thought of...

• Some CPAPs can be damaged by a modified sine wave inverter. My wife's new one is this way So if you use an inverter make sure to use a true sine wave one or check with the manufacturer.
• Many of them have 12v DC power adapters available from the manufacturer and that is far more efficient than an inverter and will help your batteries to last longer.
• Turn off the heater for the humidifier if it has one. That usually cuts the power use to about 1/4 compared to when the heater is on.
• Use 'airplane mode' if you have one that uses a cellular connection to send data back. That also takes some extra juice.

I second the comments about the noise of a generator at night to tent, pop up, and hybrid campers. Another issue is the exhaust! We camped one time where the wind was blowing someone's generator exhaust right toward the bunk end on our pop up. The CO alarm even went off. If you must use one at night instead of a battery solution, get a site on the outside loop and place the generator in such a way as to help block the sound and exhaust from others. In the middle of the night even a quiet Honda is heard further than you think.


I met a tent camper one time that carried a small battery and charger with them and then charged it at an electric site of a neighbor, or in the ranger station during the day... kept his CPAP going!

That was pretty much my thinking in designing my system. I don't go out camping to listen to generators at night and I don't expect others to suffer through mine.

[D-mo]

Ive been using a cpap for about 5 years now.
I have modiifed the camper with 2 robust 12 volt deep cycles...an 80 watt solar panel . ..a 12 volt plug above the stereo . ..and a dedicated 30 watt panel that directly recharges a zantex 800powerbox...
Yea... i know it sounds a little excessive... but so does the drone of generator all night long....which i would never put my camping neighbours through.
Note to origional poster.....just because you can sleep doesn't mean others should put up with your personal medical iissues.....
D -mo

[CNYCamper]

We mostly dry camp at parks having restricted generator hours. We've run 1 and sometimes 2 CPAP machines for overnight visitors using a dedicated battery and 750 W inverter. Gives us enough power for all night. Then we recharge the battery during the permissible hours.