portable power stations

[mfriederichs]

looking at a schumacher portable power station to run a cpap machine. I bought a 400 watt inverter but it is noisy with a fan running in it. are the power stations quiet when pulling 120 volts. what are your thoughts on this? What is being used to run the cpaps? with the shumacher I would also be getting an air compressor and be able to jump start batteries.

[formerFR]

sounds like it's just the same, a power inverter, except with a built-in battery - you'll probably still have a fan noise since any device that is changing 12v to 120v is going to create heat.

can't you move your inverter into a different area of the RV, and just run an extension cord to your machine?

[cavie]

Does your CP have an inline transformer on the power cord? Chances are good it's a 12 volt transformer. Have a look.

[Bama Rambler]

It would help if you told us the model of the power supply you plan on getting.
However, I looked at a couple of the units and I can't find the Amp Hours of any of them so it may not power your CPAP all night.

Look at your CPAP and see if it's 12 volt or 24 volt native powered. Either way you can get a power cord or supply that will power it off your RV batteries.

[carbuthn]

As mentioned some CPAP machines have a power cord available to run on 12vdc. You may need to install a cigarette lighter style receptacle to plug into.

If the unit is 12vdc then it doesn't make sense to convert 12vdc to 120vac (with an inverter) only to transform and rectify back to 12vdc (with CPAP power supply) you will be wasting some power.

What ever you decide a big factor on how battery (amp/hrs) you will use is if you need to use the humidifier. The heater normally at least double the current draw (depending on setting).

My CPAP power specs are (ResMed AirSense 10):

• 90W power supply unit
• AC input range: 100–240V, 50–60Hz 1.0–1.5A, Class II
• 115V, 400Hz 1.5A, Class II (nominal for aircraft use)
• DC output: 24V 3.75A
• Typical power consumption: 53W (57VA)
• Peak power consumption: 104W (108VA)

For my unit they have a dc to dc converter (12vdc to 24vdc, ResMed DC Power Converter for AirSense ™ 10 Series CPAP Machines) for about $85, hope this helps.