Surge Protector for your ASV

[Ogeo]

I am trying to think ahead of things that I can get before I get my machine. I want to get a surge protector since we live in the mountains and it is not uncommon for the power to flicker on and off especially during the winter. How many joules do I need to protect the expensive ASV? Is there anything else I can get ahead of time? I haven't figured out what I should do about power outages yet. The longest we have seen since we have lived here is 4 days without power.

[Goofproof]

Surge protectors are a good idea on any costly electronics, BUT, unless they are hooked up to a proper and grounded circuit, they may not function at their best, also they are all not created equal, many are just junk, you get whst you pay for, bargains usually aren't. APC makes some good ones, ect! Jim

[Physician]

I am trying to think ahead of things that I can get before I get my machine. I want to get a surge protector since we live in the mountains and it is not uncommon for the power to flicker on and off especially during the winter. How many joules do I need to protect the expensive ASV? Is there anything else I can get ahead of time? I haven't figured out what I should do about power outages yet. The longest we have seen since we have lived here is 4 days without power.

Surge protection is different from a UPS, but UPSs have surge protection. Recommend APC or CyberPower UPS ith specs sufficient to run your machine for at least six hours.

[TahoeGal]

I have a surge protector. After going over the wattage needed for my ASV with my dad (an electrical engineer) we found out that even a marine battery would only last a few hours with the draw needed for my ASV. I bought a small generator (Honda 1000i). It runs 9.5 hours on one fill up of .6 gallons. I used it for a long weekend of camping with no problems. We did camp off in the forest with no one around. We loose power for days in the winter, and the generator will come in handy.

[JDS74]

You might want to look in this thread.


Battery Backup

[Goofproof]

We have no idea what flavor your machine uses, a UPS to power your machine one night will be VERY costly, a Resmed isn't as power friendly on D/C. For a battery backup solution deep charge batteries are the most economical option, but if your system requires 24 volt dc, you will need two 12 batteries deep cycle in series, a single 24 volt battery can be had but not cost effective or deep cycle. Jim

[SleepyEyes21]

I am trying to think ahead of things that I can get before I get my machine. I want to get a surge protector since we live in the mountains and it is not uncommon for the power to flicker on and off especially during the winter. How many joules do I need to protect the expensive ASV? Is there anything else I can get ahead of time? I haven't figured out what I should do about power outages yet. The longest we have seen since we have lived here is 4 days without power.

Surge protection is different from a UPS, but UPSs have surge protection. Recommend APC or CyberPower UPS ith specs sufficient to run your machine for at least six hours.

I have a similar question about battery backup. Living in Florida, we can have loss of electricity often lasting from a few minutes to weeks (after tropical storms/ hurricanes usually.) I do not have a generator, but I have heard that the draw with a CPAP machine is heavy on one.

I don't see where a marine battery is going to help much for long-term outages; so what have others experienced as far as being able to maintain CPAP during extended power outages?

Thank you!

[Goofproof]

I am trying to think ahead of things that I can get before I get my machine. I want to get a surge protector since we live in the mountains and it is not uncommon for the power to flicker on and off especially during the winter. How many joules do I need to protect the expensive ASV? Is there anything else I can get ahead of time? I haven't figured out what I should do about power outages yet. The longest we have seen since we have lived here is 4 days without power.

Surge protection is different from a UPS, but UPSs have surge protection. Recommend APC or CyberPower UPS ith specs sufficient to run your machine for at least six hours.

I have a similar question about battery backup. Living in Florida, we can have loss of electricity often lasting from a few minutes to weeks (after tropical storms/ hurricanes usually.) I do not have a generator, but I have heard that the draw with a CPAP machine is heavy on one.

I don't see where a marine battery is going to help much for long-term outages; so what have others experienced as far as being able to maintain CPAP during extended power outages?

Thank you!

Using a generator to run a cpap isn't noise or cost effective, as the cpap doesn't use much of the generators output, if you need to be running the generator for other things then it's ok.

Ideally run the cpap on dc battery power, and use the generator to recharge the battery in the day. Normally power is good in indiana but this year outages are getting worse, and Obama has even go coal power shut down yes, then we will be using bikes to power generators. Jim

[Ogeo]

Thanks everyone for the responses. We already have a generator - Honda 3000W. So I am guessing we will get the battery/s needed for the night and recharge them during the day time with the generator. Fortunately we do not usually have long outages - the longest was 4 days. After that we got the generator so we don't loose all the food in the fridge again. I will get a good surge protector for all the flucuations in power that occur and I should be good to go when I ever get my machine. Hopefully it will be this coming week. I will have a call into the doctor office on Wednesday if I don't hear from them on Tues. That will make it about 2 weeks after my last titration study.

[AMenite]

I will get a good surge protector for all the flucuations in power that occur ...

The clamping voltage and response time are as important to the quality of a surge protector than joules if not moreso. Apparently UL has a new standard for "third generation" surge protectors UL1449. You might want to go by that to try and ensure you get a well performing surge protector. I have considered a "whole house" sure protector also since we have so many devices now. Your TV, fridge, dishwasher etc. nowadays have the same sensitive electronics as your computer, and repair/replacement is costly. The whole house device would go in line where your grid power comes into your electrical panel so all devices are protected from surges on that route when you plug them in to any outlet. A direct lightning strike is harder to protect, but in that case the power strip type of surge protector might help.

[SleepyEyes21]

I am trying to think ahead of things that I can get before I get my machine. I want to get a surge protector since we live in the mountains and it is not uncommon for the power to flicker on and off especially during the winter. How many joules do I need to protect the expensive ASV? Is there anything else I can get ahead of time? I haven't figured out what I should do about power outages yet. The longest we have seen since we have lived here is 4 days without power.

Surge protection is different from a UPS, but UPSs have surge protection. Recommend APC or CyberPower UPS ith specs sufficient to run your machine for at least six hours.

I have a similar question about battery backup. Living in Florida, we can have loss of electricity often lasting from a few minutes to weeks (after tropical storms/ hurricanes usually.) I do not have a generator, but I have heard that the draw with a CPAP machine is heavy on one.

I don't see where a marine battery is going to help much for long-term outages; so what have others experienced as far as being able to maintain CPAP during extended power outages?

Thank you!

Using a generator to run a cpap isn't noise or cost effective, as the cpap doesn't use much of the generators output, if you need to be running the generator for other things then it's ok.

Ideally run the cpap on dc battery power, and use the generator to recharge the battery in the day. Normally power is good in indiana but this year outages are getting worse, and Obama has even go coal power shut down yes, then we will be using bikes to power generators. Jim

Thanks for all the info, Jim!

[Goofproof]

Besides protecting the equiptment, its nice to have a spare xpap, just in case. It doesn't have to be state of the art, but the minimum that meets your requirements. Jim

[archangle]

The most important thing with any surge protector is to know how to check it to be sure it's still working. In most cases, there's a light that goes out if the protector isn't working any more.

In my experience, a large percentage of the surge protectors that people have had for more than a year or two are actually burned out and aren't providing much protection.

Many surge protectors have a component that absorbs the surge and it may burn out in the process.

Even a cheap surge protector improves the odds quite a bit as long as it's still working. Even the best ones won't protect against all surges. The difference between a well designed and working but cheap protector and none at all is probably a lot bigger than the difference between an expensive and cheap protector.

There are probably some cheap "knock off" surge protectors that may not do much.

A surge protector still helps even if the ground isn't good. Your CPAP machine doesn't "see" the ground, it's only electrically connected to the two prongs on the power supply plug.

The designs like the PRS1 and S9 machines with external power supply bricks are probably fairly resistant to surges, and they also have the advantage that the failure will usually be in the power supply brick, which is easily replaced.

You can improve the odds further by unplugging the machine if you're not using it and storms are in the area. You can also turn off a switched power strip, which gives a lot of protection, even though it isn't as much protection as unplugging.

[SleepyEyes21]

The most important thing with any surge protector is to know how to check it to be sure it's still working. In most cases, there's a light that goes out if the protector isn't working any more.

In my experience, a large percentage of the surge protectors that people have had for more than a year or two are actually burned out and aren't providing much protection.

Many surge protectors have a component that absorbs the surge and it may burn out in the process.

Even a cheap surge protector improves the odds quite a bit as long as it's still working. Even the best ones won't protect against all surges. The difference between a well designed and working but cheap protector and none at all is probably a lot bigger than the difference between an expensive and cheap protector.

There are probably some cheap "knock off" surge protectors that may not do much.

A surge protector still helps even if the ground isn't good. Your CPAP machine doesn't "see" the ground, it's only electrically connected to the two prongs on the power supply plug.

The designs like the PRS1 and S9 machines with external power supply bricks are probably fairly resistant to surges, and they also have the advantage that the failure will usually be in the power supply brick, which is easily replaced.

You can improve the odds further by unplugging the machine if you're not using it and storms are in the area. You can also turn off a switched power strip, which gives a lot of protection, even though it isn't as much protection as unplugging.

Good information - thanks archangle. Would you recommend the surge protectors mentioned above, or others?

[KSMike]

I don't disagree with anything that's been said, but IMO a small UPS is a much better solution any medical equipment, especially something like CPAP, unless you're comfortable sleeping without it.