CPap Use at Rustic Campground

[jburzan]

Hi,
Hopefully soon (weather permitting) I’ll be picking up my new Scamp 16. As much as I love tent/van camping, I’m looking forward to the “luxury” of my camper.
I plan on rustic or dry dock camping from time to time if I can find a way to reliably power a CPap for about a week of camping. Any ideas?
Thanks,
Joyce

[Iowa Dave]

Separate deep cycle battery charged by a suitcase solar panel with controller. Cpap equipped with 12 volt
Converter that hooks up to the battery via cigar socket and battery clips. Charge every couple days. Battery voltage readout device to keep track of charge level gives peace of mind

Other solutions but this will work as opposed to drawing the camper battery down with an additional device.

Some use a quiet small generator during the day to go into the night with a full battery charged by the generator. They run on gasoline or a propane conversion.

Iowa Dave

[Vtec]

Yup, just get a DC to DC cord for your cpap. I can usually get at least 3 days on my 12V battery, more if I turn off the heated hose. It helps a lot to get a good deep cell battery, maybe gell cell or even lithium ion(very pricely), I haven't gone that route because I just take an extra battery out of my boat. I also have a voltmeter installed permanently to check charge every day, many get the plug in or it's even included with the camper now. We never get electric sites and also have a generator for the long trips.
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/res...ve-10-machines

[Dave Fish]

I have always used a separate battery rather than the house battery. I currently have a "travel" CPAP with it's own battery, but that only lasts about a night and a half. For boon dockdockiing, I can charge it with the house solar or the car to top it off.

Many of the newer Claps are 24 volt, so the 12v cords I've used in the past won't work. As said, turning off the humidifier, which I don't use anyway, and the heated hose is a must.

[parmm]

Originally Posted by Vtec

Yup, just get a DC to DC cord for your cpap. I can usually get at least 3 days on my 12V battery, more if I turn off the heated hose. It helps a lot to get a good deep cell battery, maybe gell cell or even lithium ion(very pricely), I haven't gone that route because I just take an extra battery out of my boat. I also have a voltmeter installed permanently to check charge every day, many get the plug in or it's even included with the camper now. We never get electric sites and also have a generator for the long trips.
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/res...ve-10-machines

Yep, but you have to match the cpap to the proper cpap cord. The one for my Dream Station is only about $30.

[Vtec]

Originally Posted by parmm

Yep, but you have to match the cpap to the proper cpap cord. The one for my Dream Station is only about $30.

Correct, my Resmed 10 has a 12vdc-24vdc cord. I point that out because some may think it will not work if not 12v, just a specific cord. I just leave that cord right in the camper so I don't forget and it's at the ready. I will just use that whether I am plugged into AC shore power or not.

Another thing I will make note is someone may say get an inverter that converts 12v dc -ac. It's just an extra conversion, DC -AC, and then back to DC, and very wasteful, the battery goes dead in a hurry. Kind of like running the fridge on DC, battery goes dead in a hurry.

[Glenn Baglo]

I have an oxygen concentrator for my CPAP. I think my boondocking days are probably over, unless I get oxygen tanks. Not inclined to camp in full service "resorts".

[Radar1]

We added a 90 watt solar panel on top of our 16' Scamp, and put a 12 volt 155 amp hour golf cart battery up front. Never had any problems keeping the battery charged enough to run my 12 volt CPAP. I was lucky enough to have a CPAP that used 12 volts DC as the input voltage.
My CPAP only used about 8 amp hours per night (I never used the humidifier which would use more power) and the battery was always 100% before noon.

[jburzan]

Thanks so much for all the information on using a cpap with batteries and solar. Glad to hear it’s definitely doable….just have to price out the best option.

[joecf]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

I have an oxygen concentrator for my CPAP. I think my boondocking days are probably over, unless I get oxygen tanks. Not inclined to camp in full service "resorts".

We run a portable oxygen concentrator and a CPAP machine with a single LiFePO4 100 ah battery, and two 100 watt solar panels, easily. We, probably, could run several nights without charging, but so far, have not had to try. We could not make it through the night with a 12v deep cycle lead/acid battery. It was an old 80 ah lead/acid battery, so that may have been a factor. I have added two additional LiFePO4 batteries and two more 100 watt solar panels, anticipating adding a 12 v compression fridge.

[Jane P.]

Originally Posted by jburzan

Hi,

Hopefully soon (weather permitting) I’ll be picking up my new Scamp 16. As much as I love tent/van camping, I’m looking forward to the “luxury” of my camper.

I plan on rustic or dry dock camping from time to time if I can find a way to reliably power a CPap for about a week of camping. Any ideas?

Thanks,

Joyce

Joyce,
If they haven’t done so yet, have Scamp to install a 12 volt outlet where you plan to put the CPAP unit. Get a 12 volt adopter from your CPAP’s manufacturer. If you have a Resmed, be prepared to spend $$$ as their adaptor is pricey.

Since you plan to dry camp, have Scamp strategically place other 12 volt outlets throughout your cabin.

You’ll need either 2 marine batteries or one 100watt lithium battery. A single lead acid battery will not support your CPAP unit.

Since you’re starting from scratch, I highly recommend a lithium battery. I have a Battleborn lithium - it’s an excellent battery, with a 20 year warranty. Incredible customer support.

Lithium is far more efficient and cleaner than lead acid batteries, it dovetails nicely with solar. It’s a little longer than an acid lead battery and you can safely store it in your cabin. Lithium costs several hundred dollars more than deep cell lead acid batteries, but overtime you’ll save money with the lithium. It’s a truly great investment.

You can experiment in your driveway to determine the number of days you can dry camp before needing to charge your batteries.

You should research a lightweight, backup inverter generator. You’ll need to determine a safe place on your trailer to mount it when towing - probably on your trailer’s tongue. You’ll need to calculate the maximum weight that can be placed on the trailer’s tongue or rear for safe towing when coupled with your TV. You’ll need to understand your trailer’s weight configuration.

I recommend a Champion generator. They offer quality products. You may wish to get a duel fuel unit.

https://www.championpowerequipment.c...le-generators/

With respect to a generator, get something powerful enough for your microwave (I use to recharge my batteries in the late afternoon to coincide with dinner prep). But don’t consider a generator with enough wattage to support an AC Unit. If you need your AC, find a camping area with hookups.

Because you plan to dry camp, you’ll eventually consider adding a solar system (please get a lithium instead of two lead acids). My advice is to wait a year or so to understand your energy requirements - and equipment/appliance preferences. For instance, you may want a 12 volt TV set. I’ve installed a 12 volt auto stereo system to listen to the radio & access my digital music. I run my ceiling fan on warm days and nights. Plus, your CPAP unit during the night. You’ll also want to recharge my mobile devices.

Hope this helps.

Best of luck with your new trailer. I’m sure you’ll have a blast camping in it.

[parmm]

Just to let you know what I did on my 2006 Scamp 19. My current CPAP is a Philip's Dream Station (waiting for the recall replacement). Got rid of the two deep cycle batteries and installed two Battleborn LiFePO4 heated 100 ah batteries, a 12 vdc to 12 vdc battery charger to charge them fully while driving down the highway between camp sites. Don't have solar yet, or a generator, but I can hook up the pickup's battery power line to the trailer and charge them while the truck is idling. The people at Battleborn are excellent in assisting you in designing a system the will work for your needs. I try to stay at federal COE/military or state park campgrounds where I can hook up to shore power and keep my batteries charged, but I can go several days without being connected to shore power.


With the Battleborn LiFePO4 batteries and their built in battery management system, I no longer have to worry about the battery maintenance that I had to worry about with lead acid batteries! You can almost ignore them as they are happy without you. Being on a fixed income, the price hurt the wallet a bit, but today I don't even look back at that. Best investment I ever made for a recreational vehicle!!!

[jburzan]

Thanks for all the information. I really appreciate it and will review all my energy needs before proceeding.

[jburzan]

Thanks for the info. Much appreciated.

[Jane P.]

One more thing: leave your CPAP’s humidifier at home. The humidifier uses way too much energy when boondocking.

[Steve Carlson]

Easiest thing is to find a CPAP that runs on straight 12 volts. I have a Devilbiss IntelliPap. No voltage adapter or special (expensive) battery needed.

It's not always easy to figure out which units will run on 12V, but they are out there.

[parmm]

Originally Posted by Jane P.

One more thing: leave your CPAP’s humidifier at home. The humidifier uses way too much energy when boondocking.

Get a heated supply tube. That uses very little energy. That way you are not heating the humidifier tank.