The first scenario is with the vehicle running, which means the engine is started and the power is coming from the alternator, through battery to the power inverter. Yes you can run a power inverter from your vehicle battery, however there are a couple of things you should be aware of. The primary point to be aware of is, how many amps are you pulling off of your vehicle system. Most car alternators put out about 60 DC amps of power, at full throttle, they will not push 60 amps at idle. If you are pulling more amps than your vehicle system is producing, you will draw from your battery. Over an extended period of time you can damage your battery or alternator and possible leave your vehicle stranded with no power to start. The second point is that if you are going to run your inverter often and for extended periods of time you should consider upgrading your alternator and battery. You can purchase an alternator that makes more amps and also get a deep cycle battery for your vehicle. This upgraded battery and alternator will handle the charge and discharge as well as the increased load on your vehicle system. Your standard alternator and vehicle battery are not designed to continually support this type of use.

The second scenario is running a power inverter off of your vehicle battery the car engine is “off.” In this scenario you are running directly off of your car battery. I do not recommend running an inverter this way. Especially if you have a standard car battery. You will drain your battery really fast and could damage the battery. The only time I recommend using the car battery without the engine running is when the load is very small. If you upgrade your battery to a deep cycle battery, you can use it without the car running, just be careful not to drain your battery completely.

AC amps x Vac (volts of our AC device) = Watts

1.6 amps x 120 Vac = 192 watts

To find DC amps from Watts we use the formula below.

Watts/Vdc (volts of our DC system) = DC amps

192 watts / 12 Vdc = 16 DC amps

DC amps are very important when it comes to talking about battery life. When working with deep cycle batteries, its all about DC amp hours. How many do you have and how many DC amp hours are you going to need to run your power inverter? You can use the formulas above to find the information you need.

Whether its a power inverter or a deep cycle battery, the amount of amps AC or DC are very important and crucial information to make sure you can run the essential equipment you need.

These two battery types have many similarities. First, they are both designed as “maintenance free” batteries. Both Gel and AGM are sealed batteries, they are spill proof and can be operated in any position. Gel batteries and AGM Batteries are both lead acid batteries. Both types of batteries do have a break in period. Usually it takes about 10-15 charges for these deep cycle batteries to be able to take a full charge.

DEKA SOLAR BATTERIES

Lets look at some applications for each type of battery. The Gel battery is better in applications that have a slow discharges and are in warmer temperatures. The AGM is a bit less touchy when it comes to temperature, you can operate the battery in warm or cold environments and get the performance you are looking for. Also AGM batteries can have a very low self-discharge rate, which means if the battery sits for a long time without being used it will hold its power. In solar or wind applications in which you are constantly charging and discharging your batteries I would recommend Gel batteries. In back up power type applications where the battery is not used constantly but is critical, I would recommend AGM battery. These batteries are perfect for this application. AGM batteries are an awesome choice for applications that require a short term high rate discharge. If you are running specialized electronics I also recommend an AGM battery. There are many variables that go into choosing the right batteries for your system, the best idea is to consult a professional before buying so you get the most out of your investment.

The applications in which the batteries are used most commonly is conjunction with a power inverter. Whether you are looking for a one battery to add to your vehicle power system or a bank of batteries to power your off-grid home. We are your one stop shop for power inverters and batteries.

We have a full line of AIMS power inverters and Deka deep cycle batteries available for you at theinverterstore.com. If you have any further questions about power inverters, cables or batteries. Please give us a call @ 888-417-8673.

Theinverterstore.com offers excellent customer support and we would be happy to answer any questions that you might have. We have a wide selection of pure sine wave and modified sine wave inverters and our goal is to make sure our customers are purchasing the right equipment the first time around.

The machine we tested was the Fisher & Paykel Sleep Style 200 CPAP System. We tested this system here in our office on our DC power supply. All the testing was done at 12 volts. According to Fisher & Paykel, all of their CPAP’s will run on a modified sine wave power inverter. The specs call for at least a 200 watt power inverter, we used an AIMS 400 watt Modified Sine power inverter for this testing. We connected the inverter with cables, we did not use the cigarette plug. We decided not to use a cigarette plug, for one main reason. The manufacturer specs calls for a 200 watt inverter and a cigarette plug only handles up to 180 watts, if it is fused at 15 amps. If your vehicle has 10 amp cigar plugs, you can only go 120 watts maximum.
The first test was done for about 4 hours with the heater set at 10 and the CPAP set 20 cmH2O (maximum pressure). While monitoring the usage, I observed Fisher & Paykel Sleep Style 200 CPAP System with the heater set at 4 (max), consumes just over 12 DC amps per hour, maximum. We are going to use the max usage of 12.2 DC amps, this will give us an accurate amount to calculate battery capacity needed. Many people may be asking how do I convert DC amps to watts, etc. I will cover that next.

The next test I did with the Fisher & Paykel Sleep Style 200 CPAP System, was with the heater off. The usage is lower, just above 5 amps. We did not observe as much fluctuation in the usage as with the heater running. This makes sense, because it is constantly working to keep the humidity water at a certain temperature, causing the usage to cycle up and down, while maintaining the water temperature. The max DC amp usage, with out the heater on the Fisher & Paykel Sleep Style 200 CPAP System was 5.4 DC amps. This system actually runs at a very low usage, with out the heat and humidity, about 65 watts.

Next I want to review our maximum usage totals and make some recommendations on which power inverter and a battery to use in your mobile system.

We will make one small conversion while reviewing our data.

To convert from DC Amps to Watts, we need to multiply the DC Amps by the voltage of our system, in this case 12 Volts.

DC Amps X 12 = Watts

Fisher & Paykel Sleep Style 200 CPAP System maximum usage with the heater set to “on” at level 4 and pressure set 20 cmH2O (maximum pressure) was 12.2 DC Amps or 147 watts.

Fisher & Paykel Sleep Style 200 CPAP System maximum usage with the heater set to “off” at level 0 and pressure set 20 cmH2O (maximum pressure) was 5.4 DC Amps or 65 watts.

We used an AIMS 400 Watt Modified sine power inverter for all of these test. I direct connected to a battery for the test. I do not recommend that you use a cigarette plug for this equipment. Even though the watts are low enough for the plug to handle the load, most cables for cigarette plugs are not thick enough to handle the load. The cables for cigarette plugs are only rated at 80 watts per UL requirements. So to prevent damage to your vehicle, inverter or CPAP, direct connect to the battery. You will get more efficiency this way also.

If you are using a mobile battery system, for example while camping. You need to use the DC amp usage to find out what size battery is needed to run this system. Lets run over an example, if you are using the Fisher & Paykel Sleep Style 200 CPAP System, with the heater, your usage is 12.2 DC amps. A normal nights sleep is 8 hours, you will need at least 98 amp hours (12.2 dc amps X 8 hrs), to cover your daily sleep requirement. Most deep cycle batteries will give you 80 percent of their power before needing a recharge. I would recommend at least a 105 amp hour battery for this application. On our website we sell the Lifeline line of batteries. Just make sure you have provisions to recharge the battery during the day. For this application if you had the Iota 30 Amp 12 Volt Smart Battery Charger/Converter you could recharge this battery in around 3.5 hours.

For the entire Fisher & Paykel CPAP System product line, I recommend the AIMS 400 Watt Modified sine inverter, per manufacturer specs they require at least 300 watts. I chose this product because an inverter operates more efficiently with a smaller load, the closer you are to max output the less efficient the power inversion. This AIMS product will cover your power needs and give you the most efficiency out of your batteries.

We will make one small conversion while reviewing our data.
To convert from DC Amps to Watts, we need to multiply the DC Amps by the voltage of our system, in this case 12 Volts.

DC Amps X 12 = Watts

DeVilbiss IntelliPAP AutoAdjust CPAP System maximum usage with the heater set to “on” and at level 10 and pressure set to 20 cmH2O (maximum pressure) was 8 DC Amps or 96 watts.

DeVilbiss IntelliPAP AutoAdjust CPAP System, with a pressure setting of 12 cmH2O with the heater set to “off.” The max usage was 1.7 DC Amps or 21 Watts.

We used an AIMS 400 Watt Modified sine power inverter for all of these test. I direct connected to a battery for the test. I do not recommend that you use a cigarette plug for this equipment. Even though the watts are low enough for the plug to handle the load, most cables for cigarette plugs are not thick enough to handle the load. The cables for cigarette plugs are only rated at 80 watts per UL requirements. So to prevent damage to your vehicle, power inverter or CPAP, direct connect to the battery. You will get more efficiency this way also.

If you are using a mobile battery system, for example while camping. You need to use the DC amp usage to find out what size battery is needed to run this system. Lets run over an example, if you are using the DeVilbiss IntelliPAP AutoAdjust CPAP System, with the heater, your usage is 8 DC amps. A normal nights sleep is 8 hours, you will need at least 64 amp hours (8 dc amps X 8 hrs), to cover your daily sleep requirement. Most deep cycle batteries will give you 80 percent of their power before needing a recharge. I would recommend an 80 amp hour battery for this application. On our website we sell the Lifeline GPL-24T Deep Cycle AGM Battery, it has 80 amp hours. Just make sure you have provisions to recharge the battery during the day. For this application if you had the Iota 30 Amp 12 Volt Smart Battery Charger/Converter you could recharge this battery in just over 2.5 hours.

For the entire DeVilbiss CPAP product line, I recommend the AIMS 400 Watt Modified sine power inverter, per manufacturer specs they require at least 200 watts. I chose this product because a power inverter operates more efficiently with a smaller load, the closer you are to max output the less efficient the power inversion. This AIMS product will cover your power needs and give you the most efficiency out of your batteries.

I would like to let you know up front that if you have any information regarding another type of machine, let me know I am happy to add to this post at anytime. There are so many different types of CPAP machines on the market today, this is an open forum to share your knowledge, and hopefully gain some too.

The machine that I used for testing is the REMstar Plus with C-Flex. I have had this machine for a couple of years. It has the heated humidifier unit also. the power requirements for this machine are as follows:

REMstar CPAP w/C-Flex: 1 AC amp max

REMstar Heated Humidifier: 1.7 AC amps max

I am aware that this unit does have a 12 volt outlet on the back, but I am not going to use it for this test. I am going to run this machine for 3 separate eight hour periods off of an AIMS pure sine power inverter and a couple of 6 volt batteries connected in series. According to our information the max usage of the CPAP with heat and humidity is 2.7 amps or 324 watts. I found the watts with some simple math listed below.

Amps x Volts = watts

2.7 AC amps x 120 vac = 324 watts.

I think it can sometimes be deceiving to the user how much power there CPAP is actually using. Because the two pieces are stacked together. When you look at the bottom of the unit you see 1.7 ac amps. I thought this was the number. I always double check the manual and I discovered there were two manuals one for the REMstar CPAP w/C-Flex and one for the REMstar Heated Humidifier. There is a section in the manual that clearly states what the max power needs are, usually labeled “Specifications.” The information we need is listed as “AC Power Consumption.”

I was also able to do some research on the ResMED S8, ResMED S6 and C-Series Tango machines. According to the manufacturer they will run on the AIMS 150 watt modified sine power inverter, as long as you are not using humidity. If you are using humidity on any of these units, you will need to use an AIMS 300 Watt pure sine power inverter.

Field Test Results:
I ran the CPAP here at our facility off a small battery bank. I have ran it for 6 to 8 hours for 3 days straight. The machine operates great with the AIMS pure sine power inverter I used the AIMS 600 Watt Pure Sine for this test, because of the maximum power requirement. I also monitored the watts and amps this machine was pulling with a Kill A Watt monitor. I have found out some useful information. The usage for levels 4-10 with heat and humidity on, are very low right around or below 50 watts, the only time I noticed a higher usage was during startup. What I mean when I say “startup” is the energy used when the machine is warming up, I assume the extra watts were from the heating element warming itself up to temp. The usage level was at about 115 watts during startup.

I have found that the CPAP pressure level that is set up for me, does not reach the max output usage. If your settings are higher, than level 10 the usage could be higher on your machine. If you are in a really cold environment it could take longer for your heating element to heat up. I tested the startup in our warehouse, which is around 55 degrees.

We now know enough to choose a power inverter for this application. From the research that I have done most CPAP’s require a pure sine power inverter. I am going to use the AIMS 600 watt pure sine power inverter for this test. We are just above 300 watts, but even if we were at 280 watts, I would recommend the bigger inverter. For a couple of reasons. In the future you might have another device that you want to plug into this inverter. Having more power gives you room for expansion. Also power inverters run more efficiently when the load they are pushing is not close to max capacity. Running an inverter at max capacity is ok, but you get more out of your batteries when the inverter is more efficient. By more efficient I mean that the inversion is happening with less loss of power. This is because the inverter is running with less heat, when you run a continuous load on an inverter at or near max capacity you get a lot of heat, this makes your power inversion less efficient.

I have heard of people using modified sine power inverters with CPAP’s some run with no problems.

At least that you see, but I can tell you that a modified sine power inverter can make your device run harder and hotter than its supposed too. You may shorten the life span of the device by using a modified sine power inverter. I have heard from some truckers that their CPAP burned out prematurely because of the modified sine inverter. Although, some manufacturers state that their machines will run normally on a modified sine without strain on the device. Certain ResMed, models without the humidity feature can run on a modified. Also Fisher-Paykel states it has modifed its design to allow the CPAP machine to run on a modified sine inverter.

Bob Stanton from AWAKE, Truckers for a Cause has many years experience with CPAP’s in the field. He just let me know that he ran a Respironics in his truck off the 12 Volt plug, it drained his battery below 11.78 volts. Not only would his truck not start, the data that is required for DOT compliance was corrupted and the machine was in “service required” mode.

All Aims Power inverters have an alarm that lets you know you are reaching low voltage and will shut off, before draining the batteries to low to start the engine.

Bob has also has experienced personally a CPAP failing prematurely because he was using a modified sine inverter. He owned a Fisher Paykel from 2002-2005, the first machine failed within 18 months because the motor burned out, from the modified sine inverter, running it harder and hotter then designed. Fortunately, Fisher Paykel did warranty the CPAP machine.

The difference is in the technology of the power inverter. A pure sine wave power inverter, produces a cleaner power signal, one that is very similar to the power that you get from the outlets in your home. Complex and delicate electronics and medical equipment like the CPAP need cleaner power to operate properly and reliably. CPAP machines are not cheap and they are necessary medically, so I recommend you use a pure sine power inverter. According to the information I have gathered from the US DOT, there is some data, that is collected from these machines. There have been instances of this data being corrupted, because the user was using a modified sine, so stick the pure sine. This will insure that your CPAP works dependably on the road and at home for many years.

For those who might not understand these terms, let me explain them for you.

Batteries in Parallel, means that the batteries in your bank are connected so that the inverter thinks they are all one big battery. Meaning if you connect four batteries 12V in parallel your inverter, still sees one 12 volt battery. Your power source is still 12 volts and your amp hours are quadrupled.

Batteries in Series, means that the batteries in your bank are connected in a way that the volts are doubled, for each series of batteries. To keep this simple, two 6 volt batteries in “series” are 12 volts. The power inverter recognizes them as a 12 volt power supply.

Now that we have a basic understanding of series and parallel. Your next question is probably which one is the better connection?

Well, that depends on your system. How many batteries are in your bank? What voltage are they?

Most battery manufactures recommend no more then 4 batteries be connected in parallel.

One point I would like to share is that if your batteries are in parallel, and one of them fails, the whole bank might stop putting out power. If the batteries are in series, if one battery fails, then just that “cell” or group of series batteries will stop producing power. So if you have a large battery bank, series is definitely the way to go.

For more information on Battery bank connections, please see our PowerPoint presentation at the link below.

Battery Connection PowerPoint

Theinverterstore.com offers excellent customer support and we would be happy to answer any questions that you might have. We have a wide selection of pure sine wave and modified sine wave inverters and our goal is to make sure our customers are purchasing the right equipment the first time around.

With some research, I have found some valuable information about pellet stoves. Most pellet stoves plug directly into your standard wall outlet. They use about 1.0-1.3 AC amps per an hour. In general they have a start up usage of about 4 times there continuous usage, or between 4 -5 AC amps. We need these numbers to find out how much back up power we will need. You can find them in your owners manual, under the section usually called “Electrical Rating.”

Now that we have our basic set of amp usage, we should design a sample back up system. Which means we get to do some math, we will try and keep it simple.

The maximum AC amps we will need is 4, this start up amperage is for a standard sized pellet stove, one designed to heat up to 2500 sq ft. We need to convert this to watts, to do this we will multiply AC amps x 120 volts. We use 120 volts because this is the power of the outlet in your home.

4 AC amps x 120 vac = 480 watts

We now know that 480 watts is our maximum usage.

The stove will run at 1.1 AC amps continuously.

1.1 AC Amps x 120 vac = 132 watts

Ok now we have the numbers that we need to choose a power inverter.

I have some research and have discovered that some pellet stoves, require a pure sine inverter in order to operate. This is something you will have to ask your dealer before purchasing the stove. There are some pellet stoves that will operate off of a modified sine inverter, once again this is manufacturer specific. I will make a recommendation for a pure sine power inverter, because it will work on any pellet stove.

For this set-up I would recommend the AIMS 600 Watt Pure Sine Power Inverter. This inverter falls in to the range of maximum inverter efficiency. Some devices require a pure sine wave to work properly, most devices work more efficiently with a pure sine inverter. A pure sine inverter makes your device work more smoothly and can increase the lifespan of the device.

Now that we have an inverter we need to select our battery and charger. I am going to recommend our Lifeline 12 Volt Deep Cycle Marine AGM Battery. I am recommending this battery for a couple of reasons, first of which is power. This deep cycle marine battery has 105 amp hours and can handle many charge and discharge cycles, unlike an standard car battery. The second reason I recommend this battery is because it is an AGM or absorbent glass mat battery. This means there is no risk of the battery spilling or leaking inside your house. Also AGM batteries, do not need to be ventilated, because they do not emit dangerous gases, like many other types of batteries. These Lifeline AGM Batteries also charge 20% faster then a conventional vented battery or a gel cell battery. These batteries are essentially 100% maintenance free, no addition of water is needed. There are other types of deep cycle marine batteries, but this is the best for our application.

Next we need to select a charger, I recommend the Iota Smart Battery Charger/Converter. This charger is a 12 volt, 30 amp charger. It is also a “smart charger” which means it will charge your batteries quickly and keep them fully charged, without overcharging and damaging the battery.

Lastly you will need a transfer switch, we recommend our Iota 2 Way Automatic Transfer Switch 30 amp. This transfer switch is for inverters 3600 watts or less. This not necessary, but it does automate your back up system. Meaning that if your power goes out in the middle of the night, your back up will automatically keep your pellet stove running.

Lets take a moment and review which parts are included in our system now:

• AIMS 600 Watt Pure Sine Power Inverter

• Lifeline 12 Volt Deep Cycle Marine AGM Battery

• Iota Smart Battery Charger/Converter 12 Volt/30 Amp

• Iota 2 Way Automatic Transfer Switch 30 amp

I have another AIMS product that is a pure sine power inverter, charger and transfer switch in one unit. It is our AIMS 1500 Watt Pure Sine Power Inverter with Built in Transfer Switch & Charger. This product is designed for those who want to simplify their install. You will still need the battery mentioned above to use this device.

The last item you will need to install this system is cables. It is important to get the right cables, that way you get the maximum power from your back up system. Fro either on of these systems you could use a 4 AWG or larger cable, also known as a #4 gauge cable. I recommend that you follow the stove manufacturers instructions, when deciding where to place your battery. In general most manufacturers recommend the battery is at least 6 feet from the stove, in a battery box or ventilated cabinet. Keep in mind that you want to keep the inverter as close to the battery as possible, for maximum efficiency. If you are going to place the inverter more than 6 feet from the battery, we recommend you use a larger cable, to decrease bottlenecks, the size we recommend is 1/0 AWG. We sell both of these cables on our website theinverterstore.com. To keep it simple you can just use a longer extension cord from the inverter or the transfer switch to the stove. This way you can keep the battery far from the stove and the inverter close to the battery.

I have included some simple layouts of how this system should be hooked up. Of course if you have more questions, please let us know we are happy to help.

The first layout is the system with the AIMS 1500 Watt Pure Sine Wave Inverter, Charger with built in Transfer Switch.

AIMS 1500 Watt Pure Sine Inverter Charger with Transfer Switch

This second layout is for the system that we built up around the AIMS 600 Watt Pure Sine Power Inverter.

Inverter with seperate transfer switch and charger

If you have any further questions about power inverters, cables or batteries. Please give us a call @ 888-417-8673.
Theinverterstore.com offers excellent customer support and we would be happy to answer any questions that you might have. We have a wide selection of pure sine wave and modified sine wave inverters and our goal is to make sure our customers are purchasing the right equipment the first time around.

The first thing you will need to figure out is how many strings of lights you are going to use. Once you have figured out your total number of strings and which type of bulbs, you can do the math to figure out how much power you will use.

For example a typical string of 100 led mini-lights, uses about 40 watts and 0.33 AC amps per string. Lets look at another example with different type of bulb string. The old classic C7 bulbs. These bulbs typically come in strings of 25, they use 125 watts per string or 5 watts per a bulb. The AC amps per a string are 1.04. Also in this example you have one of those really cool Frosty the Snowman Inflatable’s, which is an 8 foot size. These inflatable’s use about 80 watts or 0.66 AC amps. Lets do the math.

5 strings of 100 Mini-LED lights
5 x 0.33 amps = 1.65 AC amps per hour

1 Inflatable Snowman:
1 X 0.66 amps = 0.66 AC amps per hour

If we were to run all of these lights and the inflatable at the same time, our total AC amps per hour would be:

1.65 + 5.2 + 0.66 = 7.51 AC amps per hour.

We need to convert this total to DC amps, this is the number that we need to find out how much battery we need to run these lights.

The first step to converting will be to find our watts. Take our ac amps and multiply it by 120.

7.51 x 120 = 901.2 Watts.

The second step is to convert the watts into DC amps. You do this by dividing the watts by the volts in your system, once you have this number you need to multiply that by 1.1. For our example we are going to use a 12 volt battery.

901.2 watts / 12 Volts = 75.1 x 1.1 = 82.61 DC Amp Hours.

Now that we have all of our math done, lets summarize really quickly before we talk about which size power inverter and battery will be needed to run our system.

We know that our system uses just over 900 watts, 7.51 ac amps and about 82.61 DC amps.

Theinverterstore.com would recommend an AIMS 1800 Watt Inverter, this modified sine inverter is capable of handling 15 AC amps or 150 DC Amps. We know that this inverter will handle 15 amps, from a simple equation.
We divide the size of our inverter in watts by 120.

1800 watts / 120 AC volts = 15 AC amps.

I am recommending a power inverter capable of handling more then the required load. We recommend this so in the future you have more flexibility for expansion.

Some of our customers are in the market for a battery also. Lets talk a little bit about our battery line. We carry Lifeline and Sun Extender Batteries. We offer a full line of deep cycle marine batteries. In our last example we found that our setup of Christmas lights would use about 75 DC amps an hour. So you may be asking how big of a battery would I need to run these lights?

I would suggest our LIFELINE GPL 31T Battery. This is a 12 volt battery and it has 105 amp hours, many people get amp hours confused with cold cranking amps. It is important to know the amp hours of your battery, not the cold cranking amps for this application.

The math for figuring out about how long our 105 amp battery will power an 82.61 DC amp light system, is easy. Just divide the Amp Hours of the Battery by the Amp hours of the system.

105 amp hours / 82.61 amp hours = 1.27 hours.

This equation tells us that our battery on a full charge will run the lights for about 1.25 hours.

If you have any further questions about power inverters, cables or batteries. Please give us a call @ 888-417-8673.
Theinverterstore.com offers excellent customer support and we would be happy to answer any questions that you might have. We have a wide selection of pure sine wave and modified sine wave inverters and our goal is to make sure our customers are purchasing the right equipment the first time around.