Power Cuts!!

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Permalink Reply by Rosemary Kemp on January 4, 2012 at 22:33

I found a "tennis ball shirt" and gave it a try at one point. It was incredibly uncomfortable. It had a pocket in the back and you put a ball into it. (I think it was one of those plastic balls like you find in a ball pool and not actually a tennis ball) but although it kept me from sleeping on my back it was truly horrible.

Not having electricity is scary but upright sleeping sounds sensible to me too. I used to sleep strapped into my car in the car park before going in to work before I was diagnosed and this was the best sleep I ever got. I don't think I fancy sleeping in the car when it is this cold though!

Long live the springtime and the storms ending.

Rosemary

 

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Permalink Reply by Isla Deuchar on January 4, 2012 at 23:24

Funny I was just thinking about this today as our lights have been flickering on and off most of the day...they seem to have stopped at the moment and it has calmed down a bit outside so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we are all in the safe zone here at the minute.  I am in central Scotland and in some ways for once, we have been really lucky...our weather has not been as bad as the rest of Scotland, although I am fed up of rain, rain and more rain :Thank you all for your suggestions...if power goes out, think might just sleep in chair :)

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Permalink Reply by Kath Hope on January 5, 2012 at 9:23

It will be interesting to know what your electric company say Vera, especially for the US members on here. 

Vera said:

I just  found this page. I am debating on whether to notify the electric company in my area or not. I thought that you all might like the information about power outages. Their other info on this page is quite good too. http://smart-sleep-apnea.blogspot.com/2011/12/everyday-cpap-safety....

..

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Permalink Reply by paula jones on January 8, 2012 at 20:22

LOL..thats sooo true, i wake up and think ohh nooo,its not working,but it really is,u defo do get used to it...Honest!! :)

 
Kath Hope said:

I've been know to forget to press the start button too on occasions LOL.  However, my machine's now set to start automatically when I put the mask on (one less thing to think about at bedtime). 

Interestingly, once I got used to CPAP there were occasions that I actually thought the machine wasn't switched on, but when pulling the mask away from my face to check I realized it was.  Amazing how our bodies get used to all that air blowing.  Newbies to CPAP won't believe this just yet, but they will soon :)

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Permalink Reply by Marion@As I Live and Breathe on February 11, 2012 at 15:33

Here's some useful info from UK Power Network:

UK Power Networks wants to hear of your medical needs

 If you live in the East of England, South East or London, your electricity will be delivered by UK Power Networks regardless of who you pay your energy bill to.

The company keeps the lights on for about 8million customers and invests in and maintains the electricity network to help ensure reliable power supplies.

 However occasional faults and damage can unfortunately still cause power cuts.

 UK Power Networks runs a Priority Services Register and if you depend on electricity for medical needs, you should add your name to the register so that the company is aware of your situation.  Anyone who is dependant on medical equipment, chronically sick, disabled or has another special need can apply to be on the Register.

 Staff will not necessarily be able to restore your power any sooner if they have your details, but they can offer you extra help; phoning to let you know what the problem is, advising you of updates and the predicted restoration time, and arranging for British Red Cross volunteers to visit you at home and provide practical help such as hot drinks, torches and sometimes transport.

You will also be given a special hotline number to call UK Power Networks on.

If the company has to interrupt your power supply to carry out planned maintenance on the network, it will give you at least five days notice so that you can make alternative arrangements if necessary.

 Head of customer services Matt Rudling said: “We will always work to restore power as quickly as is safely possible, as we do not want to see our customers inconvenienced if we can help it.

 “It’s difficult for anybody during a power cut but it must be especially worrying if you are reliant on electricity for medical equipment, or have other special needs, so we want to understand your problems and try to help wherever we can.

Please do let us know if you would like to be on the Register.”

 

To request an application form please call UK Power Networks on 0800 169 9970

More details about UK Power Network’ priority services are available at www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk and if you live in a different area please contact the electricity company which delivers power to you to see if they provide a similar service.

 

If you have a medical condition or rely on medical equipment which would be severely affected by a power cut please discuss your concerns and needs with your carer, district nurse, doctor or social worker etc, so that you can produce a personal emergency plan to cope with a power cut.

Your personal emergency plan should always include calling the power cut emergency line to let them know that you are without power.

 

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Permalink Reply by Rosemary Kemp on February 12, 2012 at 0:18

This is the sort of information sharing that is of so much help to people. Thank you so much for posting this.

Rosemary Kemp

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Permalink Reply by Roz B on February 12, 2012 at 16:19

I'm already on Eon's regaister but will contact these guys too as they may over-ride the others.

Thanks for sharing.

I am very new to CPAP and these ar the sort of things that were concerning me.

thanks

roz xx

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Permalink Reply by Caveman on February 12, 2012 at 17:41

This is a common problem with computers and the solution is an 'uninterruptible power supply' - UPS. These are generally of low capacity so will only work for a shortish power cut but have the advantage of being relatively cheap - here's a link:-

http://www.ebuyer.com/store/Servers/cat/UPS

Even the smaller ones by my reckoning could give you an hour of use before shutting down and can often be configured via your PC before use. I'll do some sums and see if I can't come up with a specific recommendation.

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Permalink Reply by Graeme Joy on February 12, 2012 at 18:17

Hi All,

I have e-mailed "Respironics" regrading their battery power system, and will confirm their answer later.

They advertise the following on their website:

DC Battery Adapter Cable
Reorder # 532209

Operating Instructions

The DC Battery Adapter Cable, when connected to either the DC Interface Module or the DC Cord, enables Respironics’ CPAP and Bi-level Systems to be operated from a 12 VDC deep cycle marine-type battery.

CAUTION: DO NOT connect the cable to a battery that is installed in a vehicle or has any
additional equipment connected to it.

Respironics recommends a fully-charged 100 A-hour 12 VDC deep cycle marine-type battery to operate your Respironics System. Use of a battery rated less than 100 A-hours may reduce the length of operation.

DC Battery Adapter Cable

CONNECTIONS:

WARNING: When connecting the battery adapter cable to a battery:
• The black clamp must always be connected to the negative post and the red clamp must always
be connected to the positive post of the battery.
• DO NOT allow the clamps to come into contact with each other.
• DO NOT allow both clamps to come into contact with the same battery post.
• DO NOT allow loose fitting metal jewelry to touch the battery posts while you are connecting the
cable.
• Always disconnect the cables from the battery and the unit before moving the equipment.
• Not for use in a mobile environment.

Step 1 Connect the Battery Adapter Cable clamps to a free-standing 12 VDC battery as shown.
Red Clamp - Positive Post
Black Clamp - Negative Post

Step 2 Connect the adapter end of the cable to the cigarette lighter plug of either the DC Interface Module
or the DC Cord.

WARNING: The Respironics DC Battery Adapter Cable is designed for use with Respironics products
only. This cable is not recommended or warranted for any other applications. Replace any
damaged or frayed cables immediately.

CAUTION: The fuse holder contains a 15 amp automotive type fuse. Replacement fuses can be purchased
at any automotive parts store. To maintain over-current protection, replace the fuse with the
same type and rating.

Their site is

http://cflex.respironics.com/

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Permalink Reply by Caveman on February 13, 2012 at 0:03

100AHr battery is HUGE. The S8 Escape power consumption is said to be 34VA (watts if you like but not the same thing) so if you were using a converter or UPS assuming a poor efficiency meaning consumption of 70 watts (50% efficiency) which is roughly 6 Amps from a 12V battery then 100 A-hour battery would give at least 16 hours of run time. The longest power cut I can remember in recent history my area (Lancs) was 4 hours!

Anyway, going back to the UPS units - my small unit has a 7Ahr battery so that should give a run-time of 1.5 hours (7x12v=84va, almost 3 lots of 34VA the power consumption) so while the theory says about 2.5 hours, 1.5 is probably more realistic. So I'd still suggest this is probably a much cheaper alternative to the 'official' equipment.

http://www.ebuyer.com/65711-apc-back-ups-cs-650-ac-230v-400w-650va-...

is £90 with free delivery and would probably do the trick.

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Permalink Reply by Graeme Joy on February 13, 2012 at 11:24

Hi Caveman,

I believe the commercial unit offered by the manufacturer of our machines is looking to offer a solution to more than just an hour or two during a short power cut.

Perhaps the camping, caravan, boat users where a system that can cope with two or three days away from a wall socket rather than an hour at home.

Most may all ready own a standard "Leisure" battery or have a 12vDC wired system in their caravan, the cable offered simply allows the use of a standard cigar lighter plug, available nationally, to power our night machines.

A standard car battery would offer quite a few hours, but please heed the warning about being in a stable location and not having other electrical loads attached at the same time as this would affect the running time.

As with most electrical items please seek professional or qualified advice if you are at all concerned about it.

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