Use of Bed-Mounted Power Outlet

My question is: Is it possible to have the bed-mounted 115V power outlet to have (clean?) power output even when the truck is not running?

My issue is CPAP machines for the wife and I while camping. The lithium ion batteries for remote cpap use are stupid expensive and don't last long either. Thinking of using the power outlet (for convenience only) to draw power from the truck battery to run our devices overnight. My reading suggests that one night with both devices may leave the battery unable to crank the truck so, my solution is using a Noco jump start battery for that the next day.

I like this Noco and truck battery solution.

My issue is where to get the power. My alternative is a pure sine wave inverter clipped to the truck battery to run the devices and then, still use the Noco the next morning. In either case, I will probably replace my OEM battery with 92ah "dual purpose" battery that can stand the power draw more easily.

Understand this is likely just for one night at a time, two nights max and only a few times a year. Thoughts?

 

A lead acid battery twice the AH to run the inverter while it’s doing it’s thing for the Cpaps. Then a charger from the plug to charge the clap battery.

 

You may want to look into a Jackery portable electric generator. I don’t know how much juice a CPAP draws, but it’s definitely something to look into. They’re small and portable and I know a lot of overlanders use them for all kinds of stuff from refrigerators to heating units, etc... You can also charge them from 12V when the truck is running, solar panels, and a 110V wall outlet.

 

Certainly, a dedicated "extra " battery is easy. But, I guess I wasn't clear enough. I don't want to carry, or pay for ($150-250) or, maintain another battery for intermittent use. Trying to use the single truck battery for cpaps and for the truck. Hence, the jump start battery. Thanks!

 

I don't know the power requirements of your CPAP machine but the built in inverter in the Gen 3's outputs a square wave, not a pure sine wave. If you need a pure sine, it won't work.

 

Bingo, we're done! Perfect answer, thanks.

The devices require pure sine wave to avoid damage to the electronics. So, the bed outlet is a non-starter. I can get a pure sine wave inverter and clip to the truck battery to power both devices and simply "jump" the truck the next day.

I like this because I only need the one truck battery, the inverter has multiple uses, and the Noco jump battery is good to have anyway. No wasted money or space with dedicated single-use items. Thanks again!

 

Careful draining your battery down to zero multiple times, car batteries will get damaged that way.

 

Your plan A shouldn't be to run the battery down to dead and then jump start it the next day. That's a great way to shorten its lifespan. And what if there's a malfunction with the noco? The jackery power banks have a pure sine wave 110v output so it would be a much better idea to just invest in one of those instead.

 

If there's a fault with those jump packs, it's their battery level. They seem wildly inconsistent

 

I have a

$100 noco GB40 1000A ultrasafe car battery jump starter, 12V battery pack, battery booster, jump box, portable charger and jumper cables for 6.0L gasoline and 3.0L diesel engines

noco GB40 and it's pretty great at holding a charge if the temperature isn't too cold. It's like any other battery though and cold affects it, so one morning I went to help someone out at a gas station in sub-freezing temps and it wouldn't jump them. Cables did the trick though. They can be handy but should never be the Plan A without a backup, which is why I carry cables too.

 

Yeah I agree. Shouldn't be solely relied upon.

 

I'll 2nd what others have said here.

About the 3rd time you run the truck battery down low enuf to need a jump you've started the damage to the battery. A "deep cycle" battery for a motorhome is designed for this but they make lousy starter batteries. So, you're damned if you do and damned if you don't.

Along with the battery damage there's a very good chance of alternator damage. They aren't designed to "charge" a battery. They're designed to "maintain" the charge level in the battery.
That's why every alternator I've ever installed (25+ years as a Euro Car Tech = a metric shit ton of Alt's) had a tag on it that said "warranty void if battery not fully charged".

In the long run a Jackery or the like will most likely be cheaper.....

YMMV RON

 

This is a bad idea and will lead to the premature death of your truck's starting battery.

 

Here’s a very low amp portable CPAP that my friend uses camping - it won’t drain batteries like others do:

https://www.resmed.com/en-us/sleep-...cts-list/cpap-machines/airmini-portable-cpap/

User manual: https://document.resmed.com/en-us/d...ni/user-guide/airmini_user-guide_amer_eng.pdf

 

Those look like a great option. But, as the OP would need 2 of them, that is $1600. He could run dual batteries for less.

Honestly, if his machines can use DC power, a battery that works with CPAPs (like the EXP48) would be the most efficient option. Given the cost of a NOCO and pure sine wave inverter, and the downsides to deep battery discharges (though a group 31 deep cycle could address those, but adds more cost), I think the OPs plan is theoretically nice, but poor in reality.

 

Wow, lots of interesting comments. I didn't realize killing a battery 2-3 times started the damage. And, I didn't know the jump batteries were so unreliable since I have read otherwise in this forum. Hhmmmmm......

I don't think 2 cpaps, from my reading, will "kill" a battery overnight. An article claimed that 1 device could run off a 65ah battery about 5 hours and still start the truck an same device could run from 20-30 hours if no regard for starting. So even 2 units at 8 hours (16 hours use) is less than 20 AND, if I can up the 65ah capacity and use a battery that would deep cycle more efficiently, maybe? So, I found this battery...

This is the battery I was thinking of replacing the OEM battery with:
https://www.batteriesplus.com/produ...ual-purpose-(starting_cycling)/12/sli27magmdc

It has 92ah and is good for deep cycling and will still easily start the truck. My point is, I don't believe 2 cpaps will kill it but, I'm only guessing. Could this battery be good enough to stand the draw? I've learned that cpaps power usage varies with heated humidifiers, heated tubes, and the pressure is also a contributor. The power estimate for our devices is around 45 watts. I estimate 4.5-5 amp draw each so, 9-10 amps total. At 8 hours that 70-100 amps . Not sure what that will do to the battery I have shown above? Will the alternator still be an issue?

 

AGM batteries have different charging requirements to maintain their life. Higher voltage output from the alternator, and/or special periodic charging procedures.

 

So if I understand correctly (maybe not?) i have a power need of about 90-100 watts to run 2 units. So let's look a this $500 item...

$499 Jackery Portable Power Station Explorer 500, 518Wh Outdoor Solar Generator Mobile Lithium Battery Pack with 110V/500W AC Outlet for Home Use, Emergency Backup,Road Trip Camping (Solar Panel Optional)

https://www.amazon.com/Jackery-Port...able&qid=1639327356&s=automotive&sr=1-1-spons

This is rated at 518wh. So at 90w this supply is dead between 5-6 hours of use. Pointless?

 

Okay so, what then what are the charging requirements for an AGM and, do those requirements alone make this a bad idea? Just trying to understand, thanks.

 

Insurance covered most of a CPAP cost for my friend. They even added a battery to it as well.