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This message has been edited. Last edited by: synthplayer,

don't know much about Dialysis machines specifically, but can you post a picture of the Dialysis machine's nameplate which should include some electrical specs, such as how many watts it draws, which would be the first step in figuring out how long a battery backup unit would last.

The part I don't know if the Dialysis machines are on continuously and using constant power for the 8-9 hours per night, or if it has a duty cycle where it draws a uses a little bit of power, and then it peaks as some higher power for a period of time, and then goes back to using a little bit of power again, but we do the best we can with the information at hand.

I would look at the back of the machine you want to power and do a bit of math.

To keep numbers simple let's say the machine take 100 watts to run. If you need to machine for 8 hours, you will need 800 watt*hours of battery backup.

If Watts are not shown on the machines label it should show current input required. Power is voltage (120V) * current (amps).

Uninterrupted Power Supply or UPS is what we used for critical servers. We always installed APC brand but that was 15 years ago. At least that will give you a search term.

We had to measure the power consumption of the server in watts. Then we'd get one that would at least last long enough for the server to be safely shut down. We're talking minutes not 8 or 9 hours though. Perhaps there's a UPS for medical devices with a longer backup supply.

I think what someone needs to do is to call the manufacturer of the machine that your family member is using. Explain what you are trying to accomplish. They have technical support available to steer you in the right direction.

It's not like you got the machine from Harbor Freight; medical equipment is expensive and they have 24-hour technical support available as this is a life support equipment. My career has been in medical device / pharmaceutical manufacturing.

If you go with a Power Station (aka Solar Generator), after you choose one with enough amp-hours of battery, make sure it will operate like a UPS.

Most of the newer, bigger ones can do that, but not all.

“I was thinking he could plug the jackery into the wall, plug the dialysis machine into the jackery, and if there was a power outage, the jackery would kick in to power his machine.”

^^^ Yes, the Jackery will already be running and should continue to do so on it’s battery.

I’m on a cpap and really rely on it.

I’d been wanting a battery backup for awhile but balked at the cost.

I got a Black Friday deal on the Jackery 1000. Excellent price. When I unboxed it I was very happy to see the quality of construction. The battery is a 42 amp hour. Has a built in pure sine wave inverter with AC 110 volt plug ins as well as a 12 Volt DC plug in. That’s important.

If I need it, power is out, and I turn off the humidifier, I figured it would give me about 36 hours of power and leave it with a 10% power reserve.

You pictured a Jackery 100, which is a dinky unit and won’t run the demand you need for more than a few minutes. Just way too small. Same with the 300 you linked, just too small.

You need to know how much power you need. The manufacturer should list the machines power usage, but I recommend you do an energy audit. Get a Kill-a-Watt Meter (available many places, let google find for you) plug it in and it will tell you exactly how much power, over time, the machine uses. Then you will know to size your backup power.

Not to get too complicated, but as an alternative you could purchase a 200 amp hour Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePo)battery, a LiFePo battery charger, and a pure sine wave inverter, this would serve you as well and have more power to run longer.

Best wishes to you. If I can answer any questions my email is in my profile.

Edit to add: a unit like that will most likely have a very short term backup battery and will sound a rather loud audible alarm and a flashing light to alert you. Thus you can react and get power to the unit by other means.
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May I suggest that a "reaction plan" be drafted with details on locations to dialysis centers and hospitals. Of course the hospital should be generator power and safe from power interruption. However, the dialysis centers may also have such equipment. In the plan, create the full scenario with time hacks for key decisions. For example, if power outage lasts for more than 120 minutes, get in car and go to hospital. Take time now to create the plan and post it on the machine. Emotions may cloud judgement during the emergency.

4MulBER hit the nail on the head... there needs to be a. better plan... what happens if the power is off for even longer... like for days...

Also, home grown do it yourself backup systems are fun and can work but I would not personally want to bet my life on one. I bet the dialisis company has back up systems that are designed for it.