Why power outages matter for CPAP users
When the power goes out at 2 AM, most people just wait for it to come back. But if you depend on a CPAP for sleep apnea therapy, a power outage means your treatment stops immediately. Your airway loses positive pressure, apnea events return, and your sleep quality collapses.
Storms, grid failures, rolling blackouts, and even tripped breakers can interrupt your therapy. Having a backup plan isn't optional — it's a medical necessity.
Option 1: Dedicated CPAP battery (manual switch)
The simplest approach: keep a charged CPAP battery next to your bed. When the power goes out, unplug from the wall, plug into the battery, and go back to sleep.
Recommended setup:
- Battery: EcoFlow RIVER 2 (256 Wh) or Jackery Explorer 240 v2 (241 Wh)
- Position: On your nightstand or under the bed within cable reach
- Routine: Charge once a week (or after each use)
Pros: Simple, affordable, portable — doubles as a camping/travel battery Cons: Requires you to wake up and manually switch over
Option 2: UPS mode (automatic failover)
Some portable power stations have a UPS (uninterruptible power supply) mode. You plug the power station into the wall, plug your CPAP into the power station, and if wall power drops, the battery kicks in automatically — before you even wake up.
Best UPS-capable options for CPAP:
- Bluetti AC2A — 204 Wh, built-in UPS mode, LiFePO4, auto-switches in under 20 ms
- EcoFlow DELTA 2 — 1,024 Wh, EPS (Emergency Power Supply) mode, handles multi-night outages
- APC Smart-UPS — traditional IT UPS, pure sine wave models work with CPAP
Key requirement: The UPS must output a pure sine wave. Modified sine wave inverters can damage CPAP machines or cause them to malfunction.
Option 3: DC battery with always-ready connection
If your CPAP supports DC input, you can keep a DC battery connected and ready at all times. Some purpose-built CPAP batteries (like the Medistrom Pilot-24 Lite) can act as pass-through power — wall power charges the battery while powering the CPAP, and if wall power drops, the battery takes over.
Pros: Seamless transition, DC-efficient, no inverter noise Cons: Limited to compatible CPAP models, battery stays tethered to your setup
How to size your outage battery
Ask yourself: how many hours of backup do I need?
| Scenario | Recommended backup | Battery size (25 W CPAP) |
|---|---|---|
| Brief outage (1–3 hrs) | 3 hours | 75–100 Wh |
| Full night outage | 8 hours | 200–250 Wh |
| Extended outage (2 nights) | 16 hours | 400–500 Wh |
| Multi-day outage | 24+ hours | 700+ Wh or solar charging |
Setup checklist
- Know your CPAP's wattage (check the power supply label)
- Choose a battery with enough Wh for your target outage duration
- Confirm the battery outputs pure sine wave AC (if using AC)
- Test the full setup: run your CPAP on battery for a full night
- Set a monthly reminder to check the battery's charge level
- Keep the battery within arm's reach of your bed
- Have a flashlight accessible (you'll need it to plug in the battery in the dark)
- Consider a battery with a built-in light (many power stations include one)
What if the outage lasts days?
For extended outages (hurricane season, ice storms, wildfire power shutoffs):
- Solar charging — a 100 W portable panel recharges 300+ Wh per day
- Generator — even a small 1,000 W inverter generator runs a CPAP indefinitely
- Vehicle power — run your CPAP from a 12V car outlet with appropriate cables (don't drain the starter battery!)
- Multiple batteries — rotate two smaller batteries, charging one while using the other
Don't forget about humidity
Heated humidifiers and heated tubes roughly double your CPAP's power draw. In an outage:
- Turn off the humidifier to double your battery runtime
- Use an HME filter instead — it captures your exhaled moisture and returns it to the air you breathe
- Keep distilled water packets as a backup if you do run the humidifier on power station mode
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