Best power station for a CPAP machine in South Africa (2026)
This is not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or CPAP provider before relying on a battery for therapy, and do not use this guide for life-support equipment such as ventilators. We have not tested these power stations with a CPAP machine ourselves. Specs come from ResMed's own user guide and battery guide, and from the South African stores of EcoFlow (EcoFlow ZA) and Jackery (Jackery SA). Where we work something out ourselves, such as runtime, we show the sum and say so.
Quick answer
- Best for one full night with room to spare: EcoFlow RIVER 2 Pro (R10,399). 768 Wh of LFP battery, 800 W pure sine wave AC and a 12.6 V, 10 A car output. On our estimate it runs a ResMed AirSense 11 for about 11.6 hours at ResMed's typical figure, and about 8.9 hours at its peak figure.
- Best value: EcoFlow RIVER 2 Max (R6,599). 512 Wh is about 7.8 hours at the typical figure, so it covers most of a night, not a long one with heavy humidifier use.
- Best for two nights or long outages: Jackery Explorer 1000 Pro (R17,999) or EcoFlow DELTA 2 (R16,499). Both are about 1 kWh, roughly 15 hours at the typical figure. Jackery SA's own FAQ says you can leave a CPAP plugged into the Explorer 1000 Pro as a UPS.
- Short outages only: EcoFlow RIVER 3 (R5,199). 245 Wh is only about 3.7 hours on AC, but it has the fastest stated switch-over here.
How much power does a CPAP use?
It depends on the machine and on whether the heated humidifier and heated tube are on, so check the specifications page of your own machine's manual. As an example, ResMed's AirSense 11 user guide lists:
- A 65 W power supply (24 V DC output, 2.71 A).
- Typical power consumption of 56.1 W and peak consumption of 73.2 W.
ResMed does not say which settings the typical figure assumes, so treat it as a planning number and leave headroom.
Our runtime estimate
Runtime (hours) ≈ capacity in Wh × 0.85 ÷ CPAP watts. The 0.85 allowance for conversion losses is the rule of thumb Jackery SA uses on its own product pages. This is arithmetic, not a measurement.
| Power station | Price (31 Oct 2026) | Capacity | At 56.1 W typical | At 73.2 W peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EcoFlow RIVER 3 | R5,199 | 245 Wh | ~3.7 h | ~2.8 h |
| EcoFlow RIVER 2 Max | R6,599 | 512 Wh | ~7.8 h | ~5.9 h |
| Jackery Explorer 500 | R6,999 | 518 Wh | ~7.8 h | ~6.0 h |
| EcoFlow RIVER 2 Pro | R10,399 | 768 Wh | ~11.6 h | ~8.9 h |
| EcoFlow DELTA 2 | R16,499 | 1024 Wh | ~15.5 h | ~11.9 h |
| Jackery Explorer 1000 Pro | R17,999 | 1002 Wh | ~15.2 h | ~11.6 h |
AC plug or DC cable?
ResMed's battery guide says it “strongly recommend[s]” DC-to-DC converters over DC-to-AC inverters when running its devices from a battery, and recommends a pure sine wave inverter if you do use AC. All the power stations below list pure sine wave AC except the RIVER 3, whose EcoFlow ZA spec table does not state the waveform.
For the AirSense 11, ResMed sells an Air11 DC/DC converter that plugs into a 12 V or 24 V car-type socket. ResMed's UK shop lists its input as 12 V/24 V, 10 A/5 A and its output as 24 V, 3.75 A, and says it works with the humidifier and heated tube. Every power station here has a 12 V, 10 A car-type output (126 W max on the EcoFlows), which matches that 10 A input on paper. We could not find a South African price for the converter, so ask your ResMed dealer or CPAP provider.
What happens when the power goes off?
ResMed explains on its blog that in an outage a CPAP simply shuts off, and that you normally have to move the plug from the wall to the battery yourself. A power station with a UPS or EPS mode avoids that: you leave the CPAP plugged into the station, the station into the wall, and it switches to battery when the grid drops. Switch-over times stated by the makers:
- EcoFlow RIVER 3: <10/20 ms (EcoFlow ZA lists both figures; 10 ms is quoted for its UPS mode).
- EcoFlow RIVER 2 Max and RIVER 2 Pro: 30 ms / <30 ms EPS.
- EcoFlow DELTA 2: EPS auto-switch, but EcoFlow ZA's DELTA 2 page does not state a time.
- Jackery Explorer 1000 Pro: UPS function; Jackery SA's FAQ names CPAP machines as an example. No time is stated.
- Jackery Explorer 500: Jackery SA's listing does not mention a UPS mode.
Neither ResMed nor the power-station makers say whether a particular CPAP keeps running through a given switch-over time, so try it while you are awake before you rely on it.
EcoFlow RIVER 2 Pro – best for one full night
768 Wh LFP battery rated for 3000 cycles to 80% capacity, 800 W pure sine wave AC (1600 W surge), a 12.6 V, 10 A DC output, a <30 ms EPS auto-switch, about 7.8 kg and a 0–100% AC recharge in 70 minutes, according to EcoFlow ZA.
Price: R10,399 at EcoFlow ZA (was R11,199; checked 31 Oct 2026).
EcoFlow RIVER 2 Max – best value
512 Wh LFP battery (80%+ capacity after 3000 cycles), 500 W pure sine wave AC (1000 W surge), a 12.6 V, 10 A DC output, a 30 ms switch-over mode and about 6 kg, according to EcoFlow ZA. Our estimate of about 7.8 hours at the typical figure is close to one 8-hour night, so it suits shorter nights or lower settings.
Price: R6,599 at EcoFlow ZA (was R7,999; checked 31 Oct 2026).
Jackery Explorer 1000 Pro – the one sold with CPAP in mind
1002 Wh lithium-ion battery (≥1000 cycles to 80%), two 230 V pure sine wave AC outlets (1000 W continuous, 2000 W surge), a 12 V, 10 A DC output, 11.5 kg, a 46 dB stated working volume and a 1.8-hour AC recharge, according to Jackery SA. Its FAQ says you can leave devices “such as my CPAP machine” permanently plugged in and it will switch to battery during load-shedding. Warranty: 2 years.
Price: R17,999 at Jackery SA (open-box Grade A from R16,199; checked 31 Oct 2026).
EcoFlow DELTA 2 – two nights, expandable
1024 Wh LFP battery (3000 cycles to 80%+), six AC outlets with 1800 W total (2700 W surge), a 12.6 V, 10 A car output, EPS auto-switch, 12 kg, and support for one extra battery, according to EcoFlow ZA. It costs R1,500 less than the Explorer 1000 Pro and has three times the rated cycles, but EcoFlow does not state its switch-over time.
Price: R16,499 at EcoFlow ZA (was R17,999; checked 31 Oct 2026).
Also considered
- EcoFlow RIVER 3 (R5,199): 245 Wh LiFePO4 (3000 cycles), 300 W AC, a 12.6 V, 10 A car output and 3.55 kg, per EcoFlow ZA. Fine for an outage of a few hours, too small for a full night on AC.
- Jackery Explorer 500 (R6,999): 518 Wh Li-ion NMC (≥500 cycles to 80%), 500 W pure sine wave AC and a 12 V, 10 A DC output, per Jackery SA. Similar runtime to the RIVER 2 Max for R400 more, with a sixth of the rated cycles and no stated UPS mode.
- We could not load Takealot's pages to check prices, so we are not quoting them.
Verdict
For most people with an AirSense-class CPAP, the EcoFlow RIVER 2 Pro (R10,399) is the sensible middle: a full night with headroom, LFP cells and an EPS switch. If budget is tight, the RIVER 2 Max (R6,599) covers most of a night. If you want two nights, or a station whose South African seller explicitly describes CPAP UPS use, choose the Jackery Explorer 1000 Pro or the EcoFlow DELTA 2. Whichever you buy, check your own machine's power figure, ask your provider about a DC cable, and do a test night before you need it.
Safety notes
- Use only the power cables and converters your CPAP maker supports.
- ResMed warns that some older heated humidifiers must not be used with inverters; check your model in ResMed's battery guide.
- Keep the power station charged between outages and away from the humidifier's water.
Sources (checked 31 October 2026)
- ResMed – AirSense 11 user guide (specifications)
- ResMed – Battery guide (DC converters and inverters)
- ResMed Shop UK – Air11 DC/DC converter
- ResMed – Should I get a CPAP battery?
- EcoFlow ZA – RIVER 2 Pro
- EcoFlow ZA – RIVER 2 Max
- EcoFlow ZA – DELTA 2
- EcoFlow ZA – RIVER 3
- Jackery South Africa – Explorer 1000 Pro
- Jackery South Africa – Explorer 500