How Long Will a Power Station Run a CPAP?
How long a power station runs a CPAP, computed from the ResMed AirSense 11's published 56.1 W draw for five stations, with humidifier, DC and solar math.
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At the ResMed AirSense 11’s published 56.1 W typical draw, a power station runs a CPAP for about 1 hour per 66 Wh of rated capacity. A 768Wh Anker SOLIX C800 Plus covers about 12 hours, or 1.5 nights. A 288Wh unit gets you roughly 4.4 hours unless your real draw is far below ResMed’s typical figure.
This page covers electrical draw and battery math only. It isn’t medical advice, and questions about your therapy belong with your doctor or equipment provider.
How many watts does a CPAP use?
ResMed’s AirSense 11 user guide publishes these figures for the machine with its 65 W power supply:
| Figure | Value |
|---|---|
| Typical power consumption | 56.1 W |
| Peak power consumption | 73.2 W |
| Power supply DC output | 24 V, 2.71 A |
| Power supply rating | 65 W |
Over an 8-hour night, 56.1 W is about 449 Wh, and the 73.2 W peak works out to about 586 Wh. The typical figure is the one in our appliance wattage table and every runtime below. Treat the peak as the worst case for a hot, high-pressure night with the humidifier working hard.
A CPAP is a tiny load for any inverter. Every station here, even the 300 W units, runs it with room to spare. Capacity is the only question.
Nights of CPAP runtime by power station
We computed hours on a full charge for five stations from 245 Wh to 1,070 Wh. As with every Amphourly runtime, we count 85% of rated capacity as usable to cover inverter and conversion losses.
| Station | Rated | Usable | Hours at 56.1 W | Nights (8 h) | Hours at 73.2 W peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EcoFlow RIVER 3 | 245 Wh | 208 Wh | 3.7 h | 0.46 | 2.8 h |
| Jackery Explorer 300 Plus | 288 Wh | 245 Wh | 4.4 h | 0.55 | 3.3 h |
| BLUETTI Elite 30 V2 | 288 Wh | 245 Wh | 4.4 h | 0.55 | 3.3 h |
| Anker SOLIX C800 Plus | 768 Wh | 653 Wh | 12 h | 1.45 | 8.9 h |
| Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 | 1,070 Wh | 910 Wh | 16 h | 2.03 | 12.4 h |
The dividing line for one full night is about 530 Wh of rated capacity at typical draw (449 Wh ÷ 0.85), or about 690 Wh at the peak figure. The C800 Plus is the smallest station here that clears both. The Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 lands on two nights at typical draw with almost nothing in reserve.
| Appliance | Draw | Inverter | Runtime | Runtime as a share of 24 hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ResMed AirSense 11 CPAP | 56 W | Runs | 12 h | |
| Smartphone charger | 10 W | Runs | 2.7 days | |
| LED bulb (60 W equivalent) | 9 W | Runs | 3.0 days | |
| Wi-Fi router | 6.5 W | Runs | 4.2 days |
Runtime = usable energy ÷ average draw. We count 85% of the rated 768 Wh as usable (653 Wh) to cover inverter and DC conversion losses. Fridges and freezers are averaged over their compressor cycle. An appliance runs only if its running watts fit the 1,200 W inverter and its start-up surge fits the 1,600 W surge rating. Wattages come from our appliance wattage table; try your own mix in the runtime calculator.
| Appliance | Draw | Inverter | Runtime | Runtime as a share of 24 hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ResMed AirSense 11 CPAP | 56 W | Runs | 16 h | |
| Smartphone charger | 10 W | Runs | 3.8 days | |
| LED bulb (60 W equivalent) | 9 W | Runs | 4.2 days | |
| Wi-Fi router | 6.5 W | Runs | 5.8 days |
Runtime = usable energy ÷ average draw. We count 85% of the rated 1,070 Wh as usable (910 Wh) to cover inverter and DC conversion losses. Fridges and freezers are averaged over their compressor cycle. An appliance runs only if its running watts fit the 1,500 W inverter and its start-up surge fits the 3,000 W surge rating. Wattages come from our appliance wattage table; try your own mix in the runtime calculator.
| Appliance | Draw | Inverter | Runtime | Runtime as a share of 24 hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ResMed AirSense 11 CPAP | 56 W | Runs | 4.4 h | |
| Smartphone charger | 10 W | Runs | 24 h | |
| LED bulb (60 W equivalent) | 9 W | Runs | 27 h | |
| Wi-Fi router | 6.5 W | Runs | 38 h |
Runtime = usable energy ÷ average draw. We count 85% of the rated 288 Wh as usable (245 Wh) to cover inverter and DC conversion losses. Fridges and freezers are averaged over their compressor cycle. An appliance runs only if its running watts fit the 300 W inverter and its start-up surge fits the 600 W surge rating. Wattages come from our appliance wattage table; try your own mix in the runtime calculator.
Humidifier on vs off: the biggest runtime factor
The heated humidifier and heated tubing are resistance heaters. Heating water takes far more energy than spinning the blower, which is why a CPAP’s peak figure sits so far above its typical figure, and why switching humidification off is the single biggest lever on battery life. ResMed lists a side cover accessory that lets the AirSense 11 run without the humidifier tub.
ResMed’s user guide doesn’t publish a humidifier-off wattage, so we won’t invent one. What we can do is show what different real-world draws mean. If your station’s app or a plug-in meter shows a lower reading with the humidifier off, find it in this table:
| Your measured draw | Rated Wh for an 8-hour night | RIVER 3 (208 Wh usable) | 288Wh stations (245 Wh usable) | C800 Plus (653 Wh usable) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 W | 188 Wh | 10.4 h | 12.2 h | 33 h |
| 30 W | 282 Wh | 6.9 h | 8.2 h | 22 h |
| 40 W | 376 Wh | 5.2 h | 6.1 h | 16 h |
| 56.1 W (ResMed typical) | 528 Wh | 3.7 h | 4.4 h | 12 h |
| 73.2 W (ResMed peak) | 689 Wh | 2.8 h | 3.3 h | 8.9 h |
The 20, 30 and 40 W rows are illustrations, not ResMed figures. The point is the slope: if a 288Wh station is going to get you through a night, your draw has to be around 30 W or lower. Measure before you rely on it.
AC outlet vs DC cord: which lasts longer?
The AirSense 11’s power brick turns household AC into 24 V DC. Run it from a station’s AC outlet and the energy converts twice: battery DC up to 120 V AC in the station’s inverter, then back down to 24 V DC in the brick. Each step wastes some energy as heat, and the station’s inverter also draws a little power just by being switched on.
ResMed sells an Air11 DC/DC converter that plugs into a 12V socket and skips both conversions. All five stations here have a 12V car outlet:
- EcoFlow RIVER 3: 126 W car outlet.
- Jackery Explorer 300 Plus: 12V car outlet alongside two 100 W USB-C ports.
- BLUETTI Elite 30 V2: 12V car outlet.
- Anker SOLIX C800 Plus: 12V car outlet.
- Jackery Explorer 1000 v2: 12V car outlet.
Our tables apply the same 85% usable figure to every load, so they describe the AC route. Going DC won’t make runtime shorter, and it usually makes it longer. Confirm the converter’s input voltage range with ResMed before you buy, and check that the cable reaches from the station to your nightstand.
UPS switchover for overnight use
If you plug the station into the wall and the CPAP into the station, most units pass grid power through and switch to battery when the grid drops. The switchover time decides whether the machine notices.
| Station | Published UPS switchover |
|---|---|
| BLUETTI Elite 30 V2 | 10 ms or less |
| EcoFlow RIVER 3 | under 20 ms (EcoFlow advises against it for desktops or NAS units) |
| Jackery Explorer 300 Plus | 20 ms |
| Anker SOLIX C800 Plus | 20 ms |
| Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 | 20 ms |
Specs can’t tell you how a particular CPAP behaves through a 10 or 20 ms gap. A faster switchover gives more margin, which is one reason our scoring method rewards it. The only way to know for your setup is to try it while you’re awake: start the machine, flip off the station’s wall power, and see whether it keeps running without restarting.
Recharging between nights with solar
On a camping trip or a multi-day outage, the question shifts from “how many nights?” to “can I put a night back every day?” One night at typical draw needs about 530 Wh going back into the battery.
Our solar model assumes a panel delivers 75% of its rated watts in good sun, capped by the station’s solar input:
| Station | Max solar input | Example panel | Watts reaching the battery | Hours of good sun, empty to full |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EcoFlow RIVER 3 | 110 W | 110 W panel | 82.5 W | 3.0 h |
| Jackery Explorer 300 Plus | 100 W | 200 W panel | 100 W (capped) | 2.9 h |
| BLUETTI Elite 30 V2 | 200 W | 200 W panel | 150 W | 1.9 h |
| Anker SOLIX C800 Plus | 300 W | 400 W panel | 300 W (capped) | 2.6 h |
| Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 | 400 W | 400 W panel | 300 W | 3.6 h |
The small stations refill quickly because they’re small, but they still only hold half a night at typical draw. The C800 Plus is the better solar-CPAP base: a single 400 W panel refills it in under three hours of good sun, and a full charge covers a night with margin. Here’s which panels fit its 11–60 V XT60 input:
- Solar input up to 300 W
- Voltage window 11–60 V
- Connector XT60
Recharge time is from empty with one panel in full sun: 768 Wh ÷ the lower of75% of the panel's rating or the station's solar input limit. A panel rated above the input limit is safe as long as its Voc fits, because the station only draws what it can take. MC4 panels need a standard MC4 adapter cable, which many stations include. Wiring two panels in series doubles the Voc, so check the total against the voltage window. Try any pairing in the solar panel matcher.
6 panels that don't fit
- Jackery SolarSaga 200W Solar Panel: its 8mm DC plug doesn't fit the XT60 solar port
- Goal Zero Nomad 400: its brand-specific plug doesn't fit the XT60 solar port
- Goal Zero Nomad 200: its brand-specific plug doesn't fit the XT60 solar port
- Goal Zero Nomad 100: its 8mm DC plug doesn't fit the XT60 solar port
- Goal Zero Boulder 100 Briefcase: its 8mm DC plug doesn't fit the XT60 solar port
- Goal Zero Boulder 200 Briefcase: its brand-specific plug doesn't fit the XT60 solar port
For more on pairing panels and stations, see our solar panel rankings or check any pairing in the solar panel matcher.
Which station should you plan around?
- One night with margin, grid or solar top-up: a 700–800Wh station. The C800 Plus covers 1.45 nights at typical draw and almost a full night at ResMed’s peak.
- Two nights without recharging: 1,100 Wh and up. The Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 gets there only at typical draw; more capacity in our power station rankings buys reserve.
- A 288Wh unit: see our best small power stations for the full field, but plan on it only if you’ve measured your humidifier-off draw at about 30 W or less, or you use it as a short bridge rather than an all-night supply.
To model your own mix, such as a CPAP plus a phone, a light and a router, use the calculator below, or follow our step-by-step power station sizing guide. It uses the same 85% usable assumption as every table on this page.
What you'll plug in
- Full-size refrigerator (ENERGY STAR)160 W, cycles 32% of the time
- Wi-Fi router6.5 W
- LED bulb (60 W equivalent)9 W
- Smartphone charger10 W
Runs all of it for about 6.2 h on a full charge.
- Runtime
- 6.2 h
- Running watts
- 214of 1,200 W inverter
- Start-up peak
- 214of 1,600 W surge
- Average draw
- 105W after cycling
Runtime = 85% of the battery's rated Wh (usable after inverter and DC losses) ÷ the average draw. The start-up peak assumes one motor starts at a time.
Smallest stations that run this load
| Station | Battery | Inverter | Runtime | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EcoFlow RIVER 3 | 245 Wh | 300 W | 2.0 h | Amazon |
| EcoFlow RIVER 3 Plus | 286 Wh | 600 W | 2.3 h | EcoFlow |
| Anker SOLIX C300 | 288 Wh | 300 W | 2.3 h | Anker SOLIX |
| BLUETTI Elite 30 V2 | 288 Wh | 600 W | 2.3 h | BLUETTI |
| Jackery Explorer 300 Plus | 288 Wh | 300 W | 2.3 h | Amazon |
| BLUETTI AC50B | 448 Wh | 700 W | 3.6 h | BLUETTI |
| Goal Zero Yeti 500 | 499 Wh | 500 W | 4.1 h | Goal Zero |
| DJI Power 500 | 512 Wh | 1,000 W | 4.2 h | DJI |
Frequently asked questions
How many watts does a CPAP machine use?
ResMed's AirSense 11 user guide lists typical power consumption of 56.1 W and a peak of 73.2 W with its 65 W power supply. Your machine's actual draw depends on pressure and humidifier settings.
Can a 300Wh power station run a CPAP all night?
At the AirSense 11's published 56.1 W typical draw, a 288Wh station runs it for about 4.4 hours. It only covers an 8-hour night if your real draw is about 30 W or less, which you can check with the station's app or a plug-in meter.
What size power station do I need for two nights of CPAP?
At 56.1 W for 8 hours a night, two nights need about 1,060 Wh of rated capacity. The 1,070Wh Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 lands right on that line; plan on more if you run a heated humidifier hard.
Is it better to run a CPAP from DC or AC on a power station?
DC is usually more efficient because it skips the station's inverter and the machine's own AC adapter. ResMed sells an Air11 DC/DC converter for the AirSense 11; our tables use the AC figure, so DC runtime should be the same or longer.
Does this tell me whether I can stop using my CPAP?
No. This page covers power draw and battery math only. Questions about your therapy belong with your doctor or equipment provider.