Medistrom Pilot-24 Lite vs EcoFlow DELTA 2 for CPAP: Which Backup?

If the CPAP is a compatible 24V machine and you want an automatic hand-off when the power fails, the Medistrom Pilot-24 Lite is the better fit. It sits between the CPAP and its power adapter, and Medistrom says the machine keeps running from the battery without interruption if mains power drops, so the sleeper should not have to wake up just because the power failed, as long as the battery is charged and the cable kit matches the machine. It is small and built for one job. If you need many hours of capacity, want to run a lamp or a phone too, or your CPAP is not on Medistrom's compatibility list, the EcoFlow DELTA 2 is the better pick. It is a general power station, so you plan and test the setup yourself. Many people end up wanting both: the small battery for the automatic hand-off, the larger station for the long haul. This page is the head-to-head. For the broader caregiver checklist, see our CPAP power outage guide.

The Pilot-24 Lite is a DC battery. Medistrom lists a 24V, 3.75A DC output, which matches the 24V input of the ResMed AirSense 10 family. Power goes from the battery straight to the CPAP with no AC conversion in between. The DELTA 2 is an AC power station. EcoFlow's manual lists a pure sine wave AC output of 1,800W total (2,700W surge). Your CPAP's own wall adapter plugs into that outlet, so the energy is converted from battery DC to AC, then back to DC inside the adapter. Every conversion wastes some energy, which is why this page uses a 0.85 factor for the inverter in the runtime math below. That factor is an assumption, not an EcoFlow figure. The DELTA 2 also has a 12V car outlet (12.6V, 10A, 126W max per the manual). A 24V CPAP cannot run from that directly, and a 12V CPAP needs a cable matched to the machine, so check with your CPAP maker before using it. The other difference is purpose. Medistrom designs the Pilot-24 Lite around CPAP, APAP and some BiPAP machines and says it is not compatible with ventilator PAP devices. EcoFlow's manual says the DELTA 2 is not recommended for powering medical emergency equipment related to personal safety.

ResMed publishes a power consumption sheet for its Air10 devices. For the AirSense 10 AutoSet, it lists 5 in standby, 7 in running mode (device only), 22 with the humidifier, and 34 with the humidifier plus ClimateLineAir heated tube. The column is labeled Watt Hour, which for a device running one hour is the same number as average watts. Those figures come from one test setup: AutoSet mode, 8 to 15 cm H2O, EPR 2, humidity setting 6, temperature 28 C, and a typical breathing pattern. Your pressure, humidity and tube settings will differ, and the sheet does not say where the meter sat in the circuit. Other models differ too. ResMed's AirCurve 10 rows run higher, and the AirSense 11, ResMed's current model, has its own specifications. Retailer listings cite a much higher typical draw for the AirSense 11 than the AirSense 10 figures here, though we could not confirm that against a ResMed document. If you own an AirSense 11, treat every runtime on this page as a best case and divide your battery's watt-hours by the figure in your own manual. Note too that Medistrom sells the AirSense 11 cable separately. The takeaway is the ratio. In ResMed's example, adding the humidifier roughly triples the draw, and adding the heated tube takes it to nearly five times the device-only figure. That one setting can matter more than the battery you pick.

Medistrom lists the Pilot-24 Lite at 95Wh and says it provides 1 to 2 nights of continuous run time at an average pressure setting with the humidifier and heated tubing disabled. It does not publish an hours figure for humidified use. You can bracket it with arithmetic, using ResMed's AirSense 10 numbers above. Runtime in hours is battery Wh divided by watts. There is no inverter on the DC path, but the real usable capacity of any battery is somewhat below its label, so treat these as ceilings: 95Wh at 7W (device only): about 13.6 hours. 95Wh at 22W (with humidifier): about 4.3 hours. 95Wh at 34W (humidifier and heated tube): about 2.8 hours. So the "1 to 2 nights" claim lines up with dry use and falls apart with full heated humidification. If the sleeper needs the humidifier, one Pilot-24 Lite is not a full night on these numbers. Medistrom also lists a 2 to 3 hour recharge from its AC adapter and an expected life of over 500 full cycles.

On capacity, yes by a wide margin. EcoFlow lists the DELTA 2 at 1,024Wh. With the 0.85 inverter assumption that is about 870Wh of usable AC energy. Using the same ResMed AirSense 10 draw figures: 870Wh at 7W: about 124 hours on paper. 870Wh at 22W: about 40 hours. 870Wh at 34W: about 26 hours. The 7W number is the least trustworthy. An inverter has its own idle consumption, and we could not find an EcoFlow figure for it, so a very light load will likely run shorter than the arithmetic says. The humidified numbers are the more realistic planning range, and even those cover several nights. Capacity is not the only test. What decides whether it works is what a spec sheet cannot tell you: whether your CPAP adapter and the inverter get along, what happens at the switchover, and whether the AC output stays on all night. The next section covers those. EcoFlow advises testing compatibility before relying on it, so do a full-night trial with your real settings. Weight matters for caregivers. The manual lists the DELTA 2 at about 12 kg (27 lbs), so it belongs at a fixed bedside spot.

No. EcoFlow does not sell the DELTA 2 as one, and the manual spells out the limits. First, switchover. The manual says that when grid power feeds the AC input, the DELTA 2 passes it through, and if power fails it can switch to battery within 30ms. It then adds that this basic UPS function does not support 0ms switching, and tells you to test compatibility before use. Many CPAP machines may ride through a gap that short, but whether yours does is a test result, not a spec. Medistrom's wording is different: it says the PAP machine draws power from the Pilot-24 Lite without any interruption. Second, standby behavior. The manual says the product defaults to 2 hours of standby, shutting off automatically with the output buttons off and no load, and that the AC output turns off after 12 hours with no load. The standby time can be changed in the app. A running CPAP is a load, but check the setting and confirm over a full night rather than assuming. Third, the manual's own warning: not recommended for medical emergency equipment related to personal safety, including hospital-grade ventilators, and monitor power status for general medical equipment. Follow your doctor's and CPAP maker's guidance.

The RIVER 2 Pro is rated at 768Wh with 800W AC output (1,600W surge), per EcoFlow's product pages, which also list an EPS switchover of under 30ms. It is not in our catalog. The RIVER 2 we do list is the smaller 256Wh, 300W model. With the same 0.85 assumption and ResMed's AirSense 10 figures: RIVER 2 (256Wh, about 218Wh usable) at 22W: about 9.9 hours. At 34W: about 6.4 hours. RIVER 2 Pro (768Wh, about 653Wh usable) at 22W: about 29.7 hours. At 34W: about 19.2 hours. The RIVER 2 covers one humidified night with little margin. The Pro covers a couple of nights. Both are lighter than the DELTA 2, which helps if the unit has to move. The Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 (1,070Wh, 1,500W) is the closest alternative to the DELTA 2. Jackery lists UPS-style switching too, but the only switchover spec we found was on its Australian page, so confirm for your region.

Treat this as a strong caution, not a yes. Oxygen concentrators vary a lot in power draw, and many draw more than a CPAP, so check the label on yours for rated watts and startup surge. Medistrom does not list oxygen concentrators for the Pilot-24 Lite, so that product is out. The DELTA 2 has the wattage headroom on paper, but EcoFlow's manual does not recommend it for medical emergency equipment tied to personal safety, and the 30ms transfer is not a zero-break UPS. A concentrator someone depends on for breathing is exactly the sort of device where a gap or a mistaken shutoff is serious. Call your oxygen supplier or the concentrator maker and ask what backup they support. Many suppliers provide backup cylinders or approved batteries. This page is not medical advice, and a consumer power station should not be the only plan for oxygen.

Medistrom lists the Pilot-24 Lite at 95Wh and calls it FAA compliant. The FAA's rule is that spare lithium ion batteries go in carry-on baggage only and are limited to 100Wh each without airline approval, so 95Wh falls under the line. Airlines may set stricter limits, so check yours. The DELTA 2 at 1,024Wh and the RIVER 2 Pro at 768Wh are far above 100Wh. The FAA allows up to two spare batteries between 101 and 160Wh with airline approval, and nothing larger, so these stations are not airline carry-ons. If you fly with a CPAP, the Pilot-24 Lite is the only one of these that fits the rules.

Pick the Medistrom Pilot-24 Lite if your CPAP is on Medistrom's compatibility list, you want the hand-off to be automatic, you fly with your CPAP, or you want something small and single-purpose. Plan on dry use for a full night, and confirm the cable kit for your exact machine. Pick the EcoFlow DELTA 2 if you need many hours of capacity, want a humidifier or heated tube on during an outage, need the same unit to run a lamp, router or phone, or your CPAP is not supported by a dedicated battery. Test it for a full night first, and set the standby time in the app. Pick both if the CPAP is critical: the Pilot-24 Lite takes the first hit, the DELTA 2 carries the rest. Pick neither as the sole plan for oxygen or ventilator-level equipment. Ask the device maker or your clinician what backup they support. One note on availability: at least one retailer says the Pilot-24 Lite has been discontinued by the manufacturer, while others still list it, so confirm stock before planning around it.