Frequently Asked Questions
Question 1: I want to use this as an automatic backup, when power fails. Can it both be charged from a wall outlet and power the cpap at the same time?
Answer: All of the Zopec EXPLORE batteries were designed for medical back-up power. You can have the power bank be plugged in a wall outlet and power the CPAP at the same time. The CPAP will run. The battery will stay 100% (FF) charged. They have bypass built-in so this will not hurt the battery life. When the power bank is plugged in the wall outlet, the CPAP machine draws power from the wall outlet and bypass the power bank. When the power outage occurs, the CPAP machine will start to run by the power bank.
Question 2: For backup power use, can this stay plugged in and automatically turn on in the event of power failure?
Answer: Yes. All of the Zopec EXPLORE batteries have our AutoSwitch technology built-in. In an event of power outage, it will automatically switch to power bank power and you don't have to wake up to switch. It works very nicely. You can try it and see it works well. You will not even know when an power outage occurs. You can test it. Just have everything plugged in and use the CPAP then unplug from the wall.
Question 3: Is this product FAA approved for air travel?
Answer: Yes for Zopec EXPLORE Mini, 4000, and 5500 models. You can bring them in your carry-on luggage but you can NOT put them in check-in luggage. FAA does not allow any lithium ion batteries and power banks in check-in luggage. NOTE: You can NOT bring Zopec EXPLORE 8000 for air travel.
The maximum capacity limit for lithium ion batteries and power banks for carry-on luggage is 160 Watt Hours (Wh). You can NOT bring Zopec EXPLORE 8000 (288 Wh) for air travel because its capacity exceeds the limit.
For battery or power bank capacity of 100 Wh and under, you don't need to ask airline for approval and there are no quantity limit to bring on the airplane. This applies to Model EXPLORE Mini (97 Wh).
For batteries or power bank capacity of 101 - 160 Wh, you need to ask airline for approval prior to travel and there is a quantity limit of 2. This applies to Models EXPLORE 4000 (120 Wh) and EXPLORE 5500 (160 Wh) batteries We have contacted all major commercial airlines and have always gotten the approval. Also, our sales team travel by air every week and they always carry all 3 batteries on the airplane with no issues.
Question 4: I have the ResMed AirSense 10. How long can the Zopec EXPLORE 8000 battery power the AirSense 10 with humidifier, no heated hose?
Answer: The run time depends on the CPAP machine, power bank model, pressure setting, and humidifier setting. For Model EXPLORE 8000, it will run 12 hours at pressure of 10 and humidifier at mid-setting (4) for ResMed AirSense10. If you use higher setting of pressure and humidifier, please click on "Run Time Chart" at the top menu bar and you will be able to find the approximate run time.
Question 5: Can I uses this in an RV and just recharge it on the wall?
Answer: Yes, we have many customers using our power banks in the RV. That is exactly what you would do. During the day time, the generator is on and you would recharge the power bank with the wall outlet in the RV. At night, you would run the CPAP with our power bank. Depending on your machine setting and which power bank you get, you may get several nights in a single charge.
Question 6: I want this for a future camping is it best to charge and let sit or should we use it now and keep charging battery
Answer: It is best to just let it sit. When you need it, charge it overnight to full charge and the power bank will reset itself. The battery will be ready to go for camping.
Here is some more details for reference. All lithium ion batteries or power banks will deplete over a few months due to leakage current. It will just need to recharged overnight and the power bank will reset itself. This initial charge is slow to reset the power bank. After that, it will charge faster. Our batteries have the premium Panasonic cells inside and sitting does not hurt this our power banks. This is not the case for many other brand batteries with less quality cells.
When you turn it back on in a few months, the indicator may show around 40% - 65% charged but it is actually depleted. Just recharge overnight to full and the battery will reset itself. Depending the model, it might about 5-6 hours before the charge indicator is correct. This is only the case that if it sits for a long time and battery depleted by leakage current. Otherwise, the charge indicator will always be correct if used frequently.
Question 7: Does the recharging cable and power supply come with the battery pack or is that extra ?
Answer: The universal power supply comes with every power bank. Each power bank purchase includes the Power Bank, Universal Power Supply, Protective Microfiber Bag, User Manual and Nice White Storage Box. Some CPAP batteries don't include universal power supply and needs to be purchased separately. We do include it.
Question 8: Do you need a special cord or plug?
Answer: You don't need a special cord or plug with our power banks. It comes with 3 Prong 110V Outlets just like home. It works with all machines without adapters or special cord. You simply plug in like a home wall outlet and it works. We have simplified everything for customers.
Question 9: How much machine run time does it lose if I run with humidifier and heated hose?
Answer: When you have heated humidifier and heated tube turned on, you will lose about 80% of the running time. That is because it takes a lot of power to evaporate water and heat the 6 feet heated hose.
Below are some examples for Philips and ResMed machines with Model Zopec EXPLORE 5500:
Philips Respironics DreamStation at Pressure of 10 cm H2O:
- 21 hours WITHOUT heated humidifier and heated tube
- 6 hours with heated humidifier alone (mid setting)
- 4 hours with heated humidifier and heated tube (mid setting)
ResMed AirSense10 at pressure 10 cm H2O:
- 16 hours without heated humidifier and heated tube
- 8 hours with heated humidifier alone (mid setting)
- 4 hours with heated humidifier and heated tube (temp 78F)
Question 10: Can your battery run heated humidifier and heated tube for at least 8 hours?
Answer: Yes. At home, most people will use the heated humidifier and/or heated tube. We had to design in enough power so we have effective backup power solution. Our EXPLORE 8000 and in some cases EXPLORE 5500 power banks have enough capacity to run with mid setting heated humidifier and provide at least 8 hours of sleep. If you also want to run heated tube or maximum setting on heated humidifier, then you can link the power banks in series to get any power you need to get 8 or more hours of sleep. Please check our machine run time chart to find out how many hours it will last for your machine and your settings. If you just have the humidifier on and not heated tube, it will save a lot of power. To have longer machine running time, we recommend not to turn on the heated tube unless you have "rain out" or condensation of water in the CPAP hose. In the United States, you would not need the heated tube for most areas.
Question 11: My ResMed AirSense10 has automatic climate control. How do I know if my heated humidifier and heated tube are off?
Answer: For ResMed AirSense10, the heated humidifier can not be detached so you have to use change the settings. To turn off, go to MyOptions and turn ClimateControl to Manual Mode. Next, Turn both Humidifier Level and Tube Temperature to OFF.
For most machines including Philips Respironics DreamStation, ResMed S9, and DeVilbiss IntelliPap, you can just detach the humidifier from the CPAP unit and plug the CPAP hose directly to the CPAP Unit. That ensures the heated humidifier and the heated hose are turned off.