Battery, DC Cable and Accessories Hire Service strictly for UK Patients Diagnosed with Medical Conditions requiring battery use for CPAP and non-invasive ventilators.
This unique and much-demanded Battery and Accessories Hire Service is for diagnosed patients of sleep apnoea or other medical conditions who need battery power for CPAP and non-invasive ventilators when camping, going off-grid, boating holidays, using CPAP or NIV on flights or perhaps even struggling with planned temporary power cuts. We can only provide this service for residents living in the UK.
We have a limited number of batteries, and we will continue to raise funds for more batteries as we're certain this will be a popular service due to the amount of requests we have had. Certain DC Power Cords, Car Chargers and Solar Panels will also be available to hire even if you don't need to hire a battery, but some DC power cords would be more cost-effective to buy if needed regular.
You are advised to reserve your battery and other equipment well in advance due to demand, specifying the dates needed. We would also advise you check with your sleep or ventilation clinic as there are some that do loan out batteries, although not all clinics have the resources to do this, but it's worth checking.
If you need a battery, DC power supplies, car chargers or solar panels just for occasional usage, then this service is for you, but if you need them regularly, then it is worth considering if purchasing them would be more cost-effective in the long run.
Hire Prices
As mentioned above, an invoice will be sent with the exact hire price nearer the date you require the equipment, to be paid in full before despatch, but as a rough guide of what pricing to expect and to keep everything simple, the prices will be as follows:-
- £5.00 per night for Flight-approved Batteries or the Atom Pro Batteries plus £5.00 each per battery hire period (for any number of nights) of any additional DC cigarette-style Power Cord, Car Charger or Solar Panels Charger if needed.
- £4.00 per night for Solar Panels Charger when not hiring a battery.
- £4.00 per night for Lowenstein DC Power Converter Adapter when not hiring a battery.
- £2.50 per night for other DC Power Cords when not hiring a battery.
We will not charge extra for sending the equipment early to ensure everything is working well before your agreed rental dates.
Postage Prices
- £28.00 inclusive for both sending to you and return to us (subsidised by the charity) for courier charges for Batteries, which are classified as 'dangerous goods' for posting by the Royal Mail and most other couriers which is why they will not allow us to use them, hence the expense with the courier we have a special account with.
- £12.00 minimum (based on weight) for DC Power Cords, Solar Panels Charger and similar accessories when not hiring a battery at the same time.
- Free collection and return for people able to travel to the charity in Hull (HU8 0SD).
If purchasing, for camping, off-grid or for occasional power cuts, then the Atom Pro pictured below is a good choice. However, if you need a battery that is flight-approved and also works as UPS (uninterruptible power supply) so that when using your machine on mains AC power with the battery plugged in, should a power cut occur, the battery would then kick-in to prevent any loss of power, then it is the Pilot-12 or Pilot-24 (or alternatively the bespoke Philips Respironics or DreamStation Go Travel Batteries) you will need, as the Atom Pro cannot be taken on a plane and doesn't have the UPS feature. We also hire out and sell the integrated DreamStation Go battery which connects to the DreamStation Go travel machine, is flight-approved and has UPS back-up battery power.
If you prefer to jump straight to purchasing a battery rather than renting, clicking here or on the image below will take you straight to our batteries on the website.
The Hope2Sleep Charity's aim is not to make money from this service and the rental costs are for our own hefty strict rental insurance, wear and tear of the batteries which will need to be replaced or repaired and raising funds for more batteries, so that more people can benefit from this service.
Battery Options:-
We will be updating this section with additional batteries and accessories, but to start off this much-demanded service, initially the batteries we will be supplying for hire are:-
Atom Pro Battery which is ideal for camping or going off-grid, and also for pre-planned power cuts. It is supplied with a Car Charger and we also have the optional Solar Panels Charger to hire when needed, and most DC Cables for the various more popular CPAP Machines. These Atom Pro Batteries can also be used with non-invasive ventilators, although they do use more power so are only suitable for these machines when able to re-charge the battery daily. As with all batteries, disconnecting the humidifier and a heated hose is always recommended. However, if able to re-charge the battery daily humidifiers can often be used with the Atom, depending on pressure settings, any mask leaks etc., but this does NOT apply to the Fisher & Paykel SleepStyle CPAP which uses a lot of battery power. For times when it's necessary to go without the humidifier, the XyliMelts Dry Mouth Discs are a popular product.
Please note, the Atom Battery CANNOT be taken on aeroplanes.
Pilot-12 Lite or Pilot-24 Lite (newest versions) by Medistrom which as well as being suitable for camping or going off-grid, are flight-approved if needed to use or take on aeroplanes. These batteries also have UPS (back-up battery power) compatible with most machines, so that if an unexpected power cut happened and the battery is plugged into a CPAP machine when plugged into mains power, then the battery would take over with no interruption to the CPAP therapy. These batteries are for most CPAP or some BiPAP machines, but are NOT approved by the manufacturer for non-invasive ventilators which use more power, and for this reason will NOT work with the Fisher & Paykel machines. In fact the Fisher & Paykel SleepStyle CPAP is not certified for using on an aircraft, as stated on our website and in the SleepStyle manual.
These batteries have a 97Wh capacity because 100Wh is the maximum allowed on aeroplanes. Therefore, the manufacturer states the Pilot-12 Lite and Pilot-24 Lite should power a machine for up to 10 hours, (although some people can get 2 nights) and this will depend on pressures used (higher pressures would use more battery life), mask leaks, altitude etc. It is why it is advised NOT to use a humidifier or heated hose as this would reduce the battery life by as much as 3-4 hours. This shouldn't pose a problem when used as back-up power (UPS) at home as an unexpected power cut wouldn't usually last the whole night.
We do also have the Medistrom optional Solar Panels and Car Charger when needed and most DC Cables for the different CPAP Machines.
Important - if you intend to use the battery on a flight you will need to check with your airline as many require permission before flying to use CPAP or non-invasive ventilators on-board. Most airlines allow machines to be taken onboard as extra hand luggage - but again it's important to check this.
DreamStation Go Travel CPAP Battery which integrates with the Philips Respironics DreamStation Go Travel CPAP machine and WILL NOT work with any other machine. This battery is flight-approved if needed to use or take on aeroplanes and also features UPS (back-up battery power) so that if an unexpected power cut happened when the DreamStation Go is plugged into the mains, then the battery would take over with no interruption to the CPAP therapy. However, if you will not be able to charge the DreamStation Go by mains AC power, then you need your own inverter, which should be a minimum of 150 watts. Alternatively, you will need to hire the Pilot-24 Lite Medistrom Battery instead which can be charged via DC.
Philips Respironics Battery and Resmed RPSII Battery. These batteries are specifically and ONLY for hire to patients who use non-invasive ventilators which are not compatible with the Medistrom Pilot-12 or Pilot-24 Lite Batteries when needed for flights or times when back-up battery power is required. When camping or off-grid the Atom Battery will be adequate and is more powerful. We only have limited supply of the Philips and Resmed Batteries, and if we don't have the correct cable required you will need to purchase these from the manufacturer if we don't stock them, but we will try to get as many as possible for this hire service.
These batteries are both flight-approved for taking and using on aeroplanes, and also have UPS (back-up battery power) so that if an unexpected power cut happened and the battery is plugged into a CPAP machine when using mains power, then the battery would take over with no interruption to therapy.
The Resmed battery is compatible with the Resmed AirCurve, AirStar, Lumis, Astral and Stellar non-invasive ventilators.
The Philips Respironics Battery is compatible with the System One and DreamStation series of non-invasive ventilators such as the BiPAP, AutoSV, AVAPS and BiPAP S/T Mode.
PLEASE NOTE - when using these flight batteries with more powerful non-invasive ventilators, the battery run time will also be shorter than it would be for CPAP machines, and it will depend on IPAP, EPAP and other settings. Humidifiers and heated tubes must never be used with these batteries as they will drain the power very quickly.
Hire Process
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A security deposit of £25.00 will be taken to reserve your dates and equipment and this will be returned to you when the battery/equipment is safely back at the charity after your rental period.
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This is classed as a charity service so VAT relief is available for your medical condition and you will need to complete the VAT declaration at checkout.
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Another form will show up at check-out with questions, such as the name of your CPAP or non-invasive ventilator, dates required and reasons you need the equipment, ie camping, flights etc.
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When the order has been placed you will get a confirmation email straight away (please check your spam or junk box if you don't see it) and you will be then contacted by a member of our team with confirmation of availability for your dates, our full terms and conditions for this rental service, agreement and other information. (If due to high demand we do not have availability of equipment for your dates, you will of course be informed and get a full refund of the deposit immediately).
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Arrangements will be made so that the equipment arrives several days before you need to use it. This is so you can test it and if there are any problems we should be able to sort this before your holiday or date for when you need the equipment. However, after you have used the equipment for your agreed rental period, you will have signed and agreed that you will be available for the date the courier is booked to return the equipment, which is very important for the sake of others waiting for it.
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An invoice will be prepared and sent to you, which is to be paid before we send the equipment out with the courier, or if collecting from our Hull premises this can be paid on collection.
- If you have any other queries, please send us an email or telephone our helpline on 0300 102 9711.
Important Information
- This rental service is ONLY for patients diagnosed with a medical condition who require battery power or accessories for use with their prescribed medical equipment.
- This rental service is ONLY for patients residing in the United Kingdom due to restrictions of shipping batteries and the added risks of getting delayed in Customs in other countries.
- When making a booking, the £25.00 deposit is to reserve the equipment and dates required. A bespoke invoice will be sent nearer the rental dates and full payment must be received before the equipment is sent. The deposit will be held and returned in full after you have used our service and the equipment is back safely and undamaged at the charity.
- We need to receive your booking form with your deposit which displays at checkout, in order for our team to check we have suitable equipment available for your dates and needs for your specific machine, and then allocate it to our reservation list.
- Shipping batteries is only possible with a select few couriers due to them being classified at 'dangerous goods' for posting. This is why shipping is expensive, but we have given a reduced price to help (less than we ourselves pay the courier). Collecting and returning batteries is a better option if near enough to travel to our charity premises in Hull, East Yorkshire (HU8 0SD).
- Batteries and most equipment will arrive several days before your rental start date to ensure the equipment is working well, and it is your responsibility to use the equipment for at least a night to test everything is working well, which gives us time to sort out any problems before your rental period. You are not charged for this extra testing period use of the equipment. We cannot be held responsible for any problems that occur when the equipment has not been tested prior to your rental, as although all equipment is tested to be fully working before despatch to you, batteries are delicate items and occasionally can be damaged in transit. It is important for us to know if this has happened so that we ourselves can raise a claim with the courier for any damage.
- Please do not attempt to remove any information stickers from the batteries. These are needed, and especially for flight batteries at check-in.
- Batteries taken on flights must be carried onto the aeroplane in hand luggage with the machine. They are not allowed in the hold with checked-in luggage and our equipment must remain in your hand luggage. As already stated, if you intend to use the battery on a flight you will need to check with your airline as many require permission before flying to use CPAP or non-invasive ventilators on-board. Most airlines allow machines to be taken onboard as extra hand luggage - but again it's important to check this.
- If you have any other queries, please send us an email or telephone our helpline on 0300 102 9711.
Helpful Resources
Click for Atom Pro Battery Instruction Manual
Click for Pilot-12 Lite and Pilot24 Lite Battery Quick Start Guide
Click for Pilot-12 Lite and Pilot-24 Lite Battery Manual
Click for Pilot-12 Lite and Pilot-24 Lite Flight Travel Letter
Click for Philips Respironics Battery Instruction Manual
Click for Philips Respironics DreamStation Go Travel Integrated Battery Manual
Click for Philips Respironics Battery Flight Compliance Letter
Click for Resmed Battery Manual
Click for Resmed Devices (including battery) Flight Compliance Letter
External Link to SATA for CPAP Flight Rules at Airline Companies
