That burning sensation

[Pudge]

Hi there,

Brand new site member here.
I was wondering if anyone out there has had experience with a problem I'm having.

About 1 week ago, I woke up with the taste of burnt plastic in my mouth, and the smell of it in my nose. It was all I could smell and taste for the following couple of days. When it first happened, I cleaned the machine completely: Filter, hose, tank, etc. I put fresh water in the tank. While I no longer smell burned plastic, I am coughing up pghlem and it tastes like it. It has now been a good week, and this persists.

I am using a REMstar plus machine that is about 3-4 years old. About a week before this occurred, the machine made a high pitched whine for about 30 seconds before it went away. I'm concerned that something inside may have burned out - which is why I'm getting this condition.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Your help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Pudge.

[Goofproof]

Anything is can happen, the machine is getting old, clean filters, make sure it not getting hotter than normal, maybe plan for a replacement. Sometimes our noses play tricks on us too. Jim

[kebsa]

I am certainly no expert but it does sound like something may have gone wrong in your machine, I don't know enough about the internal workings of these machines but the fact that it is now working and not producing the same smell or high pitch whine would suggest to me that something has almost overheated but the situation has then resolved for now- i would say that getting it checked is a good idea as you may be able to prevent serious fault.

as for still getting the burnt taste in the phlegm that you are coughing up, that does not suprise me, if you had one night where you were inhaling fumes for a while it certainly would irritate the airways, so you may be more chesty for a while and it could take a few days to clear your lungs so to speak

[TheDreamer]

Hmmm, I actually experience this last night...I'm all worried now.

Apparently yesterday morning, I hit the wrong button when I had reached over to turn it off....guess that's the drawback of working so hard to make the machine quiet....

The Dreamer.

[luke]

My guess FWIW would be motor bearings starting to seize up and overheat.
I have no idea if they would be servicable by the ordinary guy...but being the tinkering type
if it was mine I would attempt it. But that's just me.
Just a guess.



Bill

[nate fry]

tHAT SOUNDS LIKE BURNT WIRING

[gerrymoorerrtdotcom]

Sounds like the bearning and thus pushing the blower to the side. If you put your hand on top of the system while it is running and feel a vibration you need to do something about it. Also, if you pick up the system and turn it from side to side and you hear noise you need a new blower. This is typically a 2 to 300 fix, so might be worth a look at a new system. Gerry

[timbalionguy]

A failing bearing can cause that, as has been already mentioned. So can a fan impeller impinging on a fixed surface. Or a foreign object getting in between the impeller and a fixed surface.In either case, sounds like your machine needs service. I would attempt repairing my own machine because I repair stuff remotely similar to a CPAP machine for a living, but not if the machine is in warranty.

I would also get another machine to use as soon as possible. Nasty chemicals result from the breakdown of plastics, and you certainly don't want to be breathing those.