Most Important Back-up Item?

[LoQ]

I sometimes worry about what happens if a single piece of my equipment breaks and I can't get therapy because of that. When I first started the piece I worried about the most was the hose. I finally acquired a second hose just in case.

What is your most important back-up item? Ideally we'd all have a completely redundant system plus battery power. But I'm just curious what people think is their most important back-up item.

I broke a piece on my mask several weeks ago. Fortunately, I was able to mostly hold the mask together with tape until the replacement piece came, but it drove home the need to at least think about each part and what would I do if......?

I recently bought a very cheap used S7 machine at a good price. It's nice to know that I have a back-up machine. It's got a lot of hours and it's obviously an older machine, but hey, it still delivers therapy. So I'm trying to acquire the various cogs in the system in case something fails.

What in your experience is most likely to fail?

[LoQ]

Smooth bore hose -- are those any good? You can get one on Amazon for a penny plus about $6 in shipping.

[Goofproof]

Hoses seldom break, and can be taped.

Masks and headgear need to be backed up, then next filters and machinesThen a extra hose.

Keeping more than three of everything can be over kill, as with all things stock rotation makes sense.

Draws full of too many of the same things, cause waste. Jim

I use real hoses made for my machine, my health is worth more than a penny.

[WilsonVilleUSA]

I have complete system redundancy, and for some items multiple layers of redundancy.

I have a backup/travel CPAP that lets me not have to undo my nightly box. Not a big deal for some, but with our bed and headboard there is power cord routing hassles. It also makes it very convenient in that when I travel I just grab the "other" bag and am ready to go, no time spent taking it apart and packing it up. In the back up bag is a separate hose, power, and mask everything I need. It also means that if I accidentally leave something at the hotel or it get lost/stolen while traveling, I am only without CPAP until I get home, no wait for a replacement machine.

I think the machine itself is the MOST important backup. If it stops working, nothing you can do but wait for a replacement. If no spare hose or mask on hand, I think duct tape would provide a temporary work around in most cases until a replacement could be found. I think everyone who has been on the hose for any length of time has acquired an extra mask or two that would suffice in a pinch, or like me keeps a full-face or hybrid on hand for when sinuses are stuffed up. As far as the hose, my provider replaces my stuff on a schedule that is more frequent than what I use, so I always have one or two hanging around as well as a couple of pillows or cushions on standby.

Battery back up is nice, but I have only had one instance where it was needed. Of course this varies depending on where you are and what kind of weather you have. We are pretty stable electrically, but having the battery does provide comfort on those windy fall nights. If you can't afford or want to worry about a dedicated battery back up, then just having the necessary DC cord, converter, or inverter for your machine is a close second. If the power goes out you can bundle up and sleep in the car if push comes to shove (again depending on your location and climate I suppose).

Currently on hand for me:
2 CPAP with H/H
4 hoses
4 masks- two of my current favorite, my old favorite (used but not used up), and a rarely used hybrid for when stuffed up
3 sets of NIW pillows, 2 for current mask and 1 for hybrid.
8 filters
1 water chamber (in addition to the ones in the H/Hs)
400watt Inverter and riding mower battery good for 2-3 night use on a charge with humidifier as passover instead of heated.

I tend to purchase the little things (filters,pillows, etc. ) in some quantity to save on shipping costs.

[WilsonVilleUSA]

Smooth bore hose -- are those any good? You can get one on Amazon for a penny plus about $6 in shipping.

All hoses are smooth bore, they just look like they have ridges the wire is on the outside.

[frh]

I would agree the CPAP machine is the most important back-up item by far. In the 4 months I have been using CPAP I have acquired an extra hose and several masks. Even if I don't particularly like the extra masks, I could use them if I had to.

When my wife and I got our CPAP machines, the insurance and the DME both told us the insurance company would rent the machine for the first 3 months, then convert it to a sale. So we paid the DME an extra $250 each to get Resmed S9 APAP machines. This is the month the rental is supposed to convert to a sale.

Unfortunately, our insurance will be ending at the end of this month. Last week the DME told me our insurance company informed them their policy is to rent the machine indefinitely. I don't know if the insurance company lied to us before we got the machines, or if the DME is trying to pull a fast one now. But right now I am freaking out at the prospect of having to give the machines back to the DME. I sure wish I had paid a lot more attention to craigslist over the last 4 months.

[Wulfman]

I sometimes worry about what happens if a single piece of my equipment breaks and I can't get therapy because of that. When I first started the piece I worried about the most was the hose. I finally acquired a second hose just in case.

What is your most important back-up item? Ideally we'd all have a completely redundant system plus battery power. But I'm just curious what people think is their most important back-up item.

I broke a piece on my mask several weeks ago. Fortunately, I was able to mostly hold the mask together with tape until the replacement piece came, but it drove home the need to at least think about each part and what would I do if......?

I recently bought a very cheap used S7 machine at a good price. It's nice to know that I have a back-up machine. It's got a lot of hours and it's obviously an older machine, but hey, it still delivers therapy. So I'm trying to acquire the various cogs in the system in case something fails.

What in your experience is most likely to fail?

In over five years, I've never actually had anything "fail".
I was a little nervous the first year till I acquired my first backup machine (a lightly-used APAP from a forum member I trusted). If I remember correctly, it also had a new hose that came with it.
Then, I got another mask.
And, each year thereafter, I accumulated extras of everything till I felt I had a sufficient quantity to last me a long time.
In 2006, my original Pro 2 had started to develop a slight "wheeze" in the C-Flex mechanism, so after I got my backup machine I had it sent it to be gone through before the warranty expired. (it's been super quiet since)

Hoses seldom break, and can be taped.

Masks and headgear need to be backed up, then next filters and machinesThen a extra hose.

Keeping more than three of everything can be over kill, as with all things stock rotation makes sense.

Draws full of too many of the same things, cause waste. Jim

I use real hoses made for my machine, my health is worth more than a penny.

Unless you have an obsession (or "hobby") with collecting "tanks".

My list is:
XPAP
Mask
Hose (if you have cats or dogs that chew or claw things, you might never have enough masks or hoses)
Filters, headgear and other assorted stuff.


Den

[billbolton]

A dialled in mask, including any mask accessories like pad-a-cheeks etc, is BY FAR the most important backup item.

The flow generator and other hardware are pretty much the same from instance to instance of the particular item, but a mask (aka interface) that has been adjusted over time to your particular needs is the one unique thing in any xPAP rig.

Cheers,

Bill

[bearded_two]

I like to have a spare CPAP ensemble; machine, hose, mask, and cord. I don't consider filters to be spare, they are something that should always be available.

[WilsonVilleUSA]

A dialled in mask, including any mask accessories like pad-a-cheeks etc, is BY FAR the most important backup item.

The flow generator and other hardware are pretty much the same from instance to instance of the particular item, but a mask (aka interface) that has been adjusted over time to your particular needs is the one unique thing in any xPAP rig.

Cheers,

Bill

But a mask without a flow generator to hook it to is worthless. A flow generator hooked to a not perfectly "dialed in" mask will still provide some therapy. I think the OP's intent was what is most important to keep on hand in case of failure, not what is the most important in regards to personalization or comfort.

Not to be a smart-ass, but seriously, how hard is it to get a mask adjusted? I've used just about every type of mask (FF, Nasal, Pillow, Hybrid) none have ever taken me more than a few seconds to make the adjustments for proper fit (discounting the time to boil cushions for form fitting).

[billbolton]

But a mask without a flow generator to hook it to is worthless.

Ditto for a flow generator without a mask, but that is equally beside the point.

The question is about the most important backup up item, not all possible backup items

Not to be a smart-ass, but seriously, how hard is it to get a mask adjusted?

It is often a time consuming process that can take several days to achieve a sustainably comfortable and effective setting of the various adjustments.

This is not only my personal experience... it is a reasonably common one according to the messages posted by quite a lot of particpants here, and on SDB similar forums.

Cheers,

Bill

[torontoCPAPguy]

Being a computer IT geek I am a believer in total redundancy; however if I was going to pick ONE item to be redundant it would certainly be the blower itself. Back it up with one of the same if you can; otherwise get a low end blower used on CPAPAUCTION just to have on standby. Without the blower, nothing else is going to be of any use. And everything else can be fixed with glue and ductape, right?

Having said that, I have wound up with a completely redundant system exactly the same as my main system and it sit in wait.

I did the same thing with my S8 Autoset II - had a totally redundant blower/humidifier (S8 Autoset II) sitting in wait. Including hose, mask, humidifier, the whole shebang. Never did have to use the thing except to make sure that it actually worked and did that with the 'in use' hose, mask, humidifier, etc.' so that the standby stuff remained sealed and new and uncontaminated. The blower, of course, really does not get contaminated as the air blows in one direction only.

[carbonman]

I have at least 3 of all the basic pieces of equipment.
I also have extra mask parts for the extra masks.

I'm worth it.

[jdm2857]

Does that include tubes, cables, and a spare chain?

[WearyOne]

We don't have the money right now for a backup machine, although if one of ours bit the dust, I guess my husband and I could sleep different shifts sharing one until we could purchase a new one! We almost sleep at totally different times now anyway, so it wouldn't be a huge difference!

I use a heated hose and don't have a backup for that, but do have plain hoses as backups. Have several mask backups, and filters.

And since a friend of my husband runs a DME place, I know he would lend us whatever we needed until a new "whatever" could be purchased!

Pam