Respironics System One - Not working/functioning properly

[NewToCPAP]

Hey guys,

This is a long shot of a post here. I have had my CPAP (Respironics REMStar System One) since about 2009. Within the last 8-10 months it has been behaving oddly and not performing well. It will shut off by itself in the middle of the night with a message saying something to the effect of "requires servicing" Yet it will start working again at random. I have even taken it apart when it stops working and ever so gently wiggle some wires in there (not doing anything technical or aggresive here..) but it seems to get the CPAP working again. It's odd and a very poor, cheap "fix"

Well that has gotten me by for months up until yesterday. It once again stopped working, I performed my very technical "jiggle" of the wires, and voila, it worked again. I got it working so well that it now only puts out an insane amount of air pressure. My startup pressure is 7, and the way this is blowing now feels like 700. I have no idea what happened. I have gone into the settings to set the min and max pressures, no luck. It just blows like a hurricane now, and there's no way I can possibly use it. Very odd.

I have absolutely no idea what happened or how to fix it. I am only posting this to see if there's any slight chance someone on here has any suggestions? If not, I need to send this in for repair. Two nights without CPAP and I'm already feeling horrible. I have found one website that offers CPAP repair located in the US (I am Canadian) by the name of Altra CPAP Repair. Because mine is ~5 years old I have no warranty so I am not sure what to do about fixing this one. If anyone has any ideas about either or I would be extremely grateful.

Thanks!

[Julie]

Do you have no insurance at all? Five years is about the regular life of most machines and it's telling you it's time for a new one.

[cnaumann]

What is keeping you from getting a new machine?

I don't really recommend this, but I have fixed numerous flaky electronics by gently retouching solder connections. When all else fails (including returns for service): If the failure is 'wiggle some wires and it starts to work' or 'give it a good whack' there is a very good chance that the failure is solder related. You don't really need to understand the electronics to make this fix work, but you do need to be comfortable with a soldering iron. And flux. And cleaning. The dimensions of components on modern circuit boards are tiny, some parts are almost too small to see. Usually it the wires and connectors and not the smallest of the small parts that cause the problem.

The phasing out of lead-based solder has contributed to the issue or solder failure. Lead-free solders melt at a higher temperature and are more difficult to work with. In addition, lead-free solder joints are typically more brittle that lead based solder joints.

[NewToCPAP]

Insurance isn't involved with my CPAP. I bought my CPAP from a privatized sleep clinic. I know it's time for a new one, but that's just not feasible at the moment, especially during the holidays. I wish they were cheaper.

I am weary to repair a 5 year old CPAP, but at the same time, if it works and replaces whatever is faulty for a fraction of the cost of a new one and lasts me even a couple more years, then it's worth it.

[NewToCPAP]

Unfortunately I am not savvy enough to solder any parts, or even know where to begin soldering what. I think things are pointing towards having it repaired by the company I mentioned above. Like I said, I can't afford a new CPAP right now, they are much too expensive. However, if the company is unable to fix or repair my CPAP, I suppose I have no choice!

[grayghost4]

this has been talked about before .... the problem is the phisical connection between the bottom of the printed circut board and the pressure ports on the elbow of the blower. if you remove the top cover ... remove know (pull up and off) two #15 torx on the bottom .... and remove the cover.

the board has two plastic post it sits on .... remove wire connections ... lift board off .... clean rubber connection to the pressure ports and reinstall firmly. and reassamble .

the later model (60 series ) has a screw holding the board down

Some people have used a foam filter to hold the board down (between board and top cover)

[Krelvin]

How much do they want for repair, or just to look at it? If it is more than $150, you can get a low end machine at secondwind for that.

[squid13]

Here is a place in the US that does repair and is a member of this forum http://www.acbio.com/cpaprepair.htm

[accurate]

NewtoCPAP,

It sounds that the main PC board may have to be replaced. We'd be a little reluctant to solder it together and then you still have problems. Our company has been a member here for a number of years. If you'd like to talk to a technician, may I suggest you calling us at 800-376-5660 and asking for Chris Jesse. Please let him know I referred you from this forum. He may be able to give you some insight on the possible problems and also his location is in Northern Missouri which may save you some shipping. I also want to make sure that you'd get all the upgrades that a new firmware could provide. Alternatively, I believe we may have some very fresh rebuilt equipment that we could provide if the costs of the repair start getting out of hand. We typically don't sell a lot of pre-owned equipment but sometimes we get a trade or acquire a piece that would make a good machine. We're pretty picky about what we sell. Please PM if you have any further questions.

HTH

Ian

[Sleeprider]

There are many new and barely used machines on Craigslist for sale at a range from $100 to $450. You could also ask if anyone on this forum has a replacement that would work with your budget. I just got a barely used Remstar Auto DS560 for far less than my never-ending deductible off this forum.

Where are you, and what specific machine do you need/want? Are you on a fixed CPAP, Auto or BiPap? Read between the lines of my post, and what I'm saying it it's time for a change.

The "new" machine with 300 hours just replaced my old Remstar Auto M-Series with nearly 19000 hours. I was worried about ending up in your situation.

[NewToCPAP]

Huge thanks to you guys for all the information you've given me so far. The website I had looked at said repairs can cost anywhere from $100-300 with a free estimate. I didn't realize people were selling CPAP's on this website and on craigslist, some barely used. I have a PM from a member here and am very, very intrigued. It's the newer version of the PR System One The problem is, is that I am new to this site and don't know anyone. I also don't see a trader/user feedback section on sales made through the site. It's hard to send someone money for a product you can't see and for a member you don't know. I'm no stranger to online shopping or from peer to peer online shopping either, but am just not sure if I should go through with it.

[squid13]

He is in Canada.

[grayghost4]

have him post his offer here in this thread ... and the masses will tell you weather it is a good deal or not .... he can also post pictures with links that you can look at.

[Pugsy]

have him post his offer here in this thread ... and the masses will tell you weather it is a good deal or not .... he can also post pictures with links that you can look at.

Actually I sent the PM with the link to sleep_quest's machine he already posted images of
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=102479&p=959947#p959947
It's a very fair deal and as of a few days ago was still available.
I wouldn't be afraid to purchase from sleep_quest...use PayPal of course and all that usual stuff.
I was thinking of it for someone else but that person was short on funds and elected to go with a slightly older used machine with some hours on it in an effort to save some money.

[grayghost4]

yes that would be a very good used machine for anyone .

That must mean she got the smoke cleaned out of her new to her 760