DramStation Noise Levels

[Dansworth]

Hey

My treatment to date had been going well, but over the last few days, my CPAP machine has been much noisier than usual. My girlfriend has commented the same too. I've only had it a year and cost a lot of money, so I hope it's not broken.

It's difficult to gauge the difference in sound as I just don't remember it being noisy before, but as I didn't record it, I don't have anything to compare it to. But I recorded this tonight and it doesn't sound normal: https://youtu.be/ICe5yFEYoEo

I'd be grateful for any thoughts on this and/or if you have a DreamStation, to have a listen to it and compare the two.

Does anyone know how to rectify it? I'm from the UK and I bought the machine through a non-NHS provider, so I'd have to send the machine back for them to look at it, which could take upto 4 weeks. During that time I wouldn't have a machine, so ideally I'd like to fix it myself!

Looking at Google, seems like a fairly common issue.

[CapnLoki]

My treatment to date had been going well, but over the last few days, my CPAP machine has been much noisier than usual. ...

The first question is, do you use a humidifier? The water tank acts like a large muffler, and without that it will be noisy. There are several add-on mufflers, including a new one from Respironics that clips on the back in place of the water chamber.

Next question, did you change any equipment, such as a new mask? If the noise is a "Darth Vader" sound its probably from the hose or mask. I get a noise when a sheet or pillow blocks the exhaust valve. Sometime I unclip and re-attach the hose to clear out a stray sound.

In my experience, the sound of an old pump is a faint, high pitch whine that varies in pitch as the pressure relief (A-Flex) adjusts slightly on every breath. But this generally doesn't happen with new machines - it take 4-5 years

[babydinosnoreless]

Check your hose connection it sounds like it could be an air leak.

[rick blaine]

Hi Dansworth,

I thought the name was familiar, so I searched and found your previous posts and my replies to them.

Last time, I suggested: if you weren't being issued with an auto-adjusting machine, that you buy your own. And it looks like you've done just that.

Might I ask: did you buy a brand new machine? Or did you buy second-hand?

I'll come back to that in a minute.

I listened to the sound clip you put on YouTube. In my opinion, what you are hearing is the blower doing a little more work at one point in the breathing cycle, and then less work in the other 'half' of the breathing cycle. I sometimes get the same thing with my PR 561. And then at other times, there's no difference in sound between inhale and exhale.

And it certainly doesn't sound like imminent blower fail (I know what that sounds like on a 551. And on a 561.)

So, in my opinion, this isn't a problem. Just keep using the machine. Only if the noise gets worse, then you might ask PR to evaluate it. They will do an inspection for a £25 fee (unless you bought direct from them and it's still under warranty).

Since you ask, and since I'm writing – you should know that these machines are extremely reliable. The 'mean time to failure' – engineers' speak for 'average working lifetime' – is 10,000 hours from new. And some machines last for more than the average. A lot more than the average.

And if – or I should say when – the machine does fail, then nine times out of ten, it's the blower.

You can send your machine direct to Philips Respironics UK in Chichester for repair. To replace a blower, £85 for labour and £24.80 for a new blower.

And if it's still under warranty, no charge.

And if you send it direct to PR UK for repair, for both in warranty or out of warranty, repair should take about a week..

If you bought your machine from somebody other than direct from PR UK – say, from Eu-PAP in Reading – it gets more complicated. And getting a repaired or replacement machine back may take longer.

[D.H.]

Check the door on the water chamber. I've had a problem with the spring in the release button (the one to open the water chamber). If the spring is not working, you can slide the bar to open and and life it the other way to lock it. If it's not locked correctly, it will be very noisy!

[Dansworth]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

To answer the questions:

I have a humidifier
I bought it new (now about 13 months old)
I haven't changed any equipment/new mask
I don't think there are any issues with the hose - holes etc.

Apart from rick, would everyone agree it's abnormal/louder than it should be? I wouldn't want to return it back to my supplier (EU-PAP) for them only to say 4 weeks later that there is no issue. I'm finding it really difficult to sleep with it as it's so noisy, so I don't think I can just bear it.

Rick - long shot, but I don't suppose you know of anywhere that does 'loan' machines? Just to tide me over whilst it's getting looked at. EU-PAP do not unfortunately.

[CapnLoki]

To answer the questions:

One more question - what is the nature of the sound? air moving, or whining or humming? continuous or intermittent? varying in pitch? is it possibly amplified by contact with the table or wall?

if it is coming from the pump it should be fixed - they should be near silent for at least 5 years.

[Dansworth]

It's like a continuous hum, which slightly increases in pitch when I inhale. On another forum, someone described it perfectly - it's like a hard drive working overtime on a task. Constantly.

I've tried putting in a drawer and closing it, but the sound just travels up the mask.

I've tried without the mask too, just to check. Still the noise persists.

Seems like this is a common issue, maybe it's just a dud.

[rick blaine]

Hello again, Dansworth,

1. I listened to your sound clip again. I'm not hearing machine whine, I'm hearing increased revs and then falling away again. With increased air-flow – from somewhere – and then falling away of air-flow again.

AFAIK, this happens sometimes with PR machines when A-flex is running.

If the noise is such that – as you say – it bothers you, – and noise 'interference' is subjective – then you might try turning both A-flex and C-flex off.

To do that, you have to get into the 'clinicians area' of Settings.

As to the other points raised or implied:

2. EuPAP is a third-party retailer, and AFAIK, they do not have their own engineering or repair department. So they have to decide whether to send a faulty unit back to Philips Respironics UK for repair, or just replace it.

Now, as I understand UK law, if the machine is still under warranty, and if it develops a fault, Eu-PAP would have to pay for the repair. But in this, I may be wrong. It depends on what bulk-buying contract Eu-PAP have with PR UK.

Likewise, and AFAIK, this 'who inspects it?' and 'who decides if it's faulty?' and 'who pays for it to be fixed?' are some of the reasons why returning the unit to Eu-PAP and getting it back may take up to four weeks.

I have seen Eu-PAP's paperwork, and they make it quite clear what their responsibility is. They will, if it's under warranty, either repair or replace. But they make no promise about how long that may take.

3. On the other hand, if you had bought your machine direct from Philips Respironics UK – as I consistently say to UK people – and the machine is still under warranty, then:

(a) there would not be an inspection fee and

(b) if the unit needs repair, the engineering department at PR UK would just do it and you'd have the unit back to you in about a week. And if you paid the small extra fee, you could even have over-night delivery.

4. You also ask is there any place that might 'loan' you a machine. There is a place in London (England) which rents out machines. But (c) not the same brand or machine as the one you are using and (d) for a fee of £100 a week. So if the repair takes four weeks ...

5. There is an alternative. In my second reply to you, I suggested that you continue to be a patient at the nearest NHS sleep medicine department – because – in addition to the benefits of

(e) mask supply and mask parts replacement and
(f) cover for reports to the DVLA,

– they would also in an emergency – such as a failed machine – 'loan' you some kind of machine for as long as necessary – even though you have bought and use your own auto-adjusting machine.

Now, it's not clear to me from your more recent posts if you are still a patient at some NHS sleep medicine clinic (as you were when you first posted), or whether you have signed yourself off. But either way, the suggestion now is the same: get yourself back on some clinic's books, and thus get back-up cover.

Once you have that, you can send off the machine you've bought for inspection, and if need-be, repair – however long that takes.