Resmed S9 Stops Flow

[paolo]

For the second night out of 6, I woke up with my mask on, but no flow from my S9.
I think the display was on Home where you can select info or settings.
Looking at the graph on Rescan I can see there was no recording of anything for about 2 hours. Presumably, the flow stopped, and I continued sleeping with the mask on, but no therapy, and some of restriction to my breathing from the mask, a ResMed Quattro.
I'm sure there was flow before I went to sleep, and I'm sure there was none when I woke. I held my hand over the vent.

Any suggestions. Someone suggested on another thread using a manual on/off button and not Auto Start. Can the machine be set for only manual on and off?

Thanks for any help.

Best,

Mitchell

[Nord]

Yes... you need to set your S9 to FF mask setting and....
you need to turn OFF auto start/stop.

Directions can be found in the S9 Clinical Manual that you have.

Nord

[jmelby]

If you just set your mask type to Full Face, that is sufficient to disable auto on/off since that feature doesn't work with full face masks (and your experience is exactly why they disable it for full face masks).

To change your mask type, you don't need to go into the clinical menu... from the standard user Setup menu, find the Mask Type setting with the wheel, click the wheel button to select it and then use the wheel to choose Full Face. You'll then of course need to use the on/off button on the machine to start and stop pressure.

[paolo]

Thank you both. I really appreciate it.

I talked to cpap.com, and got the same advice as you both gave. But when I went to the clinical menu it turned out I'd already selected Full Face.

So the best guess that the cpap.com person and I could come up with is I'm getting a massive leak which doesn't wake me up, but which the machine interprets as the mask is off and turns off the flow. Even though last night I woke up with the mask well in place.

If you have any other ideas I'd love to hear them.

Best,

Mitchell

[Nord]

If you just set your mask type to Full Face, that is sufficient to disable auto on/off since that feature doesn't work with full face masks (and your experience is exactly why they disable it for full face masks).

Hi Paolo...

I don't use the FF mask so I haven't looked but people here including jmelby say that choosing FF mask auto disables the "auto on/off feature". Your S9 should not have shut off any other way... its only possible with auto off that I know of.

Perhaps you should scroll through and check that feature to make sure its off. Let us know what the outcome was.

The only other possibilities is that the machine is broken or you shut it off accidentally.

Nord

[sthnreb]

Something to think about. I have a Respironics Auto Bipap. I would awaken in the night and mine would be stopped. With the auto function it usually would start back but those seconds it was off made one gasp. It got to where I would be watching news before bedtime with the mask on and machine running and it would go off while wide awake and start back. I have to admit when awakening in the night I wasn't real sure it was stopping because it would come back on. To shorten this, it was still under warranty. I returned it and got a refurbished. Same thing. I swapped machines about 4 times. I was about to give up and was wondering why so many machines were bad and stopping. I began investigating the electrical system supplying it. I had an electrician run a dedicated out and breaker when I first started using it. What I discovered was the breaker was actually bad. It wouldn't trip but would stop the current just enough to stop the machine. It would then start back up. I replaced the breaker and had no more problems with it. BTW, I saw on another thread where someone had trouble with thecpapshop.com. I purchased that machine from them and they were great in exchanging it, never charging me anything for shipping either. Actually at the time they were cheaper than cpap.com even. Just something for you to consider as a possibility if all else fails.

[bigk]

A power outage? Does the S9 autostart after that?

[sthnreb]

I don't know about the S9. I have a Respironics M series Auto Bipap. But the power system for any is the same. It's not a power outage. Sometimes breakers in a power panel don't trip but fluctuate enough to break power momentarily and could cause the machine, any, to stop and start. As I said, the breaker doesn't trip and cause you to have to reset it. I guess it could be called a bad breaker. I replaced mine and have had no further trouble with stop/starting. This is not to say it is a problem with everyone. This is one you will probably never read anywhere else. Just thought you would be interested in all possibilities to find out if it is the machine or something else.

[WillSucceed]

Interesting comment about the power supply being wonky at the breaker. One solution would be to use an Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) -these are commonly used with computers so that the computer gets consistent power no matter what is coming out of the wall outlet.

I've been using a UPS for over 5 years now -they don't cost much and, I think, are worth the coin.

There has been discussion about using a UPS in past threads. Some of the CPAP devices / humidifiers require that the power supply deliver a proper sine wave rather than a modified one. The cheaper UPS devices deliver a modified sine wave. My APAP (PB 420E with PB humidifier) is OK with the modified sine wave; I think you would want to check with the maker of your CPAP/APAP/humidifier to find out if your equipment is OK with being attached to a UPS.

[sthnreb]

You are correct. That was mostly why I didn't mention the UPS system because of the heated humidifiers. I have a UPS but not connected presently. Normally if all is well there shouldn't be a problem. Power failures do sometimes happen. I know having a bad breaker to begin with is probably remote, especially one that doesn't trip, but that was my situation. Conclusion is if there is no breaker problem (about a $5-$10 item normally) and you use a UPS and the machine still stops, you have a faulty machine.

[SandyG210]

I just received a ResMed S9 on 1/26/11. It also stops air flow during the night. I am an asthmatic, so I end up with a real bad asthma attack and have to do 2 courses on my nebulizer to be able to breathe again. My unit does not snap together. It snaps in the front, but not in the back, so the contact between the two halves seems to be intermittent. I finally got them to snap together by putting them on my husband's work bench on their sides, one on top of the other, and putting my entire weight down on it. It finally snapped together. Then I used it, and it didn't shut off during the night, so that might have been it.

I am trying to get a replacement unit, since I will probably eventually end up breaking the unit if I continue to use that much pressure to join them (I travel, so need to take them apart often). Is it always this difficult to get them to completely snap together? This is very frustrating, especially since Rochester Oxygen in Rochester, NY is not very accommodating... they are the ones that gave me a defective unit in the first place, afterall, and I had to REALLY complain to finally get a replacement unit while they are repairing it. Their customer service is horendous.

I'm afraid I am not happy with this manufacturer's CPAP machine, but the sleep center did not give me a choice. I would love to return it, and get a different brand.

[Raj]

Sandy, I'm confused by your post. The S9 unit itself neither opens nor snaps together. Are you talking about the humidifier, which rests to the right of the XPAP, hinges in the back and snaps in the front? Or might you be talking about your mask, which is an element distinct from the S9?

[idamtnboy]

Sandy, I'm confused by your post. The S9 unit itself neither opens nor snaps together. Are you talking about the humidifier, which rests to the right of the XPAP, hinges in the back and snaps in the front? Or might you be talking about your mask, which is an element distinct from the S9?

I think Sandy is talking about the flow generator and humidifier snapping together, which they do. They clip together at the front and have a latch at the rear to hold them together. They should latch very easily, and come apart easily when you push in the button on the back.

[aprildawn97]

Be Careful with the S9 machines. I went for my first machine Thursday and the Tech told me they had an "abnormal" amount of patient complaints about the machine shutting off randomly at night. They changed settings, and sent folks home.

Then one of the Techs had to stay in town, and used of of the new S9 machines. She came back the next morning claiming that the patients were indeed correct, the machine (regardless of the settings) hadrandomly shut off during the night. The DME has now allerted the manufacturer to have them aware of the problem and check out what the problem might be.

The other problem they found with this random power loss, was that it was also FAILING TO KEEP THE DATA ON THE SD CARD. This is not a problem if you own your machine, but it is a real problem if you are still trying to prove to your insurance company that you are using it more than 4 hours a day. The tech's machine deleted the internal and the SD memory on the card (or just failed to record it).

If you are experiencing random shut off's, you may want to have your machine and it's data checked out. Because of one of the features it offers, I took this one home anyway. She advised me to keep my own log of my use, "just in case" it might be needed.

[robysue]

I am trying to get a replacement unit, since I will probably eventually end up breaking the unit if I continue to use that much pressure to join them (I travel, so need to take them apart often). Is it always this difficult to get them to completely snap together? This is very frustrating, especially since Rochester Oxygen in Rochester, NY is not very accommodating... they are the ones that gave me a defective unit in the first place, afterall, and I had to REALLY complain to finally get a replacement unit while they are repairing it. Their customer service is horendous.

Have you considered switching DMEs? At least for future supplies? Here in Buffalo, there's a small DME company called CPAPXpress that also has locations in Rochester. They have fantastic customer service by the way and supply new customers with full efficacy data from the start. Here's a link to their locations: http://cpapxpress.com/3

It probably won't help you get a new machine unless you can pay out-of-pocket or unless your insurance company preauthorizes it, but at least it could minimize your frustration with Rochester Oxygen.