SoClean

[dskane]

I have been using a CPAP (now bi-pap) machine for about 15 years, I have gotten tired of cleaning and disinfecting (white vinegar etc.) my equipment so I thought the SoClean machine would offer a good alternative. The commercials lead you to believe that you don't have to manually clean your equipment any more. Not so. Body oils still need to be washed off cushions.

I have been using my SoClean machine for about 3 months now. My concern is that the mask cushion and forehead cushion on my mirage activa gel nasal mask are turning brown as a result of the ozone the machine generates. I now take the cushions off and clean then with separately without putting them into the SoClean machine. I don't know if they are damaged or just changing color, but it does concern me. Does anyone else have a similar experience?

[palerider]

I have been using a CPAP (now bi-pap) machine for about 15 years, I have gotten tired of cleaning and disinfecting (white vinegar etc.) my equipment so I thought the SoClean machine would offer a good alternative. The commercials lead you to believe that you don't have to manually clean your equipment any more. Not so. Body oils still need to be washed off cushions.

I have been using my SoClean machine for about 3 months now. My concern is that the mask cushion and forehead cushion on my mirage activa gel nasal mask are turning brown as a result of the ozone the machine generates. I now take the cushions off and clean then with separately without putting them into the SoClean machine. I don't know if they are damaged or just changing color, but it does concern me. Does anyone else have a similar experience?

sucker...

[rsprods]

This is quite a common. According to the folks at SoClean, the discoloration won't damage or weaken anything - it's just an aesthetic issue. That said, who knows. I mean, what else are they going to say? "Our machine is great, although it will, ultimately, shorten the life of your other equipment."? Probably the most important thing to keep in mind is that all of the parts that turn yellow are supposed to be replaced every 3-6 months, anyway, so really, it ultimately won't matter. The only exception to that rule would be something like the silicone gasket inside the lid of my ResMed S9 humidifier. Mine has turned brown and I don't think a replacement is available separately. Personally, I remove my mask and wash it separately and simply attach the hose itself to the SoClean in order to keep the hose and the humidifier disinfected.

[palerider]

silicone is supposed to be resistant to ozone, but there have been reports of discoloration from using the soclean.

[rsprods]

silicone and ozone don't mix, check chemical references.

To be fair, I'm not actually sure if the rubbery parts on the mask, the gasket in the lid of the S9 humidifier, etc., are technically "silicone" or some other type of material. I use a ResMed Swift FX nasal pillow mask. Does anyone know if the rubbery parts are actually silicone? What about the humidifier lid gasket?

[palerider]

yes, they're silicone.

[Wulfman...]

silicone and ozone don't mix, check chemical references.

To be fair, I'm not actually sure if the rubbery parts on the mask, the gasket in the lid of the S9 humidifier, etc., are technically "silicone" or some other type of material. I use a ResMed Swift FX nasal pillow mask. Does anyone know if the rubbery parts are actually silicone? What about the humidifier lid gasket?

Not hard to find out.

https://5faacd0c97cf0d23c6dc-064f3cd61b ... -sheet.pdf

Materials
H5i Cleanable water tub:
Injection molded plastic,
silicone seal, stainless steel


Den

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[Wulfman...]

https://www.google.com/search?q=silicon ... 8&oe=utf-8

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozone_cracking

Ozone-resistant elastomers include EPDM, fluoroelastomers like Viton and polychloroprene rubbers like Neoprene. Attack is less likely because double bonds form a very small proportion of the chains, and with the latter, the chlorination reduces the electron density in the double bonds, therefore lowering their propensity to react with ozone. Silicone rubber, Hypalon and polyurethanes are also ozone-resistant.


http://www.ozonesolutions.com/info/ozon ... -materials

A Excellent Ozone has no effect on these materials. They will last indefinitely.

Silicone A-Excellent


Den

.

[stevedev]

I have one of the most, if not most expensive machines.. resmed aircurve 10 asv. I've had this machine since 2016. I also invested in a soclean2 early on. Based on what I've read here and elsewhere I believe the soclean 2 is causing or creating a situation that breeds damage / material breakdown and now, I cannot recommend it. Going back to traditional cleaning. Here's my repair bill that came over this week (which was cheaper than my deductible for my insurance on a new one). This shouldn't be happening. Screenshot of repair work needed: https://nimb.ws/WzNqXG

[almostadoctor]

Ozone is highly chemically reactive. Its disinfectant properties are because it kills bacteria cells from reacting with the cellular chemistry and disrupting it.

Ozone will kill your cells, too. It will damage the DNA in your rapidly-reproducing lung epithelial cells. It has been linked to lung cancer.

My sister and brother-in-law, both doctors, freaked out when I told them I was getting an ozone air purifier because of ozone's association with cancer.

Bottom line, don't buy an ozone-based cleaner. If you have one and you MUST keep using it, open all windows and get good airflow through the room while it's on and after you first open it after use. Better yet, use it outside. Air out your tubing and blow lots of air through it before you use it again. Even residual ozone can damage your lungs.

You can reduce cellular and DNA damage probability to a very low level if you air out rooms and equipment, but why take a chance with getting cancer? Someday there will be enough study over enough decades to establish a direct linkage between inhaled ozone and cancer, and products like these will be illegal. But it will take 30 or 40 years of people getting cancer before they can make the statistical associations.

Don't be a statistic.

[Marko2019]

The previous post articulates the problem very well. Ozone (aka "activated oxygen") is a toxic gas, and harmful to humans, as clearly defined by the FDA. Some believe that anyone who operates an ozone generating device in an enclosed living space, like a bedroom, without atmospheric monitoring equipment is simply suicidal.

The major problem with devices like the SoClean is that they do not publish quality control data or the specific ozone output level, and tolerances, as required by the FDA labeling requirement (lawsuits against SoClean are in process). Most of these units are made in China, from Chinese engineered and manufactured parts, and quality control is minimal if any. SoClean's presence in the US is for the most part a 'customer call center' and distribution warehouse.

The truth as I see it is SoClean has capitalized on selling products, using fear tactics and deceptive language, to lazy people who do not wish to follow the manufactures instructions for cleaning their apparatus. Although the manufacturer's recommendation always takes priority - this is a good guide for safely cleaning a CPAP device: https://www.verywellhealth.com/how-to-c ... ap-3015322

These are hard realities - but as the previous post said: don't be a statistic.

M