Effects of water getting into an expensive xPAP - photos

dsm · Post by **dsm** » Fri Dec 16, 2005 4:45 pm

This link will show you what happened to a near new RemStar BiPap with BiFlex when water got into it. It has a ReMstar integrated H/H.

I don't know the full nor true story, but can take an educated guess based on the symptoms that were reported as to what was wrong with this machine plus the evidence from the 'autopsy'. Actually this story has a happy ending as the machine will be fully restored after the replacement of two sealed high-speed bearings in the fan motor.

My guess is that the owner picked it up when there was water in it and it went into the BiPap's outlet. An amount of the water may have got into the cavity where the air comes out from the fan & solenoid assembly. Some water did travel up the air pressure sensing lines.

The most damage seems to be to the top bearing which suggests that water got through the solenoid unit then into the fan area then got up the side of the fan motor to the top fan bearing. This could have happened if little attempt was made to clean water out of the unit immediately after the incident occurred.

The machine then may have been placed in its bag which puts the unit on its end, this could have allowed the water to seep over time, right into the motor and to get onto the bottom ball bearing from inside the motor.

Some one obtained the unit & attempted to clear the water out. They partially succeeded. But by this time the bearings had rusted and when the machine was turned on 2 symptoms became apparent.

1) The machine was exceedingly noisy (747 taking off were the words passed to me)

2) The unit appeared to only stay on the EPAP pressure (the exhale or lower pressure)

After I further obtained the unit (at a greatly reduced price) I was able to clear the pressure lines & restore full BiPap functioning but the motor remained a noisy problem.

Last night after having a 3rd go at disassembling the actual motor itself. I was able to remove the impellor and a counter weight & unscrew the motor housing. When the motor was opened the water damage was very obvious.

I hope you enjoy the photos. Some may weep - but as said above, this machine will arise from the dead with a repaired motor.

http://www.internetage.com/cpapinfo/rem ... index.html

WHAT TO DO if you accidentaly empty water into your xPAP.

1st the don'ts ...

1) Don't tip the unit upside down

2) Don't power it on (or if it was on immediately switch off at the wall then remove the power cord.

2nd the DOs

1) You must act as quickly as possible - after observing the don'ts tilt the unit towards the opening that water got in then gently shake it a bit.

2) Remove the filter cover & filter

3) Put a hair drier upto the air outlet hole & run it for at least 10 mins.

4) Then if you are game try to turn it on. If it works let it run for about 5 mins then turn it off

5) Gently shake it around for a couple of minutes

6) Try to run it again, if ok let it run for an hour or so

If it won't run, leave it for a few hours then try - if ok then go to step 5.

If not send it in for a costly repair (unless you are on a plan where they cover damage).

Cheers

DSM

snork1 · Post by **snork1** » Fri Dec 16, 2005 9:43 pm

impressive!

If I were to guess a scenario....
Owner slipped it into the travel bag mounted on the humidifier. All nicely oriented flat. Then sealed up the bag, grabbed the bag by the strap and went travelling. Ouch.

Good hints on the do's and don'ts, but if its really wet, you might wait a bit longer before powering it up. At least give it a day. The circuit boards are NOT conformal coated, so any water on the circuit boards could really fry things.

Mark83 · Post by **Mark83** » Fri Dec 16, 2005 10:59 pm

Great pics DSM! I am an Engineer and can appreciate the inner workings of anything mechanical. I have only been on CPAP for two months and I have already wondered what the inside of the unit looked like and how it worked. I can already see myself disassemling my Remstar Auto piece by piece on the kitchen table at the first sign of trouble! Great post!

MARK

dsm · Post by **dsm** » Fri Dec 16, 2005 11:01 pm

Hi Snork,

I have added to the photos, more showing the air solenoid and the two openings from which air can come out. The end opening surrounded by the foam ring redirects that air down & back into the fan intake chamber thus recycling that air. The side opening send that air directly to the out air port.

Within the solenoid assembly there is a magnet and the coil mounted on a cylinder. This coil moves back & forward opening & closing air slots on an inner cylinder and this causes the air to exit through either the end port or the side port. The fan appears to just spin & blows air out and at a constant pressure something over 20cms. That air is directed into the solenoid assembly. Some then exits to deliver the IPAP cms or EPAP cms & some is recycled. This whole set up is similar to what is in some other BiLevels & XPAPs. The Polaris ISP3000 & ISP4000 SoftFlex is all but identical but Polaris don't (for whatever reason) sell any BiLevel machines. Just CPAP.

It is entertaining to see the solenoid sliding back and forward in response to ones breathing. It is very effective & quick. The BiFlex and the rise time merely alter the speed with which the solenoid coil assembly moves, the IPAP & EPAP cms settings determine the point each end of the solenoid chamber that the coil assembly moves to.

Re water, I can't agree about leaving water in a xPAP, 24 hrs would be enough time for the water to do the damage seen in the photos.

If the body of the xPAP machine is immersed in water I *would* agree with you re waiting 24 hrs to let the circuit board dry. But if the only water in the inside is contained in the air circuit then the electronics should be ok because this whole air plumbing set up is airtight. There is *no* path for the water to get to the electronics any more than the air can.

If the water went into the outlet hole then it has the potential to damage the fan motor bearings. Turning the fan on even with water in the motor is no problem as these are brushless motors & will run in water. The main thing is to get the water away from the fan motor bearings asap & to use the fan to help achieve this (after gently shaking out what one can).

The longer water is in contact with the bearings the more certain it is that rust will develop when the water is removed.

Cheers

DSM

dsm · Post by **dsm** » Fri Dec 16, 2005 11:15 pm

Mark83 wrote:Great pics DSM! I am an Engineer and can appreciate the inner workings of anything mechanical. I have only been on CPAP for two months and I have already wondered what the inside of the unit looked like and how it worked. I can already see myself disassemling my Remstar Auto piece by piece on the kitchen table at the first sign of trouble! Great post!

MARK

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): CPAP, auto

Mark,

If you want to see a completely different way of managing air then look at these photos of the RemStar AUTO. This model has CFlex & doesn't use the solenoid assembly but does use speed control of the motor to achieve it. Also, it is *totally* different inside to a RemStar Plus. I was quite surprised to see the differences as I had mistakenly assumed they would all be similar but with a few extras. Not so!.

Cheers DSM

http://www.internetage.com/cpapinfo Choose the RemStar AUTO dissasembled photos.

snork1 · Post by **snork1** » Fri Dec 16, 2005 11:40 pm

If the air circuit is sealed off from the electronics, then I change my previous recommendation and agree to blow that water out as soon as possible, and run it soon after.

Thats good design and good to know that the air circuit is separated. I will keep that in mind if I ever knock the machine over or slosh some water back into the machine. I have indeed wondered about that.

Thanks for providing the research!

dsm · Post by **dsm** » Fri Dec 16, 2005 11:56 pm

Snork,

I also meant to add that your suggestion that the machine was put in its travel bag with the h/h attached and with water in it, is a pretty good suggestion. I had just guess it may have been a pick-up & spill accident.

What gives your idea credence is that I was able to determine that (see the photos) the water that got into the motor, sat there for long enough to leave a clear tide mark inside the motor casing, then by looking at how the motor sits in the case I was able to show that the BiPap had been put end down (which is why I said back in its bag). It seems to have sat in the position long enough to cause the damage. The electronic board showns no such obvious markings.

One of the pressure tubes has darkened spots in it which suggests water sat in it for a while.

Cheers

DSM

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Sat Dec 17, 2005 12:52 am

Great info and pictures...
Thanks dsg!

O.

Mask	Humidifier