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I've mentioned this before... But got no ideas.

I posted about week or two ago about having a short term odor when starting when I go to bed. I've not been sure of the source of the smell, but now I am. When I last mentioned it, I had just washed out everything and cleaned everything. Today, when I was going to wash the mask, hose, and the rest, I sniffed every part, but found no smell... Not even the fan ( base or basic) unit. BUT, out of curiousity, I hit the start button and pointed the outlet at my face... YUP! It lasted about 20 seconds or so before it was faded to undetectable. Mind you, this base unit has been sitting since late morning, open all the way around to the air. (not even the lid to the water res was closed, and that's how I tend to leave it after dumping the water) I also noticed that the little air "filter" has had a small amount of dust leak past the edge and leave a trace into the intake. I have not noticed that before, but now it's more like summer, and lots of outside air is circulating in my house.

I've had a noticeable smell before, too, not always the same. The first one was about 3 weeks after starting to use it, I'd wake up during the night to an odor that reminded me of overheated wires - not that it smelled just like them. I assumed this was something about the heated hose "gassing" a little when warmed a lot (very cold in the house). But after a couple months I've never smelled it again.

About 3 months ago, I noticed the onset of a similar (to now) smell when starting, but it lasted about 2-3 days and vanished.

I find the smell very unpleasant (though not strong). Any suggestions?

Any suggestions?

Ignore it.

You might want to call the manufacturer. And/or your DME. If the smell persists, it might indicate there's an electric component that's overheated and will die all too soon.

The sour smell can also be a bacterial infection. So ...

Before you go about getting rid of the unit, I would do another thorough cleaning. Replace the filters. Replace the hose. And wash everything down with mild soapy water. Rinse. Repeat with a mild vinegar rinse. Rinse. Repeat with the soap and then rinse again. It should be cleared of everything at that point.

Hope that helps.

Definitely try changing the filter, I change mine every month. Keep us posted.

When I had my humidity level set at 4, I could easily get several nights out of a full tank and noticed that the third night there was an odor to the air. Not bad, exactly, but not a fresh smell. That's when I started dumping the remaining water and letting the little container air dry. I don't actually toss out the remaining water but put it in a container to use for rinsing. Waste not, want not.

Suz

After you clean everything, try adding some white vinegar to the humidity tank water - maybe 10% solution, and let the whole thing run for a few hours. That will disinfect the rest of the plumbing. Of course, you need to rinse the tank and hose after that, and run it with some distiled water only for a bit, to eliminate any lingering vinegar smell before you actually use it.

Yes I have had this before. I am sure it can be from several different reasens.I think the first time was I didnt properly rinse the water bottles I keep upstairs. That left a soap taste. Its usually to do with cleaning.

As already suggested clean everything, change hoses, use vinegar in the humidification chambe when cleaning it, and get a new bottle of distilled water. I had my water go bad one time. Oh, change your filter, too. Really clean your mask and headgear. Good luck.

When I first turn mine on I smell whatever I cooked that day or coffee smell. I also have to change my filters very often. I was told every few months when I got the machine but they are very grey in a month.

markk wrote:I've mentioned this before... But got no ideas.

I find the smell very unpleasant (though not strong). Any suggestions?

Remove the humidifier and hose in the morning. At night hit start the button and smell... you might want to roll up a bit of paper to direct the air flow to your nose. If the smell is from the main unit, the noise-reduction sponges got wet or something nasty is on them. PM me and I can tell you how to get to them if you must... but its a factory swap thing.

If you don't smell anything bad, the next day remove the tank and hose in the morning and repeat without installing the tank. The next date replace the tank. The next day, just remove the hose.

Locate, Isolate and Eliminate.

As usual, the smell seems to have reduced itself a bunch, such that after running for just a few seconds, I don't smell it anymore, just the faint plasticky odor from the mask and hose. This has happened a couple of times now. I suspect that it just might be something in the main unit, becuase I've tried everything else, and can find no odor related to them.

So, for now... eehhh. Until I smell it again, I'm just going to go on...

Have you checked this thread viewtopic/t78062/CPAP-causing-strange-odor.html
Look at the post at the bottom (from BODA). Maybe this is the cause of your problem.

You might want to call the manufacturer,yes that's right.

I haven't had the smell in months, and no, I never did locate the source.

I have noticed that replacement masks sometimes smell disagreeable for a week or so, but I only notice it for the first 5 min or so.

I have found that there is residue in the machine that produces the air from the climate the machine was last used. I live in a urban setting on the prairies. When I travel to the lake and use my machine there, the next time I use the machine the aroma of that last night is what I receive in the first blast of air. My first night back after being away (with my cpap in hand) I receive a brief reminder of my vacation as I get the smell of that place, sea air, pine trees, humidity, whatever it is. Conversely, my first night in another climate I have the brief reminder of what my house smells like in comparison to when I am at that moment.