cure for M series leaks

[Snoredog]

Well, after reading the posts here, I went and took a look at both the leaky chamber and the non-leaking one.

The leaky chamber has the 1 with the 8/06.

The non-leaking chamber has NO numbers at all, nothing>>>>???

Confusing, but in any case, this new replacement chamber does not leak.

Yep John, I don't think it really matters which tank you have, it is a O-ring and design problem. You might try filling above that O-ring level when horizontal to check it to be sure. That appears to be smoking gun, filling above that O-ring level when horizontal (if you use the vertical tank markings for Full you will be above that level).

If there was no pressure from the cpap machine it would probably be just fine, but under pressure it appears to blow it out past the O-ring.

The leaky chamber I have is identified in the pictures, appears to be from #2 injection mold with date code of 08-06 or manufactured in August 2006. the "number" identifying the injection mold used is completely separate from the calendar date stamp referenced in the circle of calendar numbers. For clarity: The injection mold number is in a circle by itself with no other numbers.

Calendar mold dating: The outer series of numbers is the Month, the inner series of numbers is the year it was manufactured.
Note: some appear to be confusing the center of the calendar date stamp as #1, for those that are, that is a "slot" where you insert a spade screwdriver to turn and change the date code on the injection mold itself, it is not a 1 but a screw driver "slot" to turn the date (in the mfg's mold not the plastic tank).

But it appears it doesn't matter if you have the older tank with the "1" in the separate circle, as the "2" molded tanks also leak at the O-ring as in my case.

[DerekB]

Geez I feel like I've been highjacked, kidnapped, dropped in a desert somewhere in Mexico and left for dead.

Pretty obvious to me its not about "1" tanks or "2" tanks or date stamps.

It's about an unlubed, too small diameter (thickness) ORing.

You'd think Respironics would have a technician that could have figured that one out and then just sent out larger ORings to all users and put the larger ORings into the production cycle.

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[Catnapper]

So husband got the level to check the nightstand. Level from side to side. The back where it is toward the wall is a tiny bit higher than the front. The bubble is almost on center.

Anyway, it is the same night stand every night, and I don't move the machine around much. Why would it be different one night from all the others?

DerekB, what should be used to lube the worthless O ring?

Catnapper

[Snoredog]

So husband got the level to check the nightstand. Level from side to side. The back where it is toward the wall is a tiny bit higher than the front. The bubble is almost on center.

Anyway, it is the same night stand every night, and I don't move the machine around much. Why would it be different one night from all the others?

DerekB, what should be used to lube the worthless O ring?

Catnapper

1. It would be more likely to leak when the tank is full vs. half full. Keeping the water level below that green O-ring mark lessens the risk of a leak.
2. lube up the O-ring with vaseline? I think it is the safest to use, don't think vaseline will cause any additonal problem with the O-ring deteriorating any faster, but the O-ring already leaks so what have you to lose.

The reason I chose to use a lube was to prevent rolling of the O-ring during assembly, it also seems to help it slip together easier. If mine continues to leak, that O-ring will go bye-bye and I will silicone or glue the joint instead of a O-ring.

[DerekB]

Hi Catnapper,

Thanks for the question. I think vaseline or lanolin would work fine. You can get 100% pure lanolin at any good Department store. Look in the baby stuff section. Lansinoh is a brand of lanolin used for breastfeeding mothers. If it is good enough for baby it should be good enough for cpap. When you apply the lube to the ORing you should remove it (the ORing) and apply a thin film to the entire ORing then replace. Be careful removing the ORing, do not use anything sharp. And do not apply too much, a thin film should be all that is needed.

Derek

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[DerekB]

If mine continues to leak, that O-ring will go bye-bye and I will silicone or glue the joint instead of a O-ring.

Snoredog - Silicone or glue? - Not reccomended, smells terrible and can cause brain damage.

How about you and those with the leaking problem, let Respironics know they need to replace the defective ORing with one that is the proper size to prevent the leaking. At this point in time I would check to see if Respironics will sell or provide replacement ORings to users so they can periodically replace an ORing once it starts to leak. As I stated in my original post on page 2, ORings stretch (lengthwise) and shrink (diameterwise) over time.

Derek

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[Snoredog]

If mine continues to leak, that O-ring will go bye-bye and I will silicone or glue the joint instead of a O-ring.

Snoredog - Silicone or glue? - Not reccomended, smells terrible and can cause brain damage.

How about you and those with the leaking problem, let Respironics know they need to replace the defective ORing with one that is the proper size to prevent the leaking. At this point in time I would check to see if Respironics will sell or provide replacement ORings to users so they can periodically replace an ORing once it starts to leak. As I stated in my original post on page 2, ORings stretch (lengthwise) and shrink (diameterwise) over time.

Derek

[Guest]

I work for a DME, and our Respironics sales rep informed us that Respironics is working on an improved o-ring made of a better quality material. He also told us that Respironics is recommending that you use water to lubricate the o-ring when you assemble the two halves of the chamber. I'm not sure if petroleum jelly would be a good choice, because the o-ring might swell andbe damaged by it.

I am a little suspicious that some of the problems could be caused by the gasket around the outlet port, particularly if the tank is not pressed into the humidifier all the way. Hopefully someone will come up with a cause and solution in short order.

Good luck everyone. I might have to grab a few of the leaky chambers that we get back in and see if there is a pattern.

[Guest]

My experience has been with the lock itself. A few times I thought it was locked. I then recheck and it had not clicked all the way into place. It takes a lot of pressure to fully engage it and hear the click. My DME even made a comment that elderly people would not be able to operate it easily. This could explain why sometimes it leaks and other times it does not. I double and triple check each time to make sure it clicks. I feel the lock itself is not efficient. Just my two cents!

[DerekB]

O-rings are a hassle, it would be cheaper for them to make the tank and glue it together than use those O-rings.

I agree, they should redesign the tank and lose the ORing. Why did they switch from a proven design (RemStar tank) to this ORing design?

DB

[Snoredog]

O-rings are a hassle, it would be cheaper for them to make the tank and glue it together than use those O-rings.

I agree, they should redesign the tank and lose the ORing. Why did they switch from a proven design (RemStar tank) to this ORing design?

DB

well it appears the old Classic humidifier wasn't so successful either, most of us had no problems with it, but if you removed the rubber coated aluminum bottom on that one you could easily bend it, once bent it would also leak.

The solution on the old model was to NOT remove the aluminum bottom or if you did remove it carefully not to bend it, then when you put it back together you set the bottom down on a very flat surface like a counter top and then pushed the tank down on the bottom, that way it went back together without bending. I never had any leak problems with my Classic but others did, Respironics took a $5 million dollar charge on their last quarter to cover humidifier problems, but from reading that I read it to be the Classic humidifier problems not the M series, I could be wrong though.

I'll probably just end up gluing mine together, seems the logical thing to do in my opinion. They may send me another tank or several O-rings but what says it won't just spring another leak sometime and ruin a nightstand.

My oak nightstands are custom made (by me) they have about 15 coats of poly finish on them so I'm not too worried about them becoming damaged by water, if I check it every day I should be fine.

[Snoredog]

[quote="Anonymous"]I work for a DME, and our Respironics sales rep informed us that Respironics is working on an improved o-ring made of a better quality material. He also told us that Respironics is recommending that you use water to lubricate the o-ring when you assemble the two halves of the chamber. I'm not sure if petroleum jelly would be a good choice, because the o-ring might swell andbe damaged by it.

I am a little suspicious that some of the problems could be caused by the gasket around the outlet port, particularly if the tank is not pressed into the humidifier all the way. Hopefully someone will come up with a cause and solution in short order.

Good luck everyone. I might have to grab a few of the leaky chambers that we get back in and see if there is a pattern.

[forumadmin]

Greetings,

The following is a clarification of posts in this thread.

Some Respironics chambers with '2' leak. There are no known '1' chambers leaking due to the same defect. CPAP.com is accepting and replacing leaky '2' chambers. As always, if you have a defective chamber of any kind or number, we will have a look at it for you and take the proper corrective action.

Chambers can leak for a number of reasons: worn out O rings, improper reassembly after washing or cracks due to wear and tear. These problems are distinct from the "#1" and "#2" chamber issue.

Johnny

[munsterlander]

A couple of things:
If there are no reported problems with the tanks without any code (1 or 2) the problem might be fixed. It would seem a new tank would solve the problem.

If I had a tank that was leaking I would get a marine grade silicone used for acquariums, and seal it up. If little fish can live with it there should be not problems.

I installed the gasket between the tank and the humidifier upside down one night. There were no water leaks, but I sure had air leaks. You sould have seen my Encore pro report for that night. It is a wonder that I am writing this now.

My M series pro purchased the first of October is a wonderful unit and I feel great.

[JohnD]

I don't understand all of this, but what I do know is this.........I received my new M series auto and the humidifier/chamber on 11/03/06. From that night forward, I had a leaky chamber. That chamber has the 1 with the 08.06 stamped into it. I then received a new chamber from cpap.com. That new chamber has NO leaks, and has NO numbers stamped anywhere.

The leaky chamber was always filled below the line, and was always put gether properly, yet it still leaked up until a few days before the new chamber arrived?? The only thing I can attribute that to, is the fact that every day, I took the chamber apart to rinse and clean it. Putting it back together must have impacted the O ring in some way as to cause it to stop leaking those last few days.

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