Buying a machine for future use?

[desiderata]

I currently have insurance with decent coverage for equipment/supplies. Wondering if I should get a machine and store it until needed. Not sure what coverage I'll have when mine wears out, plus I have no backup machine.

Coverage also has a replacement schedule that's slightly more generous than my past use. I'm sure filters will be fine stored, but wondering if pillows, mask, and headgear will degrade just sitting in a closet for several months.

Interested in hearing your experience/thoughts.

[Miss Emerita]

I'm a little obsessive and keep backup hose, pillows, headgear, and filters on hand. In many cases, I haven't actually used them for months, and I haven't noticed any problems.

If you can get a backup machine at low cost now, that seems like an excellent idea to me. When your current machine ages out, there may be some new, game-changing machines on the market that you'll wish you'd waited for -- but that seems unlikely.

[Pugsy]

For the most part the masks won't be hurt at all sitting in the closet or storage container as long as the packaging remains sealed.
Now once opened just exposure to the air can cause some yellowing of the silicone but that doesn't really hurt anything. It does look yucky though and over years the silicone will turn yellow even if sealed in original packaging.
The exception being the masks that use a memory foam cushion....once those are opened and exposed to air the degradation process will start.

I don't recommend going crazy and storing massive quantities of masks or replacement parts though....for another reason.
You might end up wanting to change masks for some reason (like a new model comes out that you really like and prefer to use) and you end up with a large quantity of masks or replacement parts that you probably won't ever use again. Been there and done that myself.
When the P10 was released I bought a dozen or so replacement nasal pillows in bulk off of EBay and I can use a P10 nasal pillow for months and months and would usually retire them from the yellow factor after about 10 months more than any other reason.
Then the Bleep was released and I liked it so much better and so I was stuck with all those P10 pillows which would have probably lasted me 10 years even if I had wanted to continue using it.

It is a good idea to have a spare machine though. Murphy's Law usually happens when it comes to a machine failing...on a Friday night on a long holiday weekend and good luck getting in touch with a DME to get another machine quickly.

I do think it is a good idea to have at least one complete mask package as a spare and maybe 2 or 3 replacement cushions for whatever the preferred mask it depending on how long a person can use that cushion/pillow.

All this is of course your choice and I can certainly understand the fear of not having insurance to help you out with equipment purchases and masks aren't cheap. So if you want to hoard a quantity of something...won't hurt anything as long as you keep them in the original airtight packaging.

[chunkyfrog]

Accumulating non-essential items is considered hoarding by many;
but having a reasonable supply of essential health supplies is a whole different thing.
Everyone's situation is different, and we should be trusted to act rationally.
Follow your conscience . . .

[klv329]

Years ago my DME said my broken machine worked fine despite a code showing excessive impact or jolting, and my doctor told me he wouldn't give me another prescription so I could buy one online because he feared for some reason and said go talk to the DME. The knob on it was bent sideways. Can't trust anybody. Always have a backup or two so you don't have any unexpected sleep deprivation time.

[LoneStar]

Eleven years ago, I bought my first machine. Two years later, the "next model" of my machine was released. I noticed in the months leading up to the new release that my old machine went down in price.

The average life of a machine is said to be around 5-7 years. So...

...after about four years the "next model" went down in price so I bought one. Mind you, I was still using my first machine, I just had the newer one in reserve.

At the nine-year mark, my first machine died and I pulled out the "next model" and fired it up. No wait, no fuss, no problem.

In the meantime, a "newer model" was released. It recently went down in price and I bought it. It is waiting in the closet for the demise of "next model." YMMV.

[desiderata]

So it sounds like having a replacement machine just sitting and waiting in the closet until needed, even if that's not for 1++, years is not a problem...

[ChicagoGranny]

So it sounds like having a replacement machine just sitting and waiting in the closet until needed, even if that's not for 1++, years is not a problem...

Which model machine are you using now? How old is it, and how many run hours does it have?