HELP, cant sleep from Noise REMstar Plus M Series C-Flex!!!!

[-SWS]

From a design persective, the Respironics Engineers who designed the M series machine easily earn my Peter Farrell award:

Lest anyone thinks Snoredog was ever a Respironics shill... he simply calls 'em the way he sees 'em! And always has...

Still laughing at one of my all time favorite posters...

[Catnapper]

Snoredog,
That was not the picture I hoped for! LOL

[Linda3032]

Snoredog,
That was not the picture I hoped for! LOL

Well, thank your lucky stars that it isn't animated. ...

[Bregory]

I had my trial CPAP with a remstar auto (no CFlex) and I was amazed at how quiet it was. When it came time to buy one I went with the M-Series Auto with CFlex and the same mask I used for the trial, I heard alot of people on here complaining about how loud it was but when I turned it on when I got home I was amazed, like the remstar I used in the CPAP trial it was amazingly quiet.

Then I laid down to go to sleep and I couldn't figure out where the noise was coming from, each time I inhaled and exhaled I could hear it and it sounded quiet loud. I realized that perhaps it was because of the Cflex which I was not used to at the time but I realized I was really focused on my breathing (still not use to the pressure) I was conscience of it for days awake or asleep. Even now I still hear the sounds of my inhales and exhales when I first put my mask on however when I wake up I often wonder if the machine is still running because I don't hear a thing.

I'm not sure if it is loud and I got use to it, if it wasn't loud and I was just paying too much attention to it or what but the long and short of it is, you'll get used to it if it is what I experienced.

By the way my wife never heard anything of this it was just me (Mind you she might not admitt to it anyway because a little bit of white noise is a hell of a lot better than the snoring). So if your significant other is complaining of the noise it is possible that there is something wrong with it.

By the way, I had a leaky humidifier, once replaced it has never leaked and it never leaked at the swivel so I'm not sure why they are removing them.

[RachelM]

Is the CPAP louder at bedtime than in the morning? Mine seems to quiet down during the night but the sound level is never what I would consider too loud. Type of mask does make a difference.

[seturner]

I have both a older Remstar Auto no CFLEX and a new M series Auto. The New M series is a little quieter as far as external machine noise, but it has made my Masks MUCH louder.

I do not mean the exhaust noise, but a noise of the fan and motor traveling up the tube into the mask. A parallel is my house-- one of the
air intakes for the AC system had a short straight pipe from the wall to the blower, and when it came on sounded like a jet engine. I had the AC people come back out and they put flexible duct in a "S" shape between wall and blower and noise is gone.

It is strange that I can hear this noise through my mask, but my wife has not complained.

[Snoredog]

[quote="seturner"]I have both a older Remstar Auto no CFLEX and a new M series Auto. The New M series is a little quieter as far as external machine noise, but it has made my Masks MUCH louder.

I do not mean the exhaust noise, but a noise of the fan and motor traveling up the tube into the mask. A parallel is my house-- one of the
air intakes for the AC system had a short straight pipe from the wall to the blower, and when it came on sounded like a jet engine. I had the AC people come back out and they put flexible duct in a "S" shape between wall and blower and noise is gone.

It is strange that I can hear this noise through my mask, but my wife has not complained.

[Rapunzel111]

I have heard different people say that they get an extra long hose from a CPAP dealer/supplier online and then move the machine to a closet away from the sleeping area,and just run the hose out to the bed.
The noise of my machine and mask don't bother me much but I often turn on a nature sounds/instrumental music CD when I sleep and use headphones.I turn the music to a soft level so I can still hear my alarm and then I also tape my mouth shut so I don't snore and then put on an eye mask.I also use a pair of old pantyhose tied around my head and looped thru my nasal pillows mask (and tie the ends around right below where my hose connects to my mask)to keep my jaw shut and my mask on.I know I must look like a mess,but this is how I get the best sleep ever!How about turning on a relaxation CD with music and nature sounds in your bedroom so your wife can enjoy it as well? I have some CD's like this and they really do relax you.You can also get an inexpensive tabletop water fountain (Homedics makes them and you can buy them at Wal Mart pertty cheap)and it not only masks sounds with the trickling water but also adds ions to the air which will help you and wife feel better .(Do a web search about the benefits of ions)
-Rapunzel111

[ColoZZZ]

I thought my M was loud too when I first got it, compared to the "Classic" I'd been running, but have since become accustomed to it. You'll get used to it and in the meantime its not nearly as bad as living near the train tracks!

Good luck,

--Andy

[digitalgeek]

I did a couple of things to reduce the noise level, 1st thing i use a shorter tube 6' instead of 10' and then i changed the mask. I used the Breeze mask instead of the Opus Nasal Pillow mask. The noise level was not as loud. I did get a lot of moisture around the nose pillows, but that was my only issue. I did sleep much better than the night before.

Question, any impact of longer hose? Just from a logical stand point, you need to blow the air farther so the machnice has to work harder. ANy expereinces?

As for the swivel connector issue, I received the following response from cpap.com

Greetings ,

The manufacturer no longer includes the swivel connector due to a
defect in the part that caused it to leak air and water. We do have a
swivel connector that we can ship but we are not responsible for any
damage that it may cause.

[seturner]

[quote="Snoredog"]
mmmm...are you sure about that? are you using the same mask? Like Rachel mentioned, the mask you use can have a BIG impact on noise level based up on the mask's built-in intentional leak rate. A mask that has a great leak rate can cause the machine to be louder as it has to rev up higher to compensate for the increased exhaust rate in order to maintain dialed-in pressure.

So it makes sense if you use a mask with a lower leak rate your machine can run quieter. This test was done wide-open both set to 20cm pressure, a UMFF was attached to the end. From my sound pressure readings, the difference is 1dB: