Just a couple of quick questions

[jranderson80]

So just wanted to thank everyone for all the help this last month. You've been great. So first question. I'm going out of town for a day next week and this will be my first travel experience since starting Cpap. I was wondering if it's possible and or even advisable to disconnect my water tank and humidifier from my PR System One and just connect my hose to the blower. I don't really want to have to worry about taking water along for one night. I just wanted to see if anyone has done this. Will if hurt my machine? Second question. I see a lot of people on here use the Resmed S9. Is this a better machine than the PR System One. Should I request an S9 next week when I see my sleep doc? Just curious what others think. Thanks again.

[Sheriff Buford]

Yes... you can use your cpap machine without the humidifier. I have for several years. It's a comfort thang'... some folks need it for stuffiness or to clear their sinus. Either way, it's ok. The Resmed S9 autoset is a great machine. It's very popular here, provides data and considered top of the line.

Sheriff

[jnk]

You don't really need to carry water if you choose to take and use the humidifier. A night or two of tap water shouldn't hurt anything, in my opinion, no matter how bad the water (within reason). Using tap water every night can cause some buildup on the heating element when that is done in some parts of the country, depending on the quality of the water--that's why other water is sometimes recommended for every-night use. But any water will do, once in a while, even in those places where the tap water is pretty hard on the metal. Personally, I need humidification every night. And I especially needed it while first starting out those first few months.

PR System One is a great machine for most who have it. Some prefer, or get better results, from other brands. The main thing is that you have trending data that shows efficacy over time. That said, insist on what you want--it's your life and you are the one who will be sleeping with it over the years. It may alienate your DME if you insist on having your doc specify a particular brand, but most DMEs don't do much for patients anyway, so that may not matter.

[jweeks]

I was wondering if it's possible and or even advisable to disconnect my water tank and humidifier from my PR System One and just connect my hose to the blower. I don't really want to have to worry about taking water along for one night.

Hi,

Yes, that is possible. But try it out at home first. For example, I have an older M-Series machine, and I need an adaptor when I do that. That is easy to forget. You want to make sure that you have this all worked out before you leave home.

I always travel with my humidifier. I find that I can take a used 12 or 16 ounce diet coke bottle, rinse it out good, and use that for the distilled water. They reseal very well. I use diet coke to avoid the sugar residue. I also put this into a strong zip-lock bag as a 2nd layer of protection. Note that this will work with checked luggage, but TSA will not allow it through as carry-on luggage. I need just enough water to get through one or two nights given that there are Wal-Mart, CVS, and Walgreen stores nearly everywhere these days, so it isn't hard to pick up a gallon once you arrive where you are going.

I avoid tap water. I got a nasty sinus infection once after using tap water. I don't know if it was related, but I sure remember the correlation.

-john-

[Kenwood]

Why not just use bottled water while traveling?

[JohnO]

I've now had 7 trips with my PR System One Series 60 and Humidifier. On most trips I've had a rental car, and just stopped at a grovery store or pharmacy (like Walgreens or CVS) and purchased a bottle of distilled water for about a dollar. On a couple of trips I didn't have a car, or was tired, so just used a new bottle of bottled water I purchased in the hotel.

You certainly -can- use the PR System One without the humidifier, or you can even use it with an empty humdifier (but turn the humidifier heater element off first).

If you are happy with your machine, no reason to change. The Philips Respironics System One Series 60 Auto-CPAP (Model 560) is the top of the line Auto-CPAP from Philips Respironics. The S9 Autoset is the top of the line Auto-CPAP from Resmed. From all I have read, they are very similar. I received my PR machine after my sleep study, and am happy with it. There are very few people who have tried both, and from what I've read, most have said,"it is a horse a piece..."

John

[jranderson80]

Thanks everyone. Some great advise as usual. I'm not sure why I didn't think about just dumping out the water and turning off the heat. But this seems to be a much better solution than taking the machine apart for one night.
I'm not having any issues with my System One so I think I'll just stick with it for now. Again, thanks everyone.

[archangle]

S9 Autoset vs. PRS1 Auto is a tossup. No need to try to change.

If the tap water is drinkable and doesn't smell so bad it bothers you, just dump the tank out every morning and refill at night if distilled water is inconvenient. Removing the tank and emptying it is a good idea anyway so the maid or someone else doesn't move your CPAP machine and ruin it.

Bottled water might be a little better than tap water, particularly in terms of smell.