420E / Heated Humidifier Connection adapter problem

ghmerrill · Post by **ghmerrill** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 7:26 am

Last night when I cranked up my 420e I noticed it was leaking where the water chamber on the heated humidifier goes into the "connection adapter" (the little soft plastic thingy that connects the reservoir to the 420e).

No amount of adjustment could get it to stop (yes, it was inserted in the correct orientation). I surmise that it just got streteched a bit by removing and replacing the reservoir.

As a quick fix I cut some thin strips of plastic electrical tape to build up the diameter of the "inlet connector" on the reservoir, and that did the trick. But I'd like a permanent solution that doesn't involve ordering new connection adapters (since I don't think too highly of that design and implementation). I'll be mining hardware stores, Lowes, etc. today for something that looks good.

A couple of possibilities I'm considering are

1. Hose clamp on the reservoir end of the connection adapter. There's not much room there, but I can probably find/make something that will work. Hmmm. Maybe even a zip tie. (Zip ties are one of the five fundamental binding forces in nature: zip ties, velcro, epoxy, race wire, and duct tape.)
2. Standard vinyl tubing (maybe with a zip tie or hose clamp). Don't know if this will work well where it fits onto the 420e.
3. Surgical rubber tubing. Probably difficult to get to fit onto the 420e, but might work with a bit of effort. Some other rubber (or composite) tubing might work as well. Inner and outer diameter is the key.
4. Use the existing adapter and just silicone seal it to the reservoir. This would probably work fine, but it's a little too permanent if something else goes wrong with the adapter.

Does anyone else have experience with tinkering with this thing?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 8:39 am

unstack them and put an 18 inch hose between them. Works great

snoregirl · Post by **snoregirl** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 8:45 am

I love it, you think like I do...... LOL

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Zip ties are one of the five fundamental binding forces in nature: zip ties, velcro, epoxy, race wire, and duct tape.)
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These 5 are also my very favorites.

greyhound · Post by **greyhound** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 8:52 am

Have you tried reversing the "adapter". Might get a better fit that way.

ghmerrill · Post by **ghmerrill** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 8:58 am

I've tried reversing the adaptor. That seems to work less well in general.

The suggestion to just unstack them and use a short hose is a good one -- and one that I was obviously just not considering. It would be nice, however, if I could get it to work with a stubby direct connection -- eliminating the need to carry the additional hose while traveling and yielding a smaller "footprint" at home.

I'll see what I come up with.

Goofproof · Post by **Goofproof** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 9:06 am

snoregirl wrote:I love it, you think like I do...... LOL

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Zip ties are one of the five fundamental binding forces in nature: zip ties, velcro, epoxy, race wire, and duct tape.)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

These 5 are also my very favorites.

And the Sixth wonder of the world, Crazy Glue, for people who can't wait for Epoxy to set.

snork1 · Post by **snork1** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 4:24 pm

Cinch a "cable tie" around the short leaky side and just leave the cable tie on.
This will NOT prevent you from unplugging the tank, but keeps the soft adapter from "balooning" out.

ghmerrill · Post by **ghmerrill** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 8:17 pm

Yeah, the cable/zip tie approach seems the best to me at the moment.

I'd like to find something readily available (i.e, that I don't have to order) to replace the adapter and maybe to serve as a spare while travelling. I (of course) struck out at Lowes today. All the usualy vinyl stuff is two rigid and not quite the right size. But there's a pharmacy in Raleigh that has an associated medical supplies outfit with it, and I know they carry different sizes of rubber tubing. So next week I'll try that.

Snoredog · Post by **Snoredog** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 8:38 pm

[quote="Anonymous"]unstack them and put an 18 inch hose between them. Works great

snork1 · Post by **snork1** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 11:22 pm

[quote="Snoredog"][quote="Anonymous"]unstack them and put an 18 inch hose between them. Works great

friendly guest · Post by **friendly guest** » Sun Aug 06, 2006 4:52 am

If you are determined to make a coupler for the 420, try cutting one inch of the thinnest end of a gray silicone duff off of an old hose.
Having said that, I had a couple more reasons for unstacking my units and going to the 18 inch hose.
1. Keeping the autopap dryer. If you ever place a warranty call, the first things they will ask, is have you ever overfilled, or left humidifier running, to cause moisture to ruin the unit. The extra 18 inches is just a little insurance against the two things occuring.
2. Heat buildup on the bottom of the autopap is significant when used in the stacked position. Feel the bottom of your 420 some morning. We all know the fastest way to ruin our computer is have a faulty cooling fan, so why subject the computer components inside our auto's to more heat than necessary.
3. Like you, I prefer to travel light, so I keep the small coupler packed in my travel bag, but when at home, I use the 18 inch hose, and unstacked side by side to ensure a longer life to my equipment, while also eliminating the issues of leaky couplers.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun Aug 06, 2006 5:10 am

How about duct tape?

ghmerrill · Post by **ghmerrill** » Sun Aug 06, 2006 6:52 am

The zip tie works really well. Of course of the probably 2,000 zip ties I have, only one was an appropriate size (long enough and thin enough). And I screwed up putting that one on. But I finally got a shorter one to work.

A hose clamp of the appropriate size also will work, though it is considerably less elegant in appearance.

I'm swayed by some of the arguments offered for unstacking the units, though I'd be really unhappy to encounter some of the responses to warranty issues you mention. If the company is truly concerned that there are regular problems in using the units as documented, that's unfortunate.

The pictures posted remind me that I need to start working on something like that as well. Around here it would fall under "keeping the local culture alive".

Titrator · Post by **Titrator** » Sun Aug 06, 2006 9:24 am

I have the fix for you.

Take the coupler and before you slide the humdifer to the machine, put the coupler on the humidfier inlet and not the machine outlet. Then push them together until they are seated and both are in the correct position without cramming them together.

This works and is the way PB has you do it.

Remember... Put the coupler on the humdifier tank first instead of the machine, then slide the tank into place.

Let me know.

Ted the Titrator

PS. I had the same problem until I found out about this fix.

ghmerrill · Post by **ghmerrill** » Sun Aug 06, 2006 9:34 am

Ted:

That's exactly how I was doing it. And it did work. But somehow, I think the reservoir end got stretched a bit. So now, even when I follow the method you suggest, it still leaks without some other aid.

420E / Heated Humidifier Connection adapter problem

420E / Heated Humidifier Connection adapter problem

Unstacking