Cpap mask question

[xUnderCoverHoBo]

Hi!!!

So a few quick questions for you. I have a resend airsense 10 with an f30 cpap mask and absolutely love it. I am only 2 months into therapy and it’s changing my life. Now I am in between insurance companies and was wondering how often people ACTUALLY replace their equipment. The manual states the full mask every 3 months and some sites suggest replacing the mask cushion monthly. Now these numbers seem a little extreme and I’m looking for input on how often actual users replace. Personally fine replacing the cushion as it’s not nearly as expensive but the plastic housing of the mask I feel like doesn’t need replacing every 3 months.


Thank you in advance for all your help

[Pugsy]

There's no need to replace anything unless it's broken or so worn out it won't seal.
The plastic frame part...could last years with common sense care.
The silicone cushion part...months maybe even years with common sense care. All depends on your cleaning routine and how oily your skin might be.

The exception might be the ResMed Air Touch full face mask...that cushion is made of memory foam and it won't hold up for more than a month or two.

[xUnderCoverHoBo]

Thank you so much for the reply. I value your input and can others on here agree? I feel like replacing the small plastic piece is not necessary and the only real items that could need replacing would be a hose and a mask cushion. Both of which are WAY cheaper than buying a new mask.


Again apologies I’m very new to this and just exploring options

[Okie bipap]

I agree with Pugsy. I changed both of our mask cushions last summer simply because I had two cushions in the drawer. The cushion on my wife's mask was almost 18 months old and mine was around 15 months. I received a free cushion from ResMed last April. I agreed to use the cushion for 13 weeks and tell them how it worked. I ended up using that cushion for around 15 months before I changed it. Obviously the manufacturers know their cushions will last longer than one month, but they still recommend you change them monthly. This is to increase their profits. I wash the cushions once a week using Ivory dish soap and warm water. I handle the cushions gently so they will last longer. There is really no reason for us to use things as long as we do since our insurance will replace cushions monthly if we want to, but we are both frugal and try not to waste money whether it is ours or someone else's. The only reason to replace a hose is if it has a large hole in it, or will no longer stay connected to the mask. Small holes can be repaired with tape.

[Pugsy]

The hose probably won't need replacing very often either unless you damage it somehow.

I have one heated hose that went through 3 machines and had probably over 15,000 hours of use on it. Worked fine when I retired it and it got retired because I got a new machine it wasn't compatible with it.

I do recommend having a spare cushion and hose on hand though just in case something happens.
Accidents do happen...I dropped a water chamber and caused it to lose it's seal...twice.
I had a dog eat one of my nasal pillows...cat knocked it off the counter on to the floor and once on the floor it was the dog's new best chew toy.

[palerider]

Thank you so much for the reply. I value your input and can others on here agree?

Pugsy is right, trust the pugsy, do what the pugsy says, the pugsy doesn't lead people astray.

I feel like replacing the small plastic piece is not necessary and the only real items that could need replacing would be a hose and a mask cushion. Both of which are WAY cheaper than buying a new mask.

Why would either of those *need* to be replaced, unless you damage them with overzealous cleaning, or they just wear out over time (plastic, it can break...)

Replace things when they wear out, or no longer function properly.

The 'replacement schedule' was fabricated by greedy DMEs to make more money by having suckers throw away perfectly good things.

[TropicalDiver]

I believe in spares; especially when you use things until they wear out. My headgear lasts me about six months to a year. I use the memory foam cushions on the F20... about $25 each via Amazon. I get about six weeks max on those. Everything else is one or more years.

[zoocrewphoto]

Think of the recommended schedule as the earliest insurance or medicare will pay for something. It doesn't mean you need it that often.

That said, get at least one spare of everything as soon as you can. Then, when you need a replacement, use your spare and replace the spare. These things break at the worst times. Or a part goes missing.

Awhile back, I got a spare machine cheap, and I use it as my travel machine and backup. My mom uses the same model machine, and after a 3 week road trip, her machine started having troubles. I was about to leave on a trip, so I swapped out my machine and set it for her settings. I took her machine with me (along with my other machine). I figured out the problem while I was on my weekend trip. Her filter cover had fallen off (somewhere along the road trip), and once home, her machine had sucked in a bunch of dog hair. I fixed her machine, and ordered a new filter cover. She didn't have to go without treatment since I had a complete machine to use while I figured out the problem.

I have two complete machines, hose, and mask, as well as a spare of everything. I have not used insurance to buy anything for about 4 years. This is the first year I have met my deductible since my first year with cpap. I could have ordered some stuff, but I am well stocked.

[Biomed_ZZZ]

The idea of keeping a least 1 set of spares is a great idea as you never know if or when something happens as accidents sometimes happen. I guess if you get past the scheduled replacement time that it would be fairly easy to get another part but then there's the wait time, having that part on hand would make it so much easier.

[booksfan]

As others have said, spares are a good idea. It would not do run into a problem at night as you are getting into bed, or during a holiday weekend, etc.

That said, while I now used the Bleep and replace my nasal ports nightly, when I used a nasal pillow I found that I DID actually need to replace that part every 2 to 3 weeks. At that point, my leak rate would start to increase and the longer I waited, the higher it got. I never did have to replace the headgear or the part that held the pillows. YMMV

I've been on CPAP 22 months and am still using the original heated hose (although I do have a backup). Same with the humidifier tank. I also have a backup for the Bleep (the interface).