Repair or Replace

[desrtgiant]

I have a Remstar plus M Series with heated humidifier. The unit is roughly 4-5 years old. Is it not producing the results that it was in the beginning.
This has been going on for about a year or so. The air is not being pushed through like it used to. I have changed filters and hoses, I know there are no leaks.
I have no insurance, so getting another unit or another sleep study is out of the question ( divorce stopped the insurance).

Should I see if I can get it repaired , replaced or reprogrammed. I have read about clinician or physician settings.

Any feed back one way or the other. Thanks , Dan

[Captain_Midnight]

I think that it mainly depends on your financial priorities.

I had a PR-1 start to go south, and I chose to replace it (with good results.)

Actually, I'm pretty amazed that these machines hold up as well as they do.

.

[Pugsy]

You can check with this place to get an idea about costs to repair
http://www.acbio.com/
But it is going to cost more to ship and diagnose than the machines is worth...and then add repair cost to total.

Shop your local craigslist for a replacement machine...just know your model numbers because often the sellers don't have a clue. There's almost always some wort of cpap machine available.

If you could get a copy of your RX for cpap...you could buy a new or used machine online.


BUT....you say it isn't producing the results that it used to produce so I assume you aren't feeling like it is working as well for some reason.
Perhaps something is wrong with the machine but maybe perhaps something changed with your therapy
Maybe pressure needs changed or leaks are an issue.
Your current M Series Plus CPAP machine doesn't gather any useful data to help you evaluate your therapy.
Study up on the newer machines so that if you decide to get another machine you might as well get a machine that lets you evaluate your therapy with software reports.
http://maskarrayed.wordpress.com/

[Wulfman...]

I have a Remstar plus M Series with heated humidifier. The unit is roughly 4-5 years old. Is it not producing the results that it was in the beginning.
This has been going on for about a year or so. The air is not being pushed through like it used to. I have changed filters and hoses, I know there are no leaks.
I have no insurance, so getting another unit or another sleep study is out of the question ( divorce stopped the insurance).

Should I see if I can get it repaired , replaced or reprogrammed. I have read about clinician or physician settings.

Any feed back one way or the other. Thanks , Dan

How do you know? Your machine is not data-capable.
Do you clean/replace the air intake filter(s)?

You can check the output yourself. If you go up to the Search line (above) and put in "homemade manometer" there are numerous threads/posts that will direct you to posts that tell you how to make one or test your machine with a bucket of water and a ruler (marked in centimeters). That last one works......I used to use that method myself.

You could also go into a brick & mortar DME shop and have them test it with their equipment. I doubt if they would charge you for it.

Once you've determined if the pressure output is correct or not, then you need to decide what you need to do.

Lightly used machines are frequently available and for little money. They show up on the forum all the time.


Den

.

[rjdechello]

Hello all.
The M series are pretty affordable to repair (System One even less expensive) but cost depends on the model, version, and issue. There are only 3 parts that routinely fail in the M series machines - Blower motor, sensor pca board, and therapy pca board. If there is only one issue going on, the typical repair cost is about $250. This includes parts, labor, and shipping. For some that have great insurance, obtaining a new machine through your provider might be the most cost effective way to move forward. The majority of us, however, have pretty steep co-pays, or no insurance at all, and repairing is a very viable option. Our online form and free shipping will get you started: http://www.altraservice.com/contact-us/ ... e-service/

Good luck in whatever you decide to do.
Bob

[LyleHaze2]

I have something you should try.

I have an M series also, about seven years/20k hours on it, and lately the quality of therapy has been dismal. In my case, the coarse filters are washed at least monthly, the fine filters changed as often. I have never run it without both of those filters in place. My humidifier tank has been replaced a few times as needed.
My mask and hoses are clean and well maintained, and there is nothing obviously wrong with the machine. The fan runs quiet, there is plenty of pressure (I guess, I have not built a manometer)

Lately I am getting less than two hours sleep at a time, and it almost always ends with me waking up unable to breathe, my nose too clogged for CPAP. (I use a nasal pillow mask)
This is the complete opposite of when I started using the machine, it used to open up a clogged nose within three or four breaths.

In a better situation I would just change the machine out, but I have been out of work for three years now, and ANY amount of money is just too much. But on to what I found out:

I removed the CPAP machine from the humidifier base. no tools needed, just lift the front edge and it comes right off. Using a small hex wrench, remove the ONE small screw that attaches the filter holder to the machine. I did this so I could get a better look inside the machine, what I found really surprised me. There is a SECOND gray foam filter inside this block, and it can not be cleaned without removing this piece. While most of my machine was really clean, this foam block was filthy.

Why is it there? From the outside, you'll notice two small holes under the filter holder. This bit of foam is for any air that is coming in from those holes. It's probably for vacuum relief in case the main filters get too dirty. Anyway, the foam is lighter weight than the coarse filter, and not quite the same shape either.

So I washed it just like the coarse filter, dried it out, put the machine back together and went to bed.
Success! I woke up six hours later with the same feeling that I had on therapy day one: It was easy to breathe, I feel rested, and I woke up feeling very "peaceful", something I have missed for a while now.

This "hidden filter" went seven years without a cleaning, I'll probably put it on a six month cleaning cycle now that I know where to find it.

I can't promise that this will fix you up too, but it's a easy thing to try, costs you nothing at all, and might just save your life.
Good luck!

LyleHaze