Ultra Mirage Full Face Mask whistling problem

day for night · Post by **day for night** » Tue Mar 01, 2005 6:53 pm

I just got off the phone with a res med customer service representative. My resmed ff ultra mirage makes a loud whistling sound during use. Apparently I'm not the only one as Res Med customer service said that they have had a couple dozen reports of this in the last few weeks. They are not sure why they are having a problem and have not recalled any masks. A replacement part does not always fix the problem, so they are replacing my entire maks free of charge. They have a week backlog, so they wont be able to send it until next week.

So I start cpap treatment.....
First I get a respironics gel mask that is basically a pile of blue gel crap.
Next I get a Ultra mirage ff that whistles and has to be replaced, but only next week because of a backlog.

Can't win for losin' ... One month with the cpap and I still cant really use the damn thing.

SleepyTimeGal · Post by **SleepyTimeGal** » Tue Mar 01, 2005 9:41 pm

Try taking the elbow off the mask, and taking it apart. There is a thin membrane in the elbow. Wash the membrane very carefully with warm soapy water, rinse well and dry. Put the membrane and the elbow back together and back on the mask. This might solve the problem, and it can't hurt. There is a booklet that comes with the mask that has directiions for use and usually an exploded view of the mask parts. This should help in taking it apart and putting back together.

SleepyTimeGal

day for night · Post by **day for night** » Wed Mar 02, 2005 10:48 am

Thanks. I did this, but it didn't help. When I talked to the resmed customer service rep, she said they originally had been replacing the membrane, but that didn't always solve the problem. Thus, they are sending full replacement masks.

SleepyTimeGal wrote:Try taking the elbow off the mask, and taking it apart. There is a thin membrane in the elbow. Wash the membrane very carefully with warm soapy water, rinse well and dry. Put the membrane and the elbow back together and back on the mask. This might solve the problem, and it can't hurt. There is a booklet that comes with the mask that has directiions for use and usually an exploded view of the mask parts. This should help in taking it apart and putting back together.

SleepyTimeGal

WindFlyer · Post by **WindFlyer** » Wed Mar 02, 2005 11:49 am

I am a ResMed UltraMirage FF user and I am familiar with the problem you are describing. My own testing has determined that the "whistling" sound you describe is coming from the exhaust vent. There are four or five small holes in the silicone flap which makes up this exhaust vent, and my guess is that the physics of fast moving air through these holes causes some sort of resonance and produces a sound. My mask made the sound you describe the first few nights I used it. At first I thought of reaming the holes out slightly to see if it took away whatever nuances were causing the sound to be produced, but what I found instead was that after I cleaned this particular part and dried it the problem went away. When I re-installed the exhaust vent I accidentally put it in upside down (you can tell- the holes look like cones instead of holes when this happens- and the largest part of the vent should be on the exterior of the mask housing) and it whistled quite loudly when I did this. After putting it back in the correct orientation, however, I didn't hear a sound.

Today I still hear an occasional whistle from the exhaust vent- which I think is cuased by condensation somwhere in the vent's vacinity or inside of the holes themselves, but it goes away after any condensation has been expelled.

So my reccommendation would be to take the exhaust vent out, wash it well and dry it, maybe flex it around with your fingers a bit to "soften up" the material, and then see if the sound continues or not from there.

LilBuckaroo · Post by **LilBuckaroo** » Wed Mar 02, 2005 2:39 pm

Day for night, I have (2) UltraMirage FF's. I'm almost glad to hear that someone else has the whistling problem. That could mean that I'm not "completely" crazy!! They both make the whistling sound. On mine, I have discovered that it comes from the place where the elbow connects to the mask not making a good seal. I have experimented, and if I hold the elbow tight to the mask it stops, but can't sleep holding the elbow tight to the mask. I am thinking of going to a hardware store and try to find a thin rubber gasket that will fill the gap, yet still allow the elbow to swivel.

Don't know if it will work, but will probably give it a try.

Will post later will results.

Stranger things have solved problems!!!

day for night · Post by **day for night** » Wed Mar 02, 2005 2:53 pm

I wonder if this is a larger problem than the RESMED rep said on the phone. Of course, they are going to downplay the problem, but they were VERY quick to offer up a full replacement mask. I even asked about a replacement part, but they specifically said that replacing the part does not always fix the whistling problem. Hmmmmm. Guess we will see if it shows up in my mail in a few weeks.

chrisp · Post by **chrisp** » Wed Mar 02, 2005 3:25 pm

Wow. If they give them away that fast I have a 3 yr old mask I'd like to have replaced.

LilBuckaroo · Post by **LilBuckaroo** » Thu Mar 03, 2005 5:40 pm

I called [url=https://www.cpap.com/productSearch.php?query=resmed]ResMed[/url] Customer Service this afternoon. The lady to whom I spoke said that she doesn't know of any leak problems or replacements. She suggested that I call my DME to get a replacement from them. I did this and part of their order is on back order. As luck would have it, my size is part of the back order. He said that he would call me when the order comes in and would trade replace my mask.

At this time, I haven't been able to find suitable material to make a gasket.

When I do, I'll post my solution!!!!!

day for night · Post by **day for night** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 3:06 pm

Wow, Resmed said they would send a replacement mask and they did. I received a new FREE ultra mirage FF in the mail today.

Grant I · Post by **Grant I** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 5:03 pm

I, too, have had a whistling problem. Last summer, when I got a replacement Mirage Full Face Series II, after 6 months with my first one, I had MAJOR whistling the first time I used it. It was definitely coming from the exhaust port. I switched the port cover (the silicone thingamajig with the holes) from the old mask to the new mask, and VOILA! no whistling. Last week I got a new Ultra Mirage Full Face to replace my old Series II. First time on--WHISTLING!!. Changed out the port cover to my old one--NO WHISTLING (port covers are the same...)

Bottom line--no question--something is different with the new port cover.

The other type of whistling from the elbow has also happened to me--it wasn't the membrane, but the ring clips holding the elbow to the face piece weren't fully clicked into place (must have bumped it in the middle of the night). Nothing like disassembling/reassembling the mask at 3AM... That took care of the noise and leaks.

What does ResMed have to say about this??
Grant

Ultra Mirage Full Face Mask whistling problem