Anyone experience a metalic smell from their CPAP?

[hotrod53]

My Respironics Rem Master M machine is probably 2 years old now and it has a heated humidifier. I found that turning the heater on just creates a condening mess, so typically I just fill the humidifier with distilled water and leave the heater off. A couple of weeks ago I was awoken with a strange metalic smell in the nasal mask. the next morning I cleaned everything including the humidifier tank and replaced the filter and cleaned the prefilter, the next night everything was fine. Last night it happened again, my first thought was that the humidifier went dry and the heater somehow got turned on. When I checked it this morning the humidifier was off and there was just a drop of water in the tank.

This morning I removed the tank and cleaned it with Dove dishwashing soap as I always do. I'm real curious what is causing this smell, it's annoying enough that it woke me up and I can't use the machine for the rest of the night. My tubing, mask, gel, gel cover, and filter are all brand new within the last week. I clean my gels and mask every day, I clean my humidifier tank every week or so if I havn't been putting water in it, every couple of days if I'm using water. I had put water in the tank probably 2 weeks ago and it eventually was all used up, I had not cleaned it since.

Any suggestions or experience with this?

[DaleK]

I get a smell like that (quite horrible smell like burning metal) when the water runs out in my humidifier. I wonder if it could be turning itself on.

[hotrod53]

That sounds like a correct description... I checked to be sure that the humidifier was off and it was. I'm not sure how it could turn itself on, but the humidifier was my first thought too.

[jules]

are you sure it is coming from the cpap or could some medication you are taking produce this smell? (I know it sounds strange it is happening now but I started getting strange tastes and smells from one of mine)

[happysleeper]

I actually can tell when my humidifier has run out of water because the air gets a slightly metallic smell. It's only happened a few times, as I freshly fill the humidifier each night.

Although I don't like being very occasionally woken up to that smell, I look at it as a good alert to add more water--because I live in an allergen-rich area and want my air humidified so my sinuses can deal with the allergens more easily instead of becoming parched.

Happy Sleeper

[TheDreamer]

Well, my first thought when I read the subject was running the tank dry....

...though did you sniff the tank and stuff afterwards to see if the smell was coming from any of the parts?

I also usually leave my heater off, but it had somehow gotten turned on...and fried the tank. It stank the next morning...but after I refilled everything it was okay for the beginning...until the water couldn't absorb the smell anymore.

Ended up getting a new tank for my humidifier....because just couldn't seem to clean the smell out of it....even stuck it in my ultrasonic cleaner a few times.

The Dreamer.

[jpeekcom]

I have been using my CPAP mask since 11/15/2016. My sleep with it was wonderful. I had no problem with the mask for I have been a military salvage diver for 21 years. At first I used just the mask and the latter added sleeping medication with it. About 10 months ago I started developing a metallic taste and smell throughout the day. I now have it 24/7. I have had every test imaginable by ENT and they found nothing in my sinuses nasal cavity or any place. I then had a brain MRI and nothing was found there. I am now linking back up with my primary doctor tomorrow to get to the bottom of this. There are ten different things that can cause this to start and I am involved with 5 or 6 of them. My taste and smell have migrated to a garbage smell at times. Because of dental work I had bitten my tongue. I had an ear tube placed in my right ear, start several new medications all about the same time. I put on the mask to night with all these thoughts in my head and noted for the first time how really worse it was tonight. I have now added a thought that it could be being caused by an outside problem and only exacerbated by this machine. I will keep everyone informed as to how this plays out. This is driving me crazy . I have already started action on some of the probabilities. the important part I have eliminated all of the ENT possible envolvments