Res Med shuts itself off in middle of night

[parrotfish2]

I'm new at this and having technical problems. My ResMed auto S9 shuts itself off in the middle of the night for no apparent reason. Last night I had the mask on from midnight to 6 am, when it shut itself off. The data read-out showed that it had only been in use for 1.5 hours. My respiratory tech called tech support at Red Med and they told him that if there is a major leak at the mask or the humidifier the machine will shut itself off. The door to the reservoir was closed and when I woke up it didn't seem to me that the mask was leaking -- it just wasn't blowing air. Does anyone have any experience with this?

[robysue]

I'm new at this and having technical problems. My ResMed auto S9 shuts itself off in the middle of the night for no apparent reason. Last night I had the mask on from midnight to 6 am, when it shut itself off. The data read-out showed that it had only been in use for 1.5 hours.

I assume that there was no evidence of a power outage on the night(s) this happened. Has this happened more than once? If so, then document every time it happens in writing.

I had a similar problem with my first PR System One BiPAP. The DME replaced the machine under warranty as soon as I told them about the problem and answered a few questions that eliminated the obvious potential problems external to the machine itself.

You write

My respiratory tech called tech support at Red Med and they told him that if there is a major leak at the mask or the humidifier the machine will shut itself off. The door to the reservoir was closed and when I woke up it didn't seem to me that the mask was leaking -- it just wasn't blowing air.

This is important: Do you have the S9 AutoSET or the S9 Escape Auto???

The S9 AutoSET records leak data and the S9 Escape Auto does NOT record leak data.

If you are lucky enough to have the AutoSet, it's easy enough to figure out whether there are large leaks of the sort the tech says Res Med says can cause the machine to shut itself off: Look at the data right before the machine turns itself off. If the leak is LESS THAN 24 L/min, then leaks are NOT what lead the machine to turn itself off. And, in my opinion, at that point, it's worth pushing for the machine to be replaced under warranty. If there ARE large leaks present just before the machine cut out, then it's time to work with the DME to try to figure out a fix for the leaks if this is a recurring problem for you.

If you are unlucky enough to have the Escape Auto, teasing out what's really going on will be much more difficult. First, inspect the equipment carefully. Check both the mask and the hose for any irregularities or small holes or tears. Note that the ResMed hoses seem to be prone to small tears right near the cuff. I use water to test for hose leaks: I hook the hose up to my bathroom sink faucet and turn the water on full force. If there's a hole, it's easy to spot. Once you know the equipment is OK, then it's time to focus on night time leaks caused by how the mask is fitting to your face during the night. If you are reasonably sure that you are not mouth breathing or taking the mask off in your sleep or partially dislodging the mask when you change positions, then go back to the DME and tell them what you've told us: To the best of your knowledge there seemed to be no problem with leaks at the mask level and the humidifier door was properly shut when you woke up and realized the machine was no longer blowing air through the mask. And then tell them you need some help determining whether you're leaking or not since the machine the DME sold (not gave) you doesn't record leak data. You may need to be persistent about this.

[Pugsy]

What are you using to see the 1.5 hours of use before the machine shut off?
The LCD screen or software?

If you don't know about the software check my signature line for information on SleepyHead which will work with the ResMed machine.
If you don't have a leak line graph showing in SleepyHead...the machine doesn't report leak data and is the Escape Auto.
If you have a leak line graph (and a bunch of other graphs) you have the S9 Autoset and it is very easy to spot a large leak on the graph.

[Lizistired]

I'm curious too if this is the first time it has happened.
Last night I went to bed at 1am and woke up at 6am with the mask off and machine off. The data showed it being turned off at 2am. I don't have a problem keeping the mask on all night unless I'm really congested and then I just mouth breathe and show lots of leaks.
Odd thing is that there was no indication that I was awake to turn it off. Steady flow and minute ventilation was almost a flat line, no leaks. I don't remember a thing, but I slept pretty good! I'm kind of wondering if the data is accurate. Must be because the mask was off and laying where I remember falling asleep.
Another thought is that, we sprang forward yesterday.... Going forward should not matter but, it seems the S9 has a mind of it's own. I reset the S9 clock just after noon yesterday. I think I will unplug it and plug it in again just to reboot it in case it's.... who knows?

[parrotfish2]

Well, I just talked to the tech at ResMed. He said this happens a lot and that it's almost always the result of having the power brick too close to the machine. Stretch them apart and it will be no problem. That's not what their tech told my tech this morning, but I hope it's right. I suggested that he inform others in the company of this, as they already had sent me one replacement machine after it happened last week. Will report back.

[robysue]

Well, I just talked to the tech at ResMed. He said this happens a lot and that it's almost always the result of having the power brick too close to the machine. Stretch them apart and it will be no problem..

I admit I'm not an electrical engineer or anybody else with any expert knowledge of electricity. But I sure do wish someone would explain how placing the power brick too close to the machine is supposed to make the machine suddenly cut out on the user. Seems counter intuitive to me.

And if this "happens a lot" then maybe Resmed should put something in the user's manual about it. There's certainly nothing about needing to take some care in where to place the brick relative to the blower unit that I can find in my copies of the manuals that I got when I was still using an S9 AutoSet.

[sol]

If SmartStart enabled the S9 would shut off if mask removed and don,t detect any breathing through the mask.

[Roger2]

I had that happen when I first got my cpap and apria sent a tech out and checked the unit. They found a defect in something because they replace it on the spot.

[MZH]

My S9 VPAP shut itself off on Sunday night and went back on an hour later. Never would have known if I didn't have the software. My AHI sure was high and has been the last week. My DME found nothing wrong with it but said it needs to go back to Resmed if it happens again. I just emailed the Resmed rep.

[Lizistired]

My S9 VPAP shut itself off on Sunday night and went back on an hour later. Never would have known if I didn't have the software. My AHI sure was high and has been the last week. My DME found nothing wrong with it but said it needs to go back to Resmed if it happens again. I just emailed the Resmed rep.

This and my post above, makes me think RESMED tried something to adjust for daylight savings time and it doesn't work right. Maybe they gave up on it but some of it is still in the firmware.

[rocklin]

Hi Robysue,

But I sure do wish someone would explain how placing the power brick too close to the machine is supposed to make the machine suddenly cut out on the user.

I called ResMed and asked.

(There are two levels of tech support, you need to ask for the second, more knowledgeable one. The first level has no clue.)

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The 2nd tier of support said that the power brick gives off heat, and if it's too close to the humidifier's heat sensor, that will be enough to shut the unit down.

They followed up by saying that the entire unit should be kept in a cool, well ventilated area, away from direct sunlight, away from walls and corners, and that the power brick should be as far away from the unit as possible.

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[merlin@adviseandconsult.net]

I have been using a Resmed consistently since Aug. 2010.
Recently it's started to shut itself off, many nights more than once.
HELP!

MST

[zoocrewphoto]

Have you changed mask types? Is your machine set for auto on/off. Any settings been changed recently? What machine do you have?

Please add your equipment list to your profile.

[Tino2You]

I've had my s9 since May. The unit is on a table next to my bed, even with my bed and the power bring is about 4 inches from the back of the unit. I have not had my machine stop in the middle of the night unless I pressed the power off button to make a potty run.
Could you be having small power fluctuations that may be tripping out the ResMed power supply?

-tino

[ZenaPrincessSnoozer]

Please don't take this comment as rude or sarcastic. My machine was shutting off in the middle of the night for two weeks. It turns out that one of my cats was stepping on the on/off button, which is conveniently placed on the top of the s9.