Very strange thing happened with my fine white filter

As in, it disappeared!

OK, I don't change the filters often enough on my PRS1 760 machine. But when I do I carefully put in a new fine white filter, then wash and replace the black foam filter after that. To keep an errant cough or sneeze from blowing the filters out of the back of the machine I stretch a rubber band around the machine to serve as a filter "retainer" of sorts.

So I just decided to do a filter service and removed the rubber band and foam filter (both intact) and lo and behold the little white filter wasn't there! There's zero chance I failed to install it last time, and I don't see how it could have blown out the back past the black foam filter and the rubber band. Is there any chance the machine could have somehow sucked it in? I can't see it looking in the air intake and as far as I can tell the machine is running and sounding just fine.

Altimers! jim

At least you can't be blamed for installing it backwards.

Aliens.
They took it out and forgot to put it back.

I don't see it being sucked inside the machine. I just can't imagine that happening.
So either aliens or you know who.

Pugsy wrote:Aliens.
They took it out and forgot to put it back.

I don't see it being sucked inside the machine. I just can't imagine that happening.
So either aliens or you know who.

Well, I guess it had to be the aliens then!

Or, since I tend to sneeze and cough somewhat violently from time to time, maybe such an event stretched the rubber band holding in the black filter and let the white one fly out. Geez, that's pretty creative, huh?

Another possibility-- polyester-eating genetically modified weevils.

See what happens when you don't use authentic Respironics brand filters? Just kidding.

I think the chances of the whole thing being sucked into the machine are near zero. Even if it fell apart, I can't see the whole filter going into the machine. I can't see it getting sucked into the machine and not causing some sort of drastic failure or large amounts of crud in the water tank or some sort of reaction when you inhaled it.

It seems to me that it's unlikely to work its way out the back of the machine unless the foam filter fell out first.

My best guess is you didn't install it, or you put it in, and it fell out while you were putting in the foam filter and you didn't notice.

Check the package the filters came in, it may be marked self changing. If so the filter could have removed it's self, but your package was empty, so it couldn't install a clean one. Personally, I'd go with senior moment. Jim

Could be the new 'self dissolving' type like they use for internal sutures

I remember a few years ago a few reports of filters being 'blown-outwards' from the machine's filter receptacle, but I haven't heard of any being sucked in. If it did manage to migrate into the blower assembly your machine would most likely stop working very abruptly. I don't think those variable speed servo-motors have enough torque to grind up a filter.

The filter is still there. It's just phased partially into an alternate space-time.

maybe it's still there and just so dirty it's matching the gray plastic color???

DreamDiver wrote:The filter is still there. It's just phased partially into an alternate space-time.

Ah, the Twilight Zone theory! I can buy into that before I legitimately think I forgot to put it in.

No kidding, I'm human and a 65 year old human at that. I forget stuff all the time. But given that I'm hyper-anal about my CPAP stuff it's unlikely that I forgot to put it in. Before I put on the rubber band retainer I would sneeze or cough and blow out both filters from time to time, but I'm not quite sure how I could blow the white filter past the black one.

Say, is hyper-anal really a word?

old dude wrote: Say, is hyper-anal really a word?

It is now.

old dude wrote:Say, is hyper-anal really a word?

Degrees of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: Anal vs. Hyper-Anal? Yeah, I can see that.

DreamDiver wrote:

old dude wrote:Say, is hyper-anal really a word?

Degrees of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: Anal vs. Hyper-Anal? Yeah, I can see that.

I'll stipulate to a little touch of the OCD thing...