Reservoir Stuck

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
prodigyplace
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Re: Reservoir Stuck

Post by prodigyplace » Fri Aug 10, 2018 1:41 pm

old dude wrote:
Fri Aug 10, 2018 1:29 pm
I'm not exactly a tower of strength these days, particularly in my hands and fingers but I've never had a problem removing my water tank. And while yes, it's obvious where your fingers go because of the serrations, I've never pressed down or squeezed the tank in the least.

Perhaps it was a design flaw that was later quietly corrected.
No surprise. Your Profile here says you have a PR System One The ResMed tanks must be squeezed to release the catches. I got mine last year and this is the case.

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old dude
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Re: Reservoir Stuck

Post by old dude » Fri Aug 10, 2018 2:06 pm

prodigyplace wrote:
Fri Aug 10, 2018 1:41 pm
old dude wrote:
Fri Aug 10, 2018 1:29 pm
I'm not exactly a tower of strength these days, particularly in my hands and fingers but I've never had a problem removing my water tank. And while yes, it's obvious where your fingers go because of the serrations, I've never pressed down or squeezed the tank in the least.

Perhaps it was a design flaw that was later quietly corrected.
No surprise. Your Profile here says you have a PR System One The ResMed tanks must be squeezed to release the catches. I got mine last year and this is the case.
I still have the PRS1s but in the last few weeks have gotten a new AS10 Autoset, otherwise I wouldn't have responded in the thread.

And no, as I stated mine does not require any kind of a conscious squeeze, at least at this point. Maybe it will later as the parts wear.

HoseCrusher
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Re: Reservoir Stuck

Post by HoseCrusher » Fri Aug 10, 2018 5:01 pm

A possible root cause of sticking could be the sticking of the bottom of the humidifier tank to the heating plate. If water is splashed on the bottom of the tank it would evaporate and any residual of minerals in the water could form a glue of sorts making the removal of the humidifier tank difficult.

There is a slot at the bottom of the tank at the interface of the machine just about the size of a putty knife blade. Inserting the blade along with a soft tap may be all that is needed to break the bond and allow the tank to be removed. Keep in mind that the tank is latched at the top and the gasket needs to be compressed to release from the catches. This means that you would need to tap the putty knife in to break the bond, then remove the putty knife so the gasket can be compressed by pressing down on the tank for the final removal.

One way to avoid this is to make sure the bottom of the humidifier tank (on the outside) is clean and dry as well as the warmer plate inside the machine. Another approach would be to apply some teflon non stick to the plate(s) so they are less prone to stick together.

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chunkyfrog
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Re: Reservoir Stuck

Post by chunkyfrog » Fri Aug 10, 2018 6:16 pm

I am aware that I have uncommon strength in my hands (for my age).
I am also aware that others do not.
It is probably time Resmed offered a modification for those who need it.

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Uff Da
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Re: Reservoir Stuck

Post by Uff Da » Fri Aug 10, 2018 8:44 pm

I've struggled with removing that humidifier chamber ever since I got my unit in May. I have to think that ResMed only used men to design and test this model. It is highly unlikely they used small women - who may have hands that can barely reach from the top to the bottom of that piece, let alone put enough pressure on it the remove it. Add to that the fact that some of us have arthritis in our hands, and one doesn't even need anything to make it more "sticky" to present problems.

It is a good thing that I live with someone, as there have been several times I was unable to get the unit out myself and needed my own "bullfrog" to do it. There have also been times he didn't find it so easy, either. I consider that portion of the APAP a poor design.

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RedHeadsRule
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Re: Reservoir Stuck

Post by RedHeadsRule » Sat Aug 11, 2018 3:46 pm

@OldDude, That's an interesting thought! Although, you would think that since I just received mine last month that I would have received one of the re-vamped ones. You never know how long it was sitting in a warehouse, though, I guess.

But for the people who think that this issue has ANYTHING to do with strength, believe me, you are really not understanding the problem. As I stated in my last post, several times my husband has stood holding one side, while I was holding the other and pushing down on the white grooved part, and we were both pulling in opposite directions with all that we had, and sometimes STILL couldn't get it apart! My husband is no small man and he has worked in a physically demanding job for 25+ years that has kept him fit and strong. Trust me, the issue here has nothing to do with some of us just not being strong enough. I don't know what the issue is, but it's not that.

Let's hope that somebody finds something out. I love the machine otherwise. :cry:

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old dude
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Re: Reservoir Stuck

Post by old dude » Sat Aug 11, 2018 5:36 pm

RedHeadsRule wrote:
Sat Aug 11, 2018 3:46 pm
@OldDude, That's an interesting thought! Although, you would think that since I just received mine last month that I would have received one of the re-vamped ones. You never know how long it was sitting in a warehouse, though, I guess.

But for the people who think that this issue has ANYTHING to do with strength, believe me, you are really not understanding the problem. As I stated in my last post, several times my husband has stood holding one side, while I was holding the other and pushing down on the white grooved part, and we were both pulling in opposite directions with all that we had, and sometimes STILL couldn't get it apart! My husband is no small man and he has worked in a physically demanding job for 25+ years that has kept him fit and strong. Trust me, the issue here has nothing to do with some of us just not being strong enough. I don't know what the issue is, but it's not that.

Let's hope that somebody finds something out. I love the machine otherwise. :cry:
That sort of quiet ongoing design correction goes on all the time, in all kinds of products. Can you imagine what it would cost them overall if they did a recall on all the machines in the field? Perhaps there'll be an unannounced recall on a one-by-one basis when complaints arise.

I wonder if perhaps the Goodmans might be able to shed any light on this? Surely they've heard of it if it's this prevalent.

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greatunclebill
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Re: Reservoir Stuck

Post by greatunclebill » Sat Aug 11, 2018 5:48 pm

take it to your dme and they will show you how to open it. if they have same problem that you do they will probably replace it.

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RedHeadsRule
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Re: Reservoir Stuck

Post by RedHeadsRule » Sat Aug 11, 2018 5:54 pm

greatunclebill wrote:
Sat Aug 11, 2018 5:48 pm
take it to your dme and they will show you how to open it. if they have same problem that you do they will probably replace it.
Forgive me..."DME"? I feel stupid for asking, but could you educate me on what exactly a DME is? :? Thanks.

Also, I had another thought since my last post. It's just a shot in the dark, and is probably nothing, but my machine is an ASV. I am curious if the others who have had issues are also ASVs, or if it is a mix of CPAP and BiPAPs.

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old dude
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Re: Reservoir Stuck

Post by old dude » Sat Aug 11, 2018 5:57 pm

One more thought occurs to me: are any of you folks with the sticking reservoirs attempting to remove it when you arise and the humidifier has been running all night? Perhaps residual heat is still causing the plastic to be expanded, regardless of whether the snowflake has disappeared or not. I leave mine together all day before attempting to remove it to top it off, normally around 12 hours. It's very cool by then.

I don't do this by design, just habit.

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palerider
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Re: Reservoir Stuck

Post by palerider » Sat Aug 11, 2018 6:03 pm

RedHeadsRule wrote:
Sat Aug 11, 2018 5:54 pm
greatunclebill wrote:
Sat Aug 11, 2018 5:48 pm
take it to your dme and they will show you how to open it. if they have same problem that you do they will probably replace it.
Forgive me..."DME"? I feel stupid for asking, but could you educate me on what exactly a DME is? :? Thanks.

Also, I had another thought since my last post. It's just a shot in the dark, and is probably nothing, but my machine is an ASV. I am curious if the others who have had issues are also ASVs, or if it is a mix of CPAP and BiPAPs.
Durable Medical Equipment supplier. the people you get your machine and supplies from.

The ASV, Bilevel and cpaps all use the same plastic frame, even though they have different trims.

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RedHeadsRule
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Re: Reservoir Stuck

Post by RedHeadsRule » Sat Aug 11, 2018 6:11 pm

Thanks Palerider! I appreciate the education! :P LOL!

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RetiredWoman
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Re: Reservoir Stuck

Post by RetiredWoman » Sun Dec 09, 2018 11:01 pm

I'm glad to have found this discussion - I have had the ResMed AirSense 10 for 4 months. The water tank was no problem
for a month or so. Then one day it was stuck and horribly difficult to get out. And pushing down on the top of the tank
doesn't get it out. I am wondering if a vacuum forms in the tank when the water level drops during use. Now it is hard
to get out every day. But after I get it out - if I immediately put it back in then it is easy to get back out. I got my cpap machine on 7/31/18 so the company hasn't done anything to fix it recently. I think I will try complaining to ResMed as someone else did. Maybe if enough people complain they will pay attention. I am an older woman, but not weak or
arthritic.

Tom Magarian
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Re: Reservoir Stuck

Post by Tom Magarian » Sun Dec 23, 2018 10:28 am

Tom here,

I have been using my Res Med Auto Sense 10 for about 10 months to date.
I have had sticking issues with the water tank for about the last month.
Today no matter how hard I yanked on the tank, I could not remove it. Upon investigating it further, I found that the stainless steel bottom of the tank had cemented itself to the stainless steel heating element.
I was able to slip a a thin kitchen knife between the tank and the heating element to get it to release.
The problem is caused by mineral deposits in the water, that over time build up and because of the heat, form a cement that causes the tank to stick in the unit.
This was a surprise, because I have always used distilled water from Walgreen's Drug Store. Evidently, the distilled water is not as pure as one might think.

I hope this will explain the problem to the rest of the community Good luck to all,

Tom

prodigyplace
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Re: Reservoir Stuck

Post by prodigyplace » Sun Dec 23, 2018 10:40 am

Tom Magarian wrote:
Sun Dec 23, 2018 10:28 am
Tom here,

I have been using my Res Med Auto Sense 10 for about 10 months to date.
I have had sticking issues with the water tank for about the last month.
Today no matter how hard I yanked on the tank, I could not remove it. Upon investigating it further, I found that the stainless steel bottom of the tank had cemented itself to the stainless steel heating element.
I was able to slip a a thin kitchen knife between the tank and the heating element to get it to release.
The problem is caused by mineral deposits in the water, that over time build up and because of the heat, form a cement that causes the tank to stick in the unit.
This was a surprise, because I have always used distilled water from Walgreen's Drug Store. Evidently, the distilled water is not as pure as one might think.

I hope this will explain the problem to the rest of the community Good luck to all,

Tom
I have been using Walmart distilled water with absolutely no issues for almost 2 years.

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