Z1 Auto, how do you like it?

bill-e, TangledHose, thank you both for your insight! I look forward to hearing a report of how well the noise fix works.

Thanks all for your input. I do believe that I will just travel with my System One and no humidifier. I may have trouble when in Denver, but will try it to see. This will save some $$$$ also!

I did that on an overnight trip last week and forgot to take my hose! So as another poster suggested, I will probably just take some of my old equipment (mask, pillows, hose) and keep those in a travel bag so I don't forget.

Still working out how to travel with the equipment -- especially on smaller planes when the roller bag has to be gate checked, and trying to keep the weight down with a laptop, tablet, phone, adapters, etc. I'll probably find the perfect solution about the time I retire.

Thanks again for the input. Glad I found this forum!

The HME's are not a new gimmick made for travel cpaps, they are a proven technology in use daily primarily for people who are breathing through their trachea (I have no idea what the medical term for it is)

Both my Z1 and Z1 Auto have exhale relief which as you know, actually reduces inbound airflow flow to a minimum during your exhale. Additionally, though I have not used many masks, I do not believe than anywhere near the full volume of my exhale gets vented out of the mask. The Z1 HME does indeed get some amount of exhaled air passing over it and when it does, the hygroscopic coating on the plastic mesh absorbs some moisture. It is this moisture that provides the humidification upon inhale.

I've said many times in prior posts that I absolutely cannot use a cpap without humidification. When I've tried my insides feel like a dry lake bed within a very short amount of time. The Z1 HME, which can attach to any standard size mask and hose, has proven effective for me for well over a year that I've been using them.

I can get anywhere from from two, four day increments of use to more than 14 consecutive days of use before I toss them. I usually toss them while they're still working because the results of letting them stop functioning when I'm sleeping is just too uncomfortable to worry about changing them out early. Other than the time that I'm actually breathing through them, they are stored in a zip lock bag to prolong the chemical on the foam.

Would I prefer the heated hose and water of my PRS1? Certainly, mostly because it does a better job of keeping nasal congestion down but I much prefer the convenience of carrying a little HME over a humidifier.

And it's only 6 bucks so if you think you might like the convenience of using the HME instead of lugging a humidifier or even going without, the next time you order supplies pick one up and try it at home. I'd recommend you always try out changes to your equipment at home because trying something new when you're already sleeping someplace other than your own comfy bed is not the best of ideas.

e-bill:

Have you tried placing a mouse pad under the Z1. I have done this to my PR760. There is now no noise at all. I can't hear my machine anymore! It really works!!

Pesser wrote:e-bill:

Have you tried placing a mouse pad under the Z1. I have done this to my PR760. There is now no noise at all. I can't hear my machine anymore! It really works!!

My Z1 is typically on my bed with me so no real vibration there. I have one of these clips and attach it to my sheet so I don't knock it off during the night.

By the way, thanks to TangledHose for passing on this info, there is a $200 Rebate from HDM if you trade in your old Z1 when you purchase a Z1 Auto prior to April 30th.

Details of the Program:

Important Requirements to Qualify for Rebate Offer:

This offer is limited to Z1 Auto purchases from the following participating retailers:

The HDM Store

Direct Home Medical (directhomemedical.com)

CPAPXChange (cpapxchange.com)

Available only to purchasers of Z1 Auto CPAP devices who purchase a device at full price from a participating retailer on or prior to April 30, 2015.

Must have purchased a Z1 CPAP device prior to November 30, 2014.

Must complete the trade-in rebate request form and send it, your existing Z1 CPAP device and its AC power cord assembly and your receipt for the Z1 Auto CPAP device to Human Design Medical, LLC.
Z1 CPAP device must be in good working condition when received by Human Design Medical, LLC.
Must complete the processing of rebate (including delivery to Human Design Medical, LLC) within 90 days of a qualifying purchase.
Rebate offer is void upon return of the Z1 Auto CPAP device.

bill-e wrote:

Pesser wrote:e-bill:

Have you tried placing a mouse pad under the Z1. I have done this to my PR760. There is now no noise at all. I can't hear my machine anymore! It really works!!

My Z1 is typically on my bed with me so no real vibration there. I have one of these clips and attach it to my sheet so I don't knock it off during the night.

I understand!

Julie, a while back, suggested a mouse pad to reduce noise. My results are as follows: The unit is below the bed, about six inches, and beyond your knees sitting on a table atop a mouse pad. There is absolutely no sound coming from the machine. I mean none at all!....no fan noise and no hose noise.... This, I found, real spooky!!! If you decide to try it let us know the results.

Cheers

Pesser,

Granted your solution works just fine for a full size machine like yours, but the "Darth Vader" noise issue with these little machines is a different animal altogether. The issue is the miniature turbine spinning at faster speeds than a big machine, and then the small air outlet size which requires an adapter at the machine end to bring the opening up to a normal diameter for the hose. All these compromises to get the required cpap therapy pressure up to a normal range creates a turbulent flow that sets up the resulting noise/resonance problem. It doesn't matter where I put the machine, it could be literally right next to my head and it wouldn't make any difference. I could use a ten foot hose and put the machine on top of a bowl of jello, it wouldn't make any difference........it's just a completely different issue with these diminutive machines than what you're talking about with your full size blower.

I am probably making it worse because I use a full face mask, more mask surface area to transmit the effect into my skull, I think Bill-e is using a nasal mask, I would imagine that the problem is less with a nasal mask (my conjecture).

I know I have heard rumors about a noise fix in the works and it's my guess that the fix is probably an adaptor of some kind that reduces the turbulent airflow issue somehow.

You might think I am being a bit overly dramatic here, and some users just don't have an issue with the noise, but if you read through various posts on different forums, and here on this forum as well, about this issue you'll find a considerable number of complaints from users since the Z1 first came out last year. I dare say enough complaints that the company is expending resources to come up with a fix of some sort. For me it will make the Z1 much more usable for sleep therapy when they finally get the fix finished........I will have little or nothing to complain about if it works!

Bill-e,

If you're still reading this thread.......I want to grate on your nerves with just two more questions about the Z1 Auto, and then I'll put all this to bed and move on.

1) now that the Auto version incorporates the Bluetooth chip and they have introduced the Nitelog App, has that been working well for you? Any communication errors or glitches with the Bluetooth communications and the app?

2) if Nitelog is now successfully displaying your AHI numbers have you made any comparison between your reported AHI numbers from the Z1 Auto and your average AHI numbers from your home PR machine? Is it about the same between the two, better, worse?

I've been flying blind with my original Z1 cpap as far as treatment efficacy because HDM has been so darn slow getting the computer software up to speed........their PC reporting program still only reports hours of use and leaks, no other data as far as Apnea and hypopnea events at this point.........big disappointment on that score.

OK, all done

So I'm not a number watcher and especially since Nightlog right now is iPhone only, and I'm an Android guy. I do have an iPhone that I bring with me solely for using Nightlog but I only check it once in a while.

Having said that, during the beta of Nightlog my AHI was an order of magnitude higher with Nitelog vs my PRS1. Just recently I did a comparison and they are within .1 of each other so I believe that Nightlog is accurate...and that the treatment from the two different machines has the same effectiveness.

As far as connection problems, in comparison to Sleepmapper and my PRS1, Nightlog connects very reliably.

TangledHose wrote: ... the "Darth Vader" noise issue with these little machines is a different animal altogether. The issue is the miniature turbine spinning at faster speeds than a big machine, and then the small air outlet size which requires an adapter at the machine end to bring the opening up to a normal diameter for the hose ...

You might think I am being a bit overly dramatic here, and some users just don't have an issue with the noise, but if you read through various posts on different forums, and here on this forum as well, about this issue you'll find a considerable number of complaints from users since the Z1 first came out last year ...

What TangledHose describes is exactly my experience with the Transcend. As long as I fall asleep quickly while the ramp feature still has it at a lower (quieter) pressure, and don't wake up in the middle of the night (ha!) the noise is tolerable. The issue isn't the machine itself, its what happens as the air is rattling down the hose. I'm glad to hear that HDM is trying to address it, because Transcend doesn't seem to be.

An interesting noise observation. I always wake up in the middle of the night. With my original Z1 whenever I awake in the middle of the night my perception is that the noise is much less and the "feel" of the machine while I'm breathing is almost undetectable. I have always assumed that my body had just adjusted to both the noise and breathing but I have always thought it to be a remarkable difference in comfort when I woke and needed to fall back to sleep.

bill-e wrote:An interesting noise observation. I always wake up in the middle of the night. With my original Z1 whenever I awake in the middle of the night my perception is that the noise is much less and the "feel" of the machine while I'm breathing is almost undetectable. I have always assumed that my body had just adjusted to both the noise and breathing but I have always thought it to be a remarkable difference in comfort when I woke and needed to fall back to sleep.

I will say that the feel of the machine is more comfortable for me as well when I awake at night. Somewhat so for the Transcend, very much so for my PRS1. So I do think We adjust somewhat. My perception of the noise with the Transcend is another story - I'll often hit the ramp button if I wake up, just to quiet it down.

Another interesting observation with the Transcend: the first couple of nights I used it, I felt like it was inflating me like a balloon! Never experienced that with the PRS1, even the first night. It bothered me so much that I rigged a MacGyver manometer to make sure it was set to the right pressure - and it exactly tracked with my PRS1. I did get past that after a few nights of use, and the more I used it the less uncomfortable it got, so your observations about giving the Z1 a chance are spot on.