Mold or bacteria issues inside CPAP machine?

For the past several weeks, I have been waking up in the middle of the night coughing with a ton of clear mucus. A few nights ago, I coughed so hard that my throat still hurt the next day.

I use a Phillips Respironics REMStar Pro with a mask that covers my nose (been using it since I was diagnosed with moderate apnea 5 years ago). My setting is 6 and I usually keep the humidity at 3. When the coughing and mucus started, I thought perhaps I needed to turn up the humidity from 3 to 4 -- but that didn't help.

I suspect that the coughing and mucus might be from GERD or Silent Reflux. I had a sinus infection a couple of months ago and took antibiotics for it . The infection is now gone, but I have observed over the years that my reflux comes back after taking antibiotics. I've been taking a probiotic but it doesn't seem to be helping the reflux this time around. Therefore, I have just started being very vigilant about not eating at least 3 hours before bedtime. I am also going to cut out dairy for a while and try mixing 1 TB of Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar into the water I drink at dinner (this has helped in the past). And I will use my neti pot also to see if that helps. I have tried antihistamine nasal spray but it didn't solve the problem and I'm still waking up coughing.

Anyway, I am wondering whether my CPAP machine may be contributing to my cough/mucus problem. I clean it (and the hose) with Johnson's Baby Wash and Control II disinfectant every two weeks. I only use distilled water in the humidifier. I keep my mask clean with wipes in between washings. But -- could there be mold or fungus inside the machine itself?? And if so, how can you tell, and how can you get rid of it? I read a post a long time ago where someone suggested turning on the machine and spraying Lysol near the air intake so that the Lysol will circulate inside the machine. But I am hesitant to do that, because I'm afraid it may somehow ruin the machine. I'm also not sure whether Lysol would kill mold and fungus (although I'm sure it would probably kill any bacteria that may be lingering).

I appreciate your suggestions.

Mold comes fro dampness...the inside of your machine is dry. No moisture goes through the unit...only filtered air. The moisture is added AFTER the filtered air leaves the machine and enters the hose on the way to your mask.

zeeclass wrote:For the past several weeks, I have been waking up in the middle of the night coughing with a ton of clear mucus. A few nights ago, I coughed so hard that my throat still hurt the next day.

I use a Phillips Respironics REMStar Pro with a mask that covers my nose (been using it since I was diagnosed with moderate apnea 5 years ago). My setting is 6 and I usually keep the humidity at 3. When the coughing and mucus started, I thought perhaps I needed to turn up the humidity from 3 to 4 -- but that didn't help.

I suspect that the coughing and mucus might be from GERD or Silent Reflux. I had a sinus infection a couple of months ago and took antibiotics for it . The infection is now gone, but I have observed over the years that my reflux comes back after taking antibiotics. I've been taking a probiotic but it doesn't seem to be helping the reflux this time around. Therefore, I have just started being very vigilant about not eating at least 3 hours before bedtime. I am also going to cut out dairy for a while and try mixing 1 TB of Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar into the water I drink at dinner (this has helped in the past). And I will use my neti pot also to see if that helps. I have tried antihistamine nasal spray but it didn't solve the problem and I'm still waking up coughing.

Anyway, I am wondering whether my CPAP machine may be contributing to my cough/mucus problem. I clean it (and the hose) with Johnson's Baby Wash and Control II disinfectant every two weeks. I only use distilled water in the humidifier. I keep my mask clean with wipes in between washings. But -- could there be mold or fungus inside the machine itself?? And if so, how can you tell, and how can you get rid of it? I read a post a long time ago where someone suggested turning on the machine and spraying Lysol near the air intake so that the Lysol will circulate inside the machine. But I am hesitant to do that, because I'm afraid it may somehow ruin the machine. I'm also not sure whether Lysol would kill mold and fungus (although I'm sure it would probably kill any bacteria that may be lingering).

I appreciate your suggestions.

Are you taking Lisinopril?
It's a known cough inducer.......primarily dry coughing, but I thought I'd ask anyway.

Other than that, unless you're "over-cleaning" your equipment and inducing the coughing with various chemicals, I think you can rest assured that it's NOT the CPAP machine that's doing it.
Practically everyone who comes down with a sniffle or worse tries to blame this therapy or their machines and equipment for it. As long as you clean/change the intake filters, you'll be fine. And, nothing other than water vapor can get from the heated humidifier tank to you either......no pathogens......NOTHING but water vapor.
You need to think of other possibilities.


Den

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No, I don't take Lisinopril or anything like that.

I'm not saying that the mold is coming from inside my machine. Years ago, my bedroom had a minor mold/mildew problem due to crappy windows. We replaced the windows several years ago and cleaned up the mold/mildew with bleach water. It's possible that we didn't get it all, and I am wondering whether some of it may have gotten into the machine from the general air in the room. The air cleaner I use is an Ionic Breeze (not a heavy duty one with a hepa filter or anything like that). So it's fair to say that perhaps some mold or fungus may have gotten into my machine from the room itself.

zeeclass wrote:No, I don't take Lisinopril or anything like that.

I'm not saying that the mold is coming from inside my machine. Years ago, my bedroom had a minor mold/mildew problem due to crappy windows. We replaced the windows several years ago and cleaned up the mold/mildew with bleach water. It's possible that we didn't get it all, and I am wondering whether some of it may have gotten into the machine from the general air in the room. The air cleaner I use is an Ionic Breeze (not a heavy duty one with a hepa filter or anything like that). So it's fair to say that perhaps some mold or fungus may have gotten into my machine from the room itself.

Highly improbable. There's nowhere inside the machine for it to attach to. The insides (mostly blower) are very smooth surfaces and with the amount of air blowing through, anything entering would be blown through.


Den

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What about post nasal drip from the neti pot causing a tickle in your throat? Have you tried lowering the humidity to see of that helps?

I find it hard to get the smell of certain things like baby shampoo out and that bothers me since i am sensitive to scents. I hardly ever clean my stuff. I have 2 brothers in law who have never cleaned theirs and they haven't had problems.

Hope you find a solution.

Mucus is the action of your immune system getting rid of something it doesn't like.
It could be a microbe, an allergen or a simple irritant.
Sometimes it is best to help your body do its work.
Drink plenty of water and take guaifenesin to thin the mucus.

When was the last time you changed the air filter in the machine?

LSAT wrote:Mold comes fro dampness...the inside of your machine is dry. No moisture goes through the unit...only filtered air. The moisture is added AFTER the filtered air leaves the machine and enters the hose on the way to your mask.

Not only does mold need dampness, it needs some form of food. There needs to be some form of carbohydrates, fat, protein, or some other chemicals it can eat so that it can reproduce.

There's a little of that in the dust that makes it through the filters, but not much. Your mask might have some good in it that came from you.

I sometimes wonder if there isn't something in some forms of soap or other cleaners people use on their equipment.

There are instructions from ResMed and Respironics in the Useful Links in my signature line at the bottom of this post. They give info on cleaning hoses, water tanks, and masks, but they are intended for sleep labs, hospitals, etc.

zeeclass wrote:No, I don't take Lisinopril or anything like that.

I'm not saying that the mold is coming from inside my machine. Years ago, my bedroom had a minor mold/mildew problem due to crappy windows. We replaced the windows several years ago and cleaned up the mold/mildew with bleach water. It's possible that we didn't get it all, and I am wondering whether some of it may have gotten into the machine from the general air in the room. The air cleaner I use is an Ionic Breeze (not a heavy duty one with a hepa filter or anything like that). So it's fair to say that perhaps some mold or fungus may have gotten into my machine from the room itself.

Unless the mold is somehow growing inside the CPAP machine, the amount of mold coming out, long term, is going to be no more than the amount of mold in the air in your room. Actually somewhat less, because of the filter. If, for instance, 1 part per billion of mold was in the room air, there couldn't be more than 1 part per billion of mold coming out the hose.

The mold might sit inside the machine for a while, but it shouldn't be able to grow because it's dry and doesn't have any food.

As for the hose, mask and water tank, clean them really well at least once. I recommend everyone have two sets of water tanks, hoses, and masks. Then you can clean one set really well, and set it aside to dry for a week or so to really dry out and kill off the germs while you use the other set of parts.

cpap.com sells Control III disinfectant that you can use to give hoses, masks, and tanks a really good disinfection if you get concerned you've got bugs in the equipment. READ THE DIRECTIONS. It needs to be diluted.

zeeclass wrote: But -- could there be mold or fungus inside the machine itself?? And if so, how can you tell, and how can you get rid of it? I read a post a long time ago where someone suggested turning on the machine and spraying Lysol near the air intake so that the Lysol will circulate inside the machine. But I am hesitant to do that, because I'm afraid it may somehow ruin the machine.

I don't know how much of the motor in the respirs is actually in the airflow, but in the resmed machines, the motor is actually in the middle of the airflow, so spraying anything in the intake would likely be a *bad*(tm) idea.

there's hard plastics and silicone, and maybe some foam in there, nothing very hospitable for crap to grow on.

if you suspect that your walls may still have mold or mildew on them even after washing in bleach. I would strongly recommend using Kilz paint and primer:
http://www.kilz.com/primer/v/index.jsp? ... 05d103RCRD

Stuff works great!


I wish you well...

I wonder if anyone has ever thought of putting an ultraviolet light inside a cpap machine, maybe where the air blows over the water. It would be reassuring for us germaphobes.

winnie wrote:I wonder if anyone has ever thought of putting an ultraviolet light inside a cpap machine, maybe where the air blows over the water. It would be reassuring for us germaphobes.

Very much unnecessary. Even if there are germs in the water tank, they can't easily get into the air you breathe. Even if you're using tap water, you're drinking and bathing in the same water. There's nothing magic about germs in the water tank that gets it into your body.

If you want to be germaphobic, dump and rinse the water tank every morning and let it sit dry all day long. Clean it thoroughly every week or so. Even if you're using tap water, your water tank is just not a good place for germs to grow if you keep it reasonably clean. Respironics tanks can go in the dishwasher. ResMed sells an optional dishwashable tank. You can use Control III disinfectant on the tank occasionally.

Remember that CPAP is not surgery or dialysis. CPAP air only goes into your mouth, nose, and lung where your drinking water, food, and "germy" room air already goes. Your CPAP equipment is not being used by strangers like equipment in a doctor's office or things in a restaurant. Any germs that get into your CPAP are what are already all over your house. CPAP doesn't "push germs deeper into your lungs" or some such. Whatever germs are in your air or drinking water are pretty much getting everywhere into your lungs and airway already.

Try reducing your humidity. That might help.

winnie wrote:I wonder if anyone has ever thought of putting an ultraviolet light inside a cpap machine, maybe where the air blows over the water. It would be reassuring for us germaphobes.

better for you to just get over it.