cure for M series leaks

Sorry for not getting back to you sooner and I'm not sure that it matters anymore but my non-leaking humidifier is from 09/06, it has a "1" stamped beside the manufacturing date on the bottom.

I don't know what the date or number was on my old leaky one. I have been using this one for a week and a half and so far no signs of leaks.

I think that anyone with a leaking humifier should just send it back and get a new one instead of conducting further studies. It appears from what I've heard and experienced that the new chambers do not appear to leak. But time will tell I suppose.

forumadmin wrote:

Chambers can leak for a number of reasons: worn out O rings, improper reassembly after washing or cracks due to wear and tear. These problems are distinct from the "#1" and "#2" chamber issue.

Johnny

....or DEFECTS and leaky elbows!

In my opinion they are NOT old enough to be worn from wear and tear, mine was less than a month old it had never been taken apart, so if there was any improper reassembly, it was from Respironics.

In fact I didn't know of ANY #1 or #2 chamber issues, I only identified which tank I had which leaked INTERNALLY. I only did that to clarify the very first post of this thread which seemed to insinuate it was a non-tank issue.

Catnapper wrote:

I asked someone who sells the CPAP equipment about the leaks in the M series Auto-PAP and he said:

"Officially, Respironics is now recommending that you remove the swivel elbow at the back of the machine. The suspicion is that water is condensing in the hose and leaking out of this elbow."

How about that for an easy fix? The only time I have had a leak was one night when I was having the rainout problem. It makes sense that water in the nose means water in the hose. If the machine is lower than your head, the water could settle in that swivel.

I will try it tonight and let you know. Anyone else want to try it too? We could all report our results. If it works, that will remove a reason to gripe about the M. I sure like it otherwise.

Catnapper

I have NO reason to doubt what Catnapper reported, cpap.com might want to let its Customer Service folks know (especially Chris) that there are several humidifier leak "issues" with the M series not just the swivel elbow issue. I don't see how they are going to fix the elbow issue other than replacing it with non-swivel elbow (I did that on my own).

But as my pictures show, there appears to be a seperate issue with the tank leaking internally from the O-ring. So from this thread I have learned:

1. tanks #2 can possibly leak from the O-ring (corrected).
2. Humidifier can leak from the swivel elbow due to rainout.
3. It can leak from the silicone tank gasket if the machine is moved any.

think it was ZAPA that said it the best, what an idiotic design

But to get by it seems you can:

1. Don't fill past the O-ring level when horizontal (about 1/2" below the Fill mark if vertical).
2. Don't use the swivel elbow, use a non-swivel, don't turn the heat up too high to produce rainout.
3. Remove the tank before moving.

Note: I just got an email from Adam at cpap.com, he indicates that the #1 tanks do NOT have the O-ring problem it is #2 tanks like I have are the bad ones. They are sending me a new tank. so we will see.

Here goes again:

It just seems to me that if Respironics makes some humidifiers that:

1. Need to be fit CAREFULLY into the chamber and CLICKED to be sure they do not leak, such that an elderly or disabled person would have a problem doing so;

2. Rely on an O ring that is failing to seal in many cases;

3. Are leaking no matter what the production machine of the parts;

and,

4. Initiate 4 pages of postings in two days with detailed analysis of the problem(s);

Then it occurs to me that there are two options:

1. REDESIGN and REPLACE the humidifier tanks. Respironics makes much WONDERFUL xPAP equipment, and they are a responsible company. They are already taking steps to make the leaking humidifiers work properly.

It seems that this is sort of like the Tylenol scare years ago. The company took a huge hit when some was found to be laced with cyanide (I think that was it)--they did the RIGHT THING and pulled ALL Tylenol off the shelf.

It seems to have worked as Tylenol is still around and now EVERYTHING comes in a sealed, tamper-proof container. At the time, it was viewed as a HUGE business risk. In the long run, it has proven to be a great success.

2. Issue a safe adhesive or O ring or whatever may solve the problem to any user. This could be handled similarly to a recall.

Respironics would do well to follow suit and JUST DO THE RIGHT THING. That will build customer loyalty in a BIG way, and in a limited population of xPAP users who WILL be repeat customers--well, when the customers are promptly and effectively cared for by the company--BOY will we recommend them! (As if they already are not--with the caveat to be careful of the leaking humidifier.)

Respironics: JUST DO THE RIGHT THING. YOU ALREADY DO THE RIGHT THING WITH OTHER PRODUCTS. THESE MACHINES AREN'T CHEAP, AND THEY SHOULDN'T BE CAUSING SUCH HUGE PROBLEMS!
I'm not buying one of your flow generators with a humidifier until you do so..

[quote="forumadmin"]

Some Respironics chambers with '2' leak. There are no known '1' chambers leaking due to the same defect. CPAP.com is accepting and replacing leaky '2' chambers. As always, if you have a defective chamber of any kind or number, we will have a look at it for you and take the proper corrective action.

Hey, I was excited that there might have been a quick and easy solution to the leak problem. I was told it was the official word from Respironics. I think the jury is still out on this one. It sounds like several solutions will be required and more testing. Then time to prove all problems are gone.

The folks who have had leaks from the M deserve to have it positively fixed. Sounds like Respironics may be telling more than one story, or the different people who hear the news from them may not get the whole story.

I am very allergic to mold. The idea of having moisture in or under the machine to grow mold and then have it sent straight to my nose is pretty unnerving. I will try all the suggestions that have been made, however, I lean toward the idea of pressure still being part of the mix, with fewer leaks at lower pressures. The times I have had the leak issue have been when my pressure was higher than usual. I will go to the DME to get a new tank when it is clear that there is one that is reliable and easy to identify as the correct one.

I started this thread with the best of intentions. I appreciate all the postings from people who participated. I do think we made some progress. Thanks, everybody.

Catnapper

Thanks, Snoredog, for all your investigatory work on this DEFECT!

It appears I was misinformed. Even so, I do have one of the defective tanks and am very thankful a GOOD (she says prayerfully) tank has been shipped and I should receive it soon.

Regards to all,

As Bob Hope used to say "Tanks" for the memories. Jim