S9 - Removing Cigarette Smell from 2nd Hand Machine

Preamble Ramble
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I already have 2 S9 Autosets, one purchased a few years' ago still under warranty and my previous S9 -- both of which are whisper quiet and both of which I hope last thousands and thousands more hours. I use my older S9 for travel, given that I don't want to damage my most recent machine, but when I was looking for masks, parts et al on Gumtree -- an Aussie version of Craigslist -- I found a 2nd hand S9 Elite 2013 build with 5000 hours advertised in gumtree for only $150.

Bargain, even if it was machine only. So went straight into impulse buy mode and, on going to the seller's house and testing it, I discovered it was as quiet as my existing S9s. Bonus. So I bought it and took it home only to find, on a more thorough bedroom test, that it had belonged to a smoker. I tried it the first night and I unhooked it after an hour since it felt like I was continually smoking a cheap cigar.

Bummer.

Solution
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I followed an S9 teardown solution in cpaptalk (viewtopic/t96624/Resmed-S9-Elite-Teardo ... tures.html), being very careful not to damage anything. After disassembly I used wet wipes to wipe the plastic housing, which had no odour, and then focused my attention on the silicon holding the motor, which smelt, and the two foam filters, both of which ponged.

The silicon housing of the motor I simply wiped over and over again with wet wipes. I never got rid of the smell entirely, but I greatly reduced it. However, it was the foam filters that proved to be the hardest to remove the smell from. I put them in soapy water, washing them for several hours, with no success. What worked was wrapping a wet wipe (lemon scented) around the filter and squeezing. I used about a dozen wet wipes squeezing about a dozen times per filter, then rinsed them and let them dry. The result -- total removal of the odour in the filters. I reassembled the machine and tested it.

Result
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The S9 Elite works, is still quiet, and is odour free. It appears the minor residual odour in the silicon is doesn't make it through, and it was the two pesky foam filters that must've contained most of the cigarette smell. I programmed the S9 Elite slightly higher than the average pressure over 1 year on my S9 Auto (10.8 vs 10.6) with a minimum pressure of 9.8 and a ramp. Tested it last night and it worked a treat. So, for very little coin, bought myself a second backup machine -- and one that I can take on holidays and won't be too concerned if it gets broken -- as I would have with my two S9 Autosets.

My 2 cents
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If you have an S9 that's getting a bit pongy, my guess is it's them filters what got the odour.

Happy New Year and Cheers!

Easier method....Change the filter...Run the machine next to an open window. Let it run all day. If the smell lingers, do it for another day. Change the filter again and you should be good.

Thanks. I wondered about something like that. The machine is good after testing it last night so no ability to run this test.

I surprised just how much odour both filters had accumulated.

If the tinge of odor continues to annoy you, go to a local place that sells parts for motors bringing along your foam. They can match you up with a similar cell size that will work with your machine. Make sure it is a low off-gassing foam. Medical grade foam does not need to be used (although the repair guy recommended it if you live in a damp environment, such as a basement apartment). All info from my local DME who also does repairs for patients.

LSAT wrote:Easier method....Change the filter...Run the machine next to an open window. Let it run all day. If the smell lingers, do it for another day. Change the filter again and you should be good.

That doesn't work in all climates. Some places you would suck the machine full of pollen and humidity. One time in Summerville, SC ...

LSAT wrote:Easier method....Change the filter...Run the machine next to an open window. Let it run all day. If the smell lingers, do it for another day. Change the filter again and you should be good.

That didn't work, *at all* on the machine I bought and eventually destinked.

the silicone parts inside were stained a yellowish brown from the tar and nicotine.

I didn't have any trouble with the foam, (I washed it with hot water, dish soap, and then alcohol).. but the silicone took a lot more work, soaking in oxyclean and then multiple trips through the dishwasher.

I think how effective the "fresh air" thing might be is going to be related to just how much cigarette smoke the machine has been subjected to.
5,000 hours in a house with 2 heavy chain smokers is going to probably take months of "fresh air"...if it works at all.
Now a machine with minimal use inside a smoking environment...yeah, probably will work fine.
So going to likely depend on how many hours it was used in the smoking environment and just how bad the environment was.

Pugsy wrote:I think how effective the "fresh air" thing might be is going to be related to just how much cigarette smoke the machine has been subjected to.
5,000 hours in a house with 2 heavy chain smokers is going to probably take months of "fresh air"...if it works at all.
Now a machine with minimal use inside a smoking environment...yeah, probably will work fine.
So going to likely depend on how many hours it was used in the smoking environment and just how bad the environment was.

I think you're spot on.

Pugsy wrote:I think how effective the "fresh air" thing might be is going to be related to just how much cigarette smoke the machine has been subjected to.
5,000 hours in a house with 2 heavy chain smokers is going to probably take months of "fresh air"...if it works at all.
Now a machine with minimal use inside a smoking environment...yeah, probably will work fine.
So going to likely depend on how many hours it was used in the smoking environment and just how bad the environment was.

I suspect the S9 was part of a heavy smoking environment. The silicon part wasn't yellowed from nicotine, but it had absorbed the odour, and the foam was rank.

However, wiping the silicon seemed to work somewhat and dousing the foam in lemon scented wet wipes took away enough odour from the foam. I tested it again last night and it was good enough for a "disposable" backup ("disposable" in the sense that if a housekeeper in either hotel or cruise liner kicked it and broke it I'd be well put out, but not as badly as if one of my precious Autosets were damaged).