Clicking Sound

So I found a way to fix the clicking sound that was driving me crazy on my Dreamstation. If you open the top door and take out the water chamber, there is a little rubber seal that seals to the water chamber. If you look closely, there is a little release where you can take this piece out. This is the piece that is rattling every time you breath in or out. I put a very thin piece of packing material (water proof) and put it behind the piece and popped it back in place. No more crazy clicking sound! I suffered with this for months. Now it is gone. I hope this will help someone else.

A shim to correct a rattle.
That's about right.
Once you master duck tape and paper clips,
there is a whole junk drawer full of possibilites.
The bullfrog and I have spent many an hour in hardware stores just looking for ideas.

The Definitive Solution to the DreamStation Clicking:
Well there have been many post chains about how to make the annoying Click-Clack sound of the DreamStation go away. Over the last month I’ve had to try them all as my machine must have been the rattle banger off the assembly line from Philips on a Friday at 5PM. A few of the posted solutions helped for a little bit, but only for some short while. So having spent some time I am going to help everyone out with what I’ve done to eliminate all the rattles. Most of the solutions people have offered kinda work but usually only temporarily. The best and permanent solution is with the use of RTV silicone (room-temperature-vulcanizing silicone) silicone rubber caulk which cures at room temperature. If you do all these things, you’ll only need about a tablespoon full of it. So, a small $3 tube from the hardware store will do. Color is irrelevant.

None of the areas you will apply it to are part of the breathable passage way so it is not necessary to get special kitchen only silicone, any silicone RTV calk will do (do NOT use other types of calk as they harden whereas RTV stays rubbery and flexible. Toothpicks are perfect for applying this carefully inside your unit and you should never be putting more then about a pencil erasers dab anywhere, some areas even less. Almost all the rattles (click-clack) are caused by poor fitting plastic frames which Philips seems to have ignored in their design. Most all of these gap-rattles are on the humidifier unit, one is actually on the main unit as described below.

About using RTV. It takes about 4-6 hours for it to fully cure (maybe even 24hrs). WE DON’T want the RTV to act like a glue in all these cases only as a rubbery filler like a rubber band. For most RTV, it will cure up enough to be no longer really tacky after an hour or two. At that stage it is easily squeezed, smushed, without acting like a glue. You are not trying to glue any of these areas, just using the RTV as a kind of rubber-band filler to stop rattles. You might test your RTV to see when yours firms up just enough not to be sticky to the touch. In most cases that is when you want to open/close or snap back the part that was RTV’d. At that stage then it will be squeezable but will not glue to both sides of a part. If you mess up, remember RTV isn’t very permanent and when fully cured it can easily be removed without damaging things.

There are many sources for the clicking people describe. So, I’ve created a list AND some pictures of where the source comes from and what to do about them. My unit, which is identical to my wife's click-clacked for each of these, and hers has been silent since she got it. Luck of the draw I guess. With these fixes, both are now silent.

1) The filters. Old clogged filters can cause the click clack rattle as the frame fit for the filters may be slightly loose. My original filter did not have clips on each side. Even with clips, if that is one of your problems then a tiny amount of RTV on the edges (about the thickness of a round toothpick) is all you need or apply a bit to the clip to make it tighter. Apply it to the plastic frame edge of the filter frame edges making the assembly just a smidgen thicker. Let it cure completely before reinserting. That will stop the filter-frame from rattling. See the pic.
2) Next is actually under the gasket on the flip-top frame on the humidifier. As others described putting double stick tape, it is actually the rotating hose coupler which causes the problem, not the gasket itself. Remove the gasket gently, it will snap back in when done. Put a dab of RTV (about a half pencil eraser no more) on each of the clips and rotate the swivel a few times. Let the RTV setup (partially cure) for about an hour or two and then rotate it again. Let it fully cure and then put the gasket back in (it just snaps back in place). Push the gasket firmly up around the rotating top. The rotating hose piece will still rotate but it will feel firmer and snug now and no more clicking from that part.
3) The next source is the annoying water backflow catch chamber mounted on the side of the main unit. Like the other parts it snaps in place with a clip and its loose fitting allows it to rattle. Unsnap it and rotate it out a bit. Like the filter frame, only a tiny dab of RTV along the top edge of the frame about a toothpick diameter will do. Allow the RTV to partially cure (1-2 hrs.) and snap the fitting back in place. Don’t wait for this to fully cure as you want the tiny amount of silicone to squeeze into place but not act as a glue. Hence waiting an hour or two for it to partially cure. (see 3 in the pic)

Steps 4-7 can all be done at the same time. Be sure NOT to let the RTV over-cure before putting in the water chamber and closing the top, but not too soon either. You want these all to squeeze (smush) into place but not glue into place, so be sure the cure is firm but not too firm.
4) Next on the list is the frame that actually holds the water chamber. On some units this frame is again just loose enough to create a click noise with each breath. Remove the water chamber. A picture is worth 1000 words, so there is one included. Apply RTV about an erasers dab on the rounded vertical parts of the frame that holds the water chamber (not on the water chamber as those will eventually be replaced periodically). Wait an hour or two to partially cure and put the chamber back in and close the lid. This will mold the RTV to a perfect fit around the chamber without gluing the chamber to the frame. That will stop this rattle point.

5) On the back-center post that pushes up against the back of the water chamber when closed. Small dab, again let it partially cure and close the top with the water chamber in place to snug up.
6) Is on the bottom of the frame under the bars that hold the water chamber on both sides about 2/3rds of the way forward where the frame will touch the bottom. Again, apply the RTV to the bottom and let partially cure. (steps 4-7 can all be done at the same time. Be sure NOT to let the RTV over-cure before putting in the water chamber and closing the top. Again, not to glue, just to be mushy firm.
7) A dab at the end of each of the “S” guides on each side, as these rattle as well.

Are the latch clips indents. Again, just a tiny amount in these to make the snap fit firm without vibrating. Closing the lid on my unit had just enough play on one side to allow this to rattle with each breath intake.

Congratulations, done correctly nothing gets glued, nothing will rattle anymore and you sleep like you’ve not slept before.

The whole process should take about 15 minutes to apply, some wait time for each of the areas to set up. No more click-clack