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I have had "house" hypoallergenic filters from cpap.com and from Crapria.
They are identical to the ResMed ones I got from ACS.

guest:
> I'm also trying to figure out what side of the filter to use,
> still not sure from the descriptions above.
> Both sides _look nearly the same_ to me.

It's important for you to know and understand:
They are not the same!

I just now came up with what I think is a foolproof method to tell the two sides apart.

Use a pencil (the thinner the lead the better) and lightly drag it across one side of the filter.
Then lightly drag it across the other side of the filter.

The soft side will, wait for it, FEEL SOFT!

The firm side will, yes, feel firm.

You will be able to
a) see that there is a difference between the two sides, and
b) determine which side is softer.

Now the only thing left is to remember is which side goes out (away from the machine).

The soft side goes out. That's because its job is to trap the dust.

cf:
> I have had "house" hypoallergenic filters from cpap.com and from Crapria.
> They are identical to the _ResMed_ ones I got from ACS.


But for Respironics, as I posted in the "generic vs OEM" thread:

"At some point, probably some time within the last year, Apria changed the fine filters for the _Respironics_ Auto M.

The OEM is "thin". The generic one that Apria is now delivering is _three times_ the thickness!"

In my view, any differences between a generic product and an OEM is usually bad.
And when the generic product comes from Apria, well, they're not doing that to help you.

chunkyfrog wrote:I have had "house" hypoallergenic filters from cpap.com and from Crapria.
They are identical to the ResMed ones I got from ACS.

I have also gotten the "house" filters from both a brick & mortar cpap.com DME & Apria.

The local DME I now use drop ships everything for me because they deal primarily in Respironics & I want ResMed. Actually, I am almost certain that someone else is drop shipping them to me - but that is for another thread.

Anyhoo, my ResMed brand hypoallergenic filters come 2 to a pack & arrive in a sealed ResMed bag.

"I" CAN tell the difference between the ResMed brand filters & the generic "house" ones - when you look at them side by side.

In fact, I keep a couple of generic filters just to periodically compare to the ResMed brand name filters to make sure that the quality of the brand name filters does not degrade to the generic filters.

RT4EV wrote:Most of the Respironics white ultra fine filters have the Philips Respironics brand name on one side. The filter should be inserted with the brand name facing out. Replace 1-2 times a month. It is helpful to lay it against a white piece of paper to really see how dirty it is.

The filters my supplier sends do not have Respironics name on them any more. It was easier to know which side goes in when the name was on the filter.

Libby63 wrote:The filters my supplier sends do not have Respironics name on them any more. It was easier to know which side goes in when the name was on the filter.

Could that be because they are no longer OEM?

Guest wrote:

Libby63 wrote:The filters my supplier sends do not have Respironics name on them any more. It was easier to know which side goes in when the name was on the filter.

Could that be because they are no longer OEM?

Chances are pretty close to 100% that is the case.

Glad I found this thread.

Had a respiratory therapist tell me that the white filter is fine until it turns black -- so three months' use would be "fine."

Just changed mine out at 2.5 months. Oops. Fortunately, it is not black yet.

Once I disassembled the filter and could see each layer separately, it became crystal clear which side is the "mesh" side.

My filter - one side is white and slightly shiny with a "harder" surface than the other side. the other side says "Phillips Respironiscs" and is softer. Which side should be pointing in???? I have no idea which is the mesh side.

Truffaut wrote:My filter - one side is white and slightly shiny with a "harder" surface than the other side. the other side says "Phillips Respironiscs" and is softer. Which side should be pointing in????

The side that says "Phillips Respironics" on it will face/point inwards toward the machine's insides.
The softer fuzzier side faces outwards and it's the fuzzy stuff that collects/filters the incoming air.

archangle wrote:

oneDay@aThyme wrote:Someone said this filter makes it harder to breath. I haven't tried it yet, but that idea doesn't make sense to me. Wouldn't it just make the machine work harder to maintain your pressure level?

For the filter that goes on the back of the machine, it should not affect air flow at the mask. The machine should compensate by pumping harder. I suppose that if the filter was really clogged up, it might reduce airflow, but I'm sure the machine is designed to handle it. You might see a pressure/airflow drop if you have a big leak, I guess.

+1

Pugsy!

Your answer below to a year old post only adds to the confusion. I regularly have to look this up because I can't remember which side of a Respironics filter goes out. Which is it; the soft, 'catches on your fingernail' side, or the harder, shiny, coarser fabric but somehow smoother side???? And damn the Resp. label 'cause apparently no DME is using labelled filters anymore!

Truffaut Also Posted As: (Sir NoddinOff)

Re: Which side of the filter to use
Postby Truffaut on Sun Jun 12, 2016 1:28 pm

My filter - one side is white and slightly shiny with a "harder" surface than the other side. the other side says "Phillips Respironiscs" and is softer. Which side should be pointing in???? I have no idea which is the mesh side.

Pugsy Replies: <The side that says "Phillips Respironics" on it will face/point inwards toward the machine's insides.
The softer fuzzier side faces outwards and it's the fuzzy stuff that collects/filters the incoming air.>

Suenyo wrote:Your answer below to a year old post only adds to the confusion. I regularly have to look this up because I can't remember which side of a Respironics filter goes out. Which is it; the soft, 'catches on your fingernail' side, or the harder, shiny, coarser fabric but somehow smoother side????

Sorry....whichever side has the soft fuzzy stuff will face outwards so that it can better catch the dust or whatever.

I don't have anymore Respironics name brand filters to go check to see which side is the "soft fuzzy side"...the logo side or the no logo side.
If I remember correctly it was extremely difficult to even tell a difference anyway.

There are several of these "which side filter" threads and I was telling people wrong in some of them because with the older machines that the way it was but not with the newer machines and newer filters and then I found out different.
I don't know if this is one of the correct threads or one of the error threads.
It's impossible to go back and change everything I might have said that needed correcting...sorry for the confusion.

I just remember...which side is likely to catch more particles....the fuzzy side or the slick side....and the answer is fuzzy side and that goes to the outside.

Thanks Pugsy!

It's nice to hear that we agree. But from the guy above who stated that the Respironics label was on the soft, fuzzy side we can see that either he made a mistake, or Respironics printed the wrong side. I think we should stick to the soft, fuzzy descriptors to indicate the proper side to put out, especially since many filters come with no label.