Hepa Filters?

I was thinking about getting the Hepa filter add on for my Remstar. Does anyone have any experience with these? Are they worth the money? I have pretty badd allergies and it seems like they are the worst at night. I got my cpap last summer so I do not know how well the regular white disposable and the black washable type filters work.

Are these two more for protecting the machine its self against getting dust built up in the fans or are they more for our breathing comfort? Also over at the outlet the offer 2 of the hepa filters. One says In-line Outlet Bacteria HEPA Filter for CPAP/BiPAP and the other says In-line Outlet Bacteria Filter for CPAP/BiPAP (5 Pack). Is the only difference between the 2 one comes with 5 filters and one comes with only one filter? Check out the links below to see what Im talking about.



https://www.cpap.com/productpage/In-lin ... bipap.html
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/Respir ... -pack.html

I use them. When I was renting a machine for a few months I was supplied with them. I'm glad I was because they did get dirty, and I'm glad the filtres caught that and not my lungs. They did last about 2 months each. When I got my own machine the vendor was surprised that I wanted the outlet filtres because he said that they only use them for multi-patient machines like the rentals. I still got them and intend on using them. I'm surprised at the price though. I got mine for $2.35 Canadian each - from a vendor, not online. I think the only difference in the prices that you showed are that the cheaper one is single only and the other is a five pack.

I was very interested in this post as I have occasional sneezing "fits," and thought perhaps these filters might help.

One question though. The information says nothing about attaching these filters between the humidifier outlet and the hose (where it surely must go), and I wondered if being so close to the water might get the filter wet and either reduce its effectiveness, or, worse yet, reduce the air pressure.

Anyone have any ideas?

Be very careful when using filters on the outflow side of a machine. I tested these two years ago and found that all but the Respironics filters caused unacceptable pressure decreases on the mask side of the filter. I can't see any reason that this is true but it is. There are lots of sites selling filters that were never made for cpap use. Buyer beware!

If allergies are a concern, don't forget to check and/or change your regular filters frequently before you invest in a Hepa filter. I do this twice a week because odors, allergies, and asthma are a problem for me. I wash the black filter and check the white filter to see if it is dirty.

Before I received my BiPap machine, I had a rental one from the vendor. He is the one who attached the first filtre. It goes on the outflow of the machine and connects on the hose that goes to the humidifier. I've been told, and it says in the manual with my new Synchrony, to change them when they discolour. If you don't do that, it will affect the pressure flow.

Masked Mechanic - I don't know if mine are Respironics or generic. I'll have to check because they are cheaper than the ones sold here. I suspect generic as I seem to recall they are made in China.

[quote="Bella"]...It goes on the outflow of the machine and connects on the hose that goes to the humidifier.

This won't work with my Remstar Pro as the humidifier fits directly into a port on the CPAP machine (i.e., no hose).

I think I'll just change my existing filters more often and skip the HEPA filters.

If you are using an integrated humidifier, you will not be able to put the hepa filter between the output of the CPAP machine and the input of the humidifier. The filter would have to be attached to the output of the humidifier and, as such, it will get wet from the humidity; this can change the permeability (sp?) of the filter and, it's life expectancy.

If you are using a non-integrated humidifier, such that there is a hose (rather than just a small silicone coupler) between the output of the CPAP machine and the input of the humidifer, the filter could be attached successfully but, there might be some change in how the CPAP works based on the resistance that the filter creates.

Here at work (I'm in the CCU of a hospital) the RT's use a hepa filter on every CPAP/Bi-PAP/ventilator and they never attach the hepa filter AFTER the humidifier because of the wetness problem. Also, all of the machines here at work, including the Respironics machines, all have a seperate pressure sensor line (like the 420E does) so that there is no pressure-measurement problem created by the resistance that the filter might cause.

I have had a terrible time with allergies in the past and have found that putting hepa filter media in the air inlet of the CPAP machine makes a huge difference. Rather than pay the big bucks for the hepa filters that are sold specifically for the machine, I just purchase the best quality 3M furnace filter that I can buy, tear open the cardboard frame, flatten out the filter media and then cut out rectangles of the media that fit my 420E. Problem solved and it is much cheaper than buying Puritan-Bennett filters.

"Will Succeed",Thanks for that info about getting a 3m furnace filter and fixing it to fit in the CPAP! Great idea, I am going to go buy one tomorrow. I have found that just adding the white filter to the foam one makes a difference, so I imagine that this will be even better.

I forgot about the integrated humidifiers . I like the idea of the 3M filtres too, and will give that a shot. It's dusty in our house, and it's probably bad to admit it, but we smoke too. With all of the air cleaners around, it still can't hurt to add more to my bipap.