backup cpap.

RedThunder94 · Post by **RedThunder94** » Sun May 21, 2006 1:36 pm

hello all, i have been reading some posts here about for some reason or another someone went with out cpap for one night and had the return of pre-cpap symptoms for a better part of a month . and i was wondering if maybe i should keep a backup cpap unit in the car if for some unforseen reason i cannot make it back home before bedtime, don't laugh it's happened before a few weeks ago, obviously before i was diagnosed,

anyways, i did have an old aria lx that had a total blower time of 30 some odd hours and about 8.1 hours of therapy time on the clock, so it was basically a new machine, anyways, i had gotten it for the same reason that i may need a backup, anyways unfortunately someone made me an offer i couldn't refuse for it and the new owner is very happy with it. this happened of course before i found that going with out the cpap for even just one night would have negative effects. so now i wanna find another machine that would be a good second unit to keep in the car in case i can't make it home which with me working about 30 miles from home is a definite probability should we have inclimate weather,

so now my fellow hoseheads i ask if you would bestow upon me any ideas that of what i should look for in a second machine, maintaining the premise of affordability and reliability, i wanna go nearly new to slightly used, can you give me any ideas of what i need to look for, i really don't need any exhalation relief since i am used to the cpap already, but it would be a nice feature to have just in case. i already tried the aria lx set to my maximum pressure and found little discomfort breathing, so i may be okay with a straight cpap, and another thing how much would i be looking at to spend for a decent used unit?

dllfo · Post by **dllfo** » Sun May 21, 2006 2:32 pm

ME TOO!!!!!

The wife and I travel (when my health permits) and if my machine broke down in Anson, Texas (I have cousins there)...good luck!! I had a real
bad asthma attack in Anson last summer, but prednisone enabled me to
avoid the ER.

IF we know our settings. What would be a good back up machine?

I am at 16/5 and an exhale setting of 3 on my Respironics AUTO BIPAP machine. There MUST be a less expensive machine I could buy that could
handle setting like that.

What RedThunder 94 didn't say....was what he thought he needed.

Don't we need to know WHAT our settings are before we can buy a proper
machine as a backup?

I know I joke about some of these things, but I am not kidding about a
back up system. I will get one...with YOUR help I will hopefully get one
that can do all I need....without paying too much.

What machine would make a good backup? Can we buy rebuilt machines
from Respironics, etc.??

RedThunder94 · Post by **RedThunder94** » Sun May 21, 2006 2:42 pm

well i know respironics makes good stuff, but there are other brands out there that are prolly as good or better, my sleep doc recommended a pressure range of 6-18 cm, but i found out that 6 cm's wasn't enough air to keep from feeling stuffy, so i upped it by 1.5, so much better, i did try the lx at 18 with the ramp starting at 8 for 5 minutes, it seemed to be okay, so i guess a ramp would prolly be a necessity for me but i think most if not all cpaps have the ramp function.

DME_Guy · Post by **DME_Guy** » Sun May 21, 2006 5:11 pm

The Resmed S6 is a good reliable basic CPAP. I've had very few come back due to quality problems and it's probably the most reliable machine I've purchased. It does have a ramp feature.

RedThunder94 · Post by **RedThunder94** » Sun May 21, 2006 5:24 pm

how much do they normally run?

Sleepy Dog Lover · Post by **Sleepy Dog Lover** » Sun May 21, 2006 6:44 pm

Look at our host cpap.com. They have some very reasonable priced machines. Of course, it may not have all of the bells and whistles, such as cflex or epr, but I think they all have a ramp feature now. If you want to keep the price down, can you do without the auto?

RedThunder94 · Post by **RedThunder94** » Sun May 21, 2006 7:05 pm

yeah, it doesn't have to be an auto, i can't afford 700+ right now for a backup, i was looking at the remstar lite? i guess, it's only about 2 and a half, i wonder if it is a decent machine, although i would rather have one with cflex but for a backup i can't complain, i'm trying to look at some decent used ones but they are all kinda high, i guess i should check some of the local dme's and see if they got any used ones on the cheap, i guess that'll work, i guess i'll have to get a copy of my presciption from the sleep doc though, but that shouldn't be a problem.

Goofproof · Post by **Goofproof** » Sun May 21, 2006 7:27 pm

[quote="RedThunder94"]well i know respironics makes good stuff, but there are other brands out there that are prolly as good or better, my sleep doc recommended a pressure range of 6-18 cm, but i found out that 6 cm's wasn't enough air to keep from feeling stuffy, so i upped it by 1.5, so much better, i did try the lx at 18 with the ramp starting at 8 for 5 minutes, it seemed to be okay, so i guess a ramp would prolly be a necessity for me but i think most if not all cpaps have the ramp function.

dllfo · Post by **dllfo** » Sun May 21, 2006 7:52 pm

The ResMed S6 mentioned above is $345 (new) on several websites. Since
I know nothing about the other machines, I can't help you.

I would prefer to have a back up that can use a smart card, but I wouldn't
pay a fortune for that feature on a BACK UP machine.

Hey Red Thunder94...there are places that sell rebuilt stuff, but I don't know
about the warranty, if any. Also, I stumbled on one website that gives you
a FIVE year exchange-for-new type warranty. THAT beats the heck out of my
2 year warranty. My next question would be....is the warranty any good?

A guarantee is only as good as the company backing it.

As I said earlier, I have no idea what I would need. Takes a higher pay grade
than mine to make the tough choices....

RedThunder94 · Post by **RedThunder94** » Sun May 21, 2006 7:54 pm

[quote="Goofproof"][quote="RedThunder94"]well i know respironics makes good stuff, but there are other brands out there that are prolly as good or better, my sleep doc recommended a pressure range of 6-18 cm, but i found out that 6 cm's wasn't enough air to keep from feeling stuffy, so i upped it by 1.5, so much better, i did try the lx at 18 with the ramp starting at 8 for 5 minutes, it seemed to be okay, so i guess a ramp would prolly be a necessity for me but i think most if not all cpaps have the ramp function.

RedThunder94 · Post by **RedThunder94** » Sun May 21, 2006 8:00 pm

[quote="dllfo"]The ResMed S6 mentioned above is $345 (new) on several websites. Since
I know nothing about the other machines, I can't help you.

I would prefer to have a back up that can use a smart card, but I wouldn't
pay a fortune for that feature on a BACK UP machine.

Hey Red Thunder94...there are places that sell rebuilt stuff, but I don't know
about the warranty, if any. Also, I stumbled on one website that gives you
a FIVE year exchange-for-new type warranty. THAT beats the heck out of my
2 year warranty. My next question would be....is the warranty any good?

A guarantee is only as good as the company backing it.

As I said earlier, I have no idea what I would need. Takes a higher pay grade
than mine to make the tough choices....

dllfo · Post by **dllfo** » Sun May 21, 2006 8:51 pm

http://www.cpapwholesale.com/resmed-s6- ... t-cpap.htm

That is one place that had it for $345 and our host may have it too.
As I said, I found it for that price at two or three websites.
I just typed in "resmed s6" in google and followed the hits.
One place did not have the resmed S6, but they offered the 5 year exchange
warranty...included in the price.

I have no idea how good these units are. Maybe if you have a good one it will
last ten years or one year.

Hey...RedThunder94...are you a Texas Tech fan? Red Raiders..Red Thunder??

RedThunder94 · Post by **RedThunder94** » Sun May 21, 2006 9:27 pm

i'm not really a sports fan, lol, but i am a native texan, been here in good ole fredericksburg almost my whole life, lol, but my forum handle is the one i use alot of the automotive forums that i frequent, i have a 1994 ford thunderbird i'm in the process of fixing up, lol, so i'm a car guy...

DME_Guy · Post by **DME_Guy** » Sun May 21, 2006 10:19 pm

Keep in mind if it's an issue for you that the basic entry level CPAP may have a fixed ramp that starts at 4. That wouldn't work for me. I need to start at 6 or I feel air starved. Resmed recently discontinued the S6 so if you want a new one of those, act quickly.

The Remstar Lite is okay but I'd get the 420G on cpap.com for about $50 more. If you want an integrated heater thats small for travel, I think you'd be happier with the 420G.

Grimace · Post by **Grimace** » Mon May 22, 2006 7:13 pm

I just went through the same sort of issues looking for a second unit to take with me when I travel. I opted to go cheap. I found a lightly used Healthdyne unit with a hose and mask for the princely sum of $22 on yahoo auctions. It works fine. I added a brand new respironics passover humidifier from another auction and have a backup unit for less than $50. I'd much rather eat that amount if it gets lost or broken during a trip than what I've got invested in my Remstar Auto. For a unit to keep in your car, I'd definitely go used.

Mask