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[Equipment] Spare Backup or Travel Unit
#1
Spare Backup or Travel Unit
How useful is it to have a spare unit as a backup or for traveling, and should it be the same type of unit?

I trialed an APAP (S9) for a month, was given a script for a CPAP, bought the S10 and a month later went back for an APAP script because while my statistics on the APAP and CPAP were very similar, the quality of my sleep was not.

If having a second unit makes sense, should I sell my S10 with 250 hours now for half price and use the proceeds toward an APAP or just keep the S10 as my spare?
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#2
RE: Spare Backup or Travel Unit
I am a newbie, so take my advice with a grain of salt.

On other forums (sometimes not even related to apnea) a number of business people have said that their units didn't last the 5 years, what with all the banging about and stuff. On the other hand, it depends on how much you travel and how. If you must rely on insurance to pay for your unit, I think it would be smart to buy a used unit to take with you or as backup should your main unit fail along the way.

Always keep in mind that people post about problems. If they are not having problems, they don't usually post about it, so the percentage of people complaining about their units getting banged up may actually be pretty small.

If the quality of your sleep was so bad with the S10 that you bought an older model, seems to me that you would do better to cut your losses and stick with another S9. You might save money by swapping for a barely used S9. Maybe SecondWind would be willing to not only swap for a new S9, but throw in some extras too. It's certainly worth a try.
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#3
RE: Spare Backup or Travel Unit
I managed to get by nearly 7 years and 19000 hours on a single Respironics M-series Auto. I now have a 60 series auto BiPAP which I prefer, and a 60 series auto CPAP which works fine, but like you, my sleep is better on BiPAP. I use both. I'm covered if anything breaks down. Both were purchased as lightly used machines with under 200 hours. I think a standby is a great idea. Both of my machines will use the same power supplies and humidifiers.

Take your time, and get a good deal on a second unit. There is no rush since you have a low-hour primary use machine. Consider getting a S9 VPAP auto. You might be surprised how much better bilevel is.
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#4
RE: Spare Backup or Travel Unit
I appreciate your perspectives.
I’ll trade my S10 CPAP in for an S9 APAP to have great sleep when I travel or need to use the backup. It will also serve well for spare components.
Incidentally, I can’t believe how well I sleep now. I get 9 hours of uninterrupted sleep. I average less than 1 obstructive and 2 centrals per night and with the Auto, my pressure is at the low end of the range for much of the first 7 hours.
The only side-effect is that my dreams are way too real!
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#5
RE: Spare Backup or Travel Unit
I started with a rental S9 AutoSet last September. I changed jobs in mid-December and that DME did not take my new health insurance. I bought an S9 AutoSet online new from Supplier #2 Christmas week and used that while I was "between machines". In early February, I moved over to an AirSense 10 AutoSet rental. My new employer has gold-plated health insurance where the machine and supplies are 100% paid by my health insurance so I rack up hours on the rent-to-own and keep the S9 as a spare. Functionally, I experience no difference at all between the S9 and the A10 on my 14-17 cm-h20 and EPR 3 setting.

I can't imagine going one night without an APAP machine so I have a spare and a 35 amp-hour AGM battery. I have 12v to 24v DC-DC converters for both machines. For me, I don't care that I have an A10 as my primary and S9 as a backup since they perform identically for me. I like the A10 better for business travel. With the tank inserted in the unit, it occupies less space than the separate S9 and HSi humidifier. I've never felt compelled to rush out and buy a Z1 or other small travel unit because the A10 is plenty small enough and I can't imagine life without a humidifier. If I were backpacking with it, I'd be looking at the Z1, their funky humidifier that recycles the moisture from your breath, and lithium battery packs. For a roll-aboard in the overhead of an airplane, I could get by with either the S9 or the A10. I've traveled with both.

I'm kind of surprised that ResMed even sells an A10 that isn't APAP. My DME refuses to carry them because so many people who start with a CPAP constant pressure Rx move to a variable APAP Rx days or weeks later. The DME doesn't want to get stuck with the used machines.
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#6
RE: Spare Backup or Travel Unit
(05-19-2015, 03:19 AM)GoodNightSleep Wrote: How useful is it to have a spare unit as a backup or for traveling, and should it be the same type of unit?

I trialed an APAP (S9) for a month, was given a script for a CPAP, bought the S10 and a month later went back for an APAP script because while my statistics on the APAP and CPAP were very similar, the quality of my sleep was not.

If having a second unit makes sense, should I sell my S10 with 250 hours now for half price and use the proceeds toward an APAP or just keep the S10 as my spare?

I must have been more tired than I thought when I read this originally. Both the S9 and the S10 can run as both cpap and apap. You knew that right?
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#7
RE: Spare Backup or Travel Unit
Having a spare unit is nice mostly because if my main one breaks down, I have a spare to put into service right now. I split my time between two places. At one I have a BiPAP Auto and at the other I have a CPAP Auto. I was given an old Remstar Auto M that had 200 hrs and was sitting at the bottom of the closet for years. It works just fine for my needs. The BiPAP is more comfortable. I learned about this board searching how to do the settings on the CPAP.
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#8
RE: Spare Backup or Travel Unit
(05-22-2015, 11:30 AM)Mosquitobait Wrote: I must have been more tired than I thought when I read this originally. Both the S9 and the S10 can run as both cpap and apap. You knew that right?

The S9 & S10 APAP machines (AutoSet or Escape Auto) can run as CPAP. S9 & S10 CPAP machines (Escape and Elite) can run as CPAP but not APAP. The S10 that GNS had was a CPAP only if I read that right.

OMMOHY
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