Noise level of Respironics Dreamstation vs Resmed Airsense 10

[tonylkc1668]

You must use with humidifier.
Same noise issue when you try Transcend and Z1

[ateeluck]

I recently got the Dreamstation, and though the machine is quieter than my 10-yo F+P Sleepstyle 234, inhalation is a bit louder.  My wife said she should be able to deal with the new sound, just has to get used to it.

I chose the Dreamstation over the AirSense 10 due to the fact I can leave the humidifier at home while travelling (about 3x per year).  I noticed how much louder the machine is without the humidifier.  The inhalation sound is louder to me, and the sound of the machine transmits through the tubing.  It's quite loud to me, though my wife can't tell the difference from the other side of the bed.

So I searched for ideas on a diy muffler, and found another thread on this board, entitled "Transcend EZEX CPAP"

I have a very similar container, a prescription jar used for creams.  I also have some spare parts from past masks to use as tube connectors.  So I made my own, but I designed it a bit differently.  One of the spare parts is a coupler I got from a ResMed Mirage Liberty mask, so it reaches into the jar further, driving the air past the output hole to the bottom of the jar.  The output is on the side instead of the other end.  This is a similar design to CPAP humidifiers, where the output is adjacent to the input, with the input following a tube that goes more than halfway into the chamber.  To cushion the air slamming into the end of the jar, I stuck a makeup remover pad to the bottom of the jar.

It works!  It doesn't eliminate the noise completely, but it significantly reduces it (about 80%), making it more tolerable.  I tried it last night, and I slept well.  

Cheers,
Andrew

[cstrouss]

Thanks for the interesting thread. I've been using an 10 Autoset for about two months, up until a few days ago, it was dead quiet. Suddenly it started making a sound that I say sounds like race car revving up, It's louder and higher pitched the harder I inhale, so I can make some really fun Formula 1 sounds while it is keeping me awake. The sound is NOT coming from the mask, I can here it coming out of the air intake when I hold up the unit and move it around. I have never used the humidifier and I don't want to start. It sounds to me like a bent blade on a fan, I had a similar sound on a laptop cooler one time and that turned out to be the problem.

I'm not really sure what to do, I go through a rental company called Norco, whose customer service is total sh*t. The email address on the bizcard of the guy who delivered it to me at my doctor's office is bogus. When I call them -- and I truly hate using the telephone -- they cannot provide ANY online support, they cannot even give any telephone support since I don't use oxygen.

So my only option to deal with it is to spend half a day and take my unit back to their facility, which is very far from me. They haven't even offered me an option to ship it back to them... and they do not even guarantee that I can get it or a replacement back on the same day, so it might be spending two half days. Meanwhile I have had to stop using the machine, after 93% compliance in the previous 30 days.

--c

[chill]

Welcome!  It sounds like the blower bearings have gone.  Repair / replacement is the only option.   This is why it is good to have a used machine for backup.

[cstrouss]

yes, i do have an old Respironics REMstarPlus M Series, which I bought but discontinued using ten years ago.... but I found it and plugged it in and it works, but it smells mildewy and I'm not sure how to clean it. Could be the hose, too... they are not interchangeable, but both attach to my new mask. Plus I would have to figure out the settings, and it doesn't have the fancy display like the newer machine.

[cstrouss]

Yes I'm afraid that machine is probably toast.  The humidifier tank (which I used to use), the hose, and the air filter all smell like mildew, probably the whole interior or the machine is contaminated.  It was not stored in optimum conditions.

[bucci1]

Hello, I received my DS from the West Palm Beach VA, I've had it for 3 days.. so I have no comparison to offer.
My wife says she cant hear it or me at night.
That air I hear on inhale, I'm guessing, is the air rushing into the Wisp it came with... I do find myself focusing on the noise and
controlling my breathing, then when I doze, my brain looses contact with the noise and I awake..
I'm not discouraged though as even with the few hours I've used it, I feel better during the day...
I'll get used to it and try the ousting of the fine filter. Thanks to all for all the input/information/incite.

Stuart, FL

[ateeluck]

I'm currently using a ResMed Quattro Air. I get resupplied in November (my province covers new mask, tube, machine filters once per year), so I'll go with a Respironics Amara View. I hope that a mask made by the same company as the machine will help quiet the inhale sound. I've gotten used to this one for now.

[cstrouss]

well my resmed airsense 10 was perfectly quiet for the first sixty days, until I got certified by the doctor to the insurance company as me being adequately compliant.  Then the bearings failed on the main blower.  I've got it all packaged up to send back to them, even after they have been extremely unhelpful...  it is their choice, they can fix it and send it back, or just keep it and cancel the contract.  In any case, no way in hell I'm making my insurance company pay for the time it was not usable.

I've got an old respironics machine I cleaned up which works fine and is adequately quiet, I still haven't figured out how to bump up the pressure past 9cm though.

--c

[ateeluck]

Don't mess with mould.  If that old machine still smells bad after washing the mask, tube and humidifier and replacing the filter, you best not use it.  You might have to go without a machine until the airsense is fixed/replaced.  No sense getting sick from the mould.