Not enough humidity with the Respironics System One Heated Humidifier
I have been on CPAP therapy for almost a year. Until this month my machine has been working fine. However, my humidifier doesn't seem to working right anymore. The hot plate used to be too hot to touch in the morning. Now it's warm but not hot. Before when I set it to 4, my face was pleasantly damp in the morning. Now my sinus are dry and even at a setting of 5 I don't feel the humidity. The water tank is about half empty in the morning but it used to be almost completely empty.
I have taken it apart and snapped it back together. I didn't feel any obstruction in the air outlet ports. I checked the settings and the humidifier is set to on and the light that states it's function is also on during the night.
The troubleshooting guide in the manual states that if the device is operating normally but the humidifier's airflow is low, there is probably an airflow obstruction and I need to take it to my home care provider. Before I do that, do you have any suggestions on what I can try. I won't be able to get to my home care provider for at least a week and probably longer. This dry nose is affecting my sleep.
Thanks for any advice you have.
RE: Not enough humidity with the Respironics System One Heated Humidifier
Do you have the older model 450P or the newer 460P?
I would suggest you contact your DME and tell them. Perhaps it can be replaced under warranty.
Sleepster
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
RE: Not enough humidity with the Respironics System One Heated Humidifier
You might get more humidity if system one humidification is turned off in the clinician's mode. That way, it doesn't try to sense the humidity of the air coming into the machine, and it simply heats the water a certain amount.
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If it's midnight and a DME tells you it's dark outside, go and check it yourself.
RE: Not enough humidity with the Respironics System One Heated Humidifier
Hi iSnooze ... welcome back
I don,t use your machine but wanted to say hello since you been away for a while
RE: Not enough humidity with the Respironics System One Heated Humidifier
@Paula = I have the 450 model
@Archangle = I turned off the humidification (thanks the clinician manual from this forum) and although I slept better, there is still too much water in my tank.
@Zonk = Thanks. I wish my life had more free time so that I could spend more time with the nice people here.
I will call my DME and schedule an appointment to see what's wrong. I'll report back after I find an answer.
12-20-2012, 07:16 AM
(This post was last modified: 12-20-2012, 07:18 AM by Moriarty.)
RE: Not enough humidity with the Respironics System One Heated Humidifier
It sounds like your humidifier may well be broken. One thing to try is to pull the humidifier off the main part of the machine and plug it back on a couple of times to see it the connector has got loose or dirty.
I use the System One mode and have got to like it.
It seems to do a reasonable job of managing the humidity to the point where it is not obvious. I was originally driving it manually and found that I either ended up with rain or I woke up with a dry mouth. (when I was using the Mirage hybrid mask)
I have a bit of a game going trying to guess how much water to put in so that it almost - but not quite - runs dry by the morning. It is surprisingly variable...
The heater plate can be quite hot on dry nights but stone cold if the weather is already very humid.
RE: Not enough humidity with the Respironics System One Heated Humidifier
Thanks, Moriarty. I unhooked the humidifier once and pushed it back on, but I will do it a few more times. Maybe the connection is loose.
When it was working, I would also estimate how much water I would need for the night, or for a nap. I usually put in a bit more because I didn't want to wake up to that no-more-water-smell. That's a rude awakening.
RE: Not enough humidity with the Respironics System One Heated Humidifier
Drove an hour on icy roads for a 10 minute consultation but it was worth it. I described my problem to the DME technician and what I've tried. He said it sounds like the humidifier heater is wearing out. The humidifier is only warranted for 1 year and I'm just past my 1 year of usage. He had a used one he could give me for free. He said it worked but he didn't know if it would keep working for 2 days or 2 years. When it gives out, I'll need to buy a new one. The replacement worked fine last night.
Unfortunately my coffee machine also broke this morning. I'm not sure what's worse, no humidification on the cpap or no hot coffee. I know what SuperSleeper would says.
RE: Not enough humidity with the Respironics System One Heated Humidifier
SuperSleeper
Apnea Board Administrator
www.ApneaBoard.com
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
RE: Not enough humidity with the Respironics System One Heated Humidifier
(12-16-2012, 09:38 AM)iSnooze Wrote: I have been on CPAP therapy for almost a year. Until this month my machine has been working fine. However, my humidifier doesn't seem to working right anymore. The hot plate used to be too hot to touch in the morning. Now it's warm but not hot. Before when I set it to 4, my face was pleasantly damp in the morning. Now my sinus are dry and even at a setting of 5 I don't feel the humidity. The water tank is about half empty in the morning but it used to be almost completely empty.
I have taken it apart and snapped it back together. I didn't feel any obstruction in the air outlet ports. I checked the settings and the humidifier is set to on and the light that states it's function is also on during the night.
The troubleshooting guide in the manual states that if the device is operating normally but the humidifier's airflow is low, there is probably an airflow obstruction and I need to take it to my home care provider. Before I do that, do you have any suggestions on what I can try. I won't be able to get to my home care provider for at least a week and probably longer. This dry nose is affecting my sleep.
Thanks for any advice you have.
I am having the very same problem. My DME tech said it was all in my head but eventually gave me a new machine. I still am not getting the good results I have for the past 15 months. Any other ideas?
