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ResMed AirSense 10 Burn Smell
#41
RE: ResMed AirSense 10 Burn Smell
Hi, I've been having a similar problem and I think it's that the little white filters are disintegrating and leaving dust and fiber debris in the machines, which then probably get heated up and burn or give off a chemical smell.

Had this Airsense 10 for about two years and noticed from the very beginning that my humidifier tank water would be full of what looked like tiny little dust bunnies every 3-4 days. Earlier this year I noticed it changed to a kind of nasty silt on the bottom of the tank after just one or two nights of use, and the silt had definite fibers in it. This coincided with me buying new hypoallergenic filters for the machine, that was the only change I had made.

I was also getting occasional burning smells that weren't as bad as yours but smelled like I'd let the humidifier go empty, but the humidifier was never empty when this happened.

After a ton of cleaning and dusting and using several brands of distilled water just in case the water had particles in it, I finally decided it had to be the filter. When I was checking the filter area I noticed white residue underneath the air intake hole, plus when I held the filter up to the light I saw the area next to the intake hole was MUCH thinner than the rest of the filter.

I tested with a second set of filters from a totally different CPAP store and the situation got even worse, the humidifier tank after one night with a new filter was just filled with fibers and silt, and I again smelled the "empty tank" burning kind of smell but had over 1/4 of a tank of water still left. Also noticed the thinner area in the filter right where the intake hole fell.

Should note that I haven't been able to find actual Resmed brand filters, only the kind sold by DMEs which tend to be generic.

I don't have a solution but I am hoping to find thin foam filters (like I had on my old Remstar, but thinner) to use instead and see if it changes anything. I'm thinking the filters are simply not holding up under the pressure caused by the airflow.

Can't guarantee that this is what's going on but you might want to check it out, just in case.
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#42
RE: ResMed AirSense 10 Burn Smell
Did want to mention that, although I think little filter particles and fibers are getting into the machine and landing on the motor (or a heat source) causing a burning smell, I haven't been able to get into the machine itself to look, I don't want to inadvertently break it by poking around in there.
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#43
RE: ResMed AirSense 10 Burn Smell
When I received my AirSense 10 - I had the same exact problem.

In addition - I was noticing that the water would not last through the night.

I poked around at the comfort mode settings and saw that the DEFAULT temperature for the humidifier in AUTO mode was 81 degrees!  The humidifier and tube would actually warm up pretty hot too.

I switched it to manual - and lowered the temperature to 75 instead.

Unit worked fine after that.  You might have to play with the temperature - because I went down to 74 originally and the heated tube filled up with condensation water.

I took it up one degree every night until it was 1 degree above the point where water condensed.
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#44
RE: ResMed AirSense 10 Burn Smell
NOTE:
I originally rented a RESMED AIRSENSE 10 machine for a few months with no issues.

I decided to purchase one and the following is what happened, TWICE (I am writing this after the following story occurred with 2 machines now)...

Machine 1: The machine is 3 days old. After a nights sleep, as soon as I removed the nasal mask from my nose I smelled what seemed to be the smell of a burned or overheated engine. The smell remained in my nostrils for a few seconds and then went away.
 
When this happened, I was obviously concerned.
With the machine turned off I checked everything around the machine. I smelled the machine, the humidifier, the air tube, the nostril mask...nothing, no smell.
So, I turned the machine on again and wore the mask for a 30-60 seconds. When I removed the mask, same thing again. I smelled a lingering burned engine smell in my nostrils. The only thing I can imagine is that the smell is not noticed while the machine is on due to the high velocity of constant air shooting into my nose, however, when I remove the mask my nose immediately smells the difference when I am exposed to fresh air again.
I tested this a number of times, in different rooms, in fact I even tried it outside...and each time I removed the mask I smelled a burned engine smell in my nostrils.

I immediately contacted the supplier of my machine and they were completely baffled by this. They contacted Redmed. Resmed's response suggested that the issue had something to do with the humidifier running out of water, etc. However, I don't like warm air so the humidifier and the tube heating were both turned off on my machine.
Neither my supplier nor Resmed seemed to be aware of this issue so I was starting to think I was nuts!

Luckily, my supplier was awesome and they gave me a new machine. I was thrilled....until the SAME THING HAPPENED IN THE SECOND MACHINE!
Yes, after 2 nights with the new machine, the same thing happened.
This is when I decided to check the internet to see if this is an issue with other users.
I see now that this is indeed an issue with their units!!!!

Note:
- The tube and humidifier are clean.
- Only distilled water is used in the humidifier
- Even though I turned off heating in the tube and the humidifier I STILL PUT WATER IN THE TRAY to keep it cool just to be sure (I did this as an extra precaution due to the issue with my previous machine)
- The electric adapter is on the floor 3-4 feet below and away from the unit
- The filter is brand new and clean.

After testing the unit and seeing that this smell occurs after using the machine for less than a minute leads me to believe that I am breathing this in all night.
This is alarming!

If anyone has similar stories of feedback on a solution I would love to hear from you.
Right now, I am looking at getting a replacement unit FROM A DIFFERENT BRAND.
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#45
RE: ResMed AirSense 10 Burn Smell
Great suggestion Diode, unfortunately I don't have those options on my machine, not even in the clinical settings. I wish I did, I think it would be helpful.
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#46
RE: ResMed AirSense 10 Burn Smell
Just to follow up about the possibility of the filter causing a burning smell, I've spent a few weeks using a gray foam filter in place of the white hypoallergenic filter, and now I no longer get dust-like white bits in my humidifier water, and the water no longer smells after just one night.

I don't know for sure if the white hypoallergenic filters are disintegrating when being used or not. I did see that they were getting slightly sucked into the air intake hole and puckering, allowing gaps that surely let dust through. That dust would collect and by the end of the night the water in the tank would smell almost like old vegetables, it was pretty bad.

This dust still ended up in my tank for the first couple of days with the new filter, so I am pretty certain there was some build-up in the machine of dust and particles that were working their way out. That may be causing a burning smell, if there's some dust inside parts of the CPAP itself that get hot.

However, I still get the "too hot" smell, it's not burning exactly but like something mechanical is getting a little too hot. I also only smell it when I'm wearing my mask, you can't smell it outside the machine. Unfortunately I don't have a machine where I can change the temperature of the humidifier, which I think is the source of the "heat" smell.

Also, there are no foam gray washable filters that are the right size for this machine, I had to buy other filters and cut them down to fit.
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#47
RE: ResMed AirSense 10 Burn Smell
The Elite has those options. The only thing you can't do with an Elite is set an auto pressure range.
Crimson Nape
Apnea Board Moderator
www.ApneaBoard.com
___________________________________
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#48
RE: ResMed AirSense 10 Burn Smell
Wow, just ran across your post.  This scenario is exactly what I've been telling my provider. It has been happening with my exact machine too.  I couldn't have written it any better.  The amazing part is.....that the smell doesn't occur until about 5-6 hours of use.  Exactly what mine has been doing.  It wakes me up everytime.  It never starts out smelling......just after the 5-6 hrs.  They are just now sending my machine into ResMed to have them look at it.  What did they finally say the problem was with your machine???
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#49
RE: ResMed AirSense 10 Burn Smell
The thought crossed my mind that your problem may be a bad (or going bad) power supply.   If you decide to look for a replacement to try, look at 3rd party power supplies, for around $25 USD.    The AS10 uses the same power supply as several laptop computers and is considerably cheaper than a Resmed. . . Especially if you are purchasing one on the off chance it may help.
Crimson Nape
Apnea Board Moderator
www.ApneaBoard.com
___________________________________
Useful Links -or- When All Else Fails:
The Guide to Understanding OSCAR
OSCAR Chart Organization
Attaching Images and Files on Apnea Board
Apnea Helpful Tips

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.
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#50
RE: ResMed AirSense 10 Burn Smell
I'll be starting a new thread since I believe my problem is different than this one and I don't want to keep hijacking this, but I did want to update and say changing the type of filter from the white disposable to the gray washable foam didn't end up helping much at all.
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