The Most Likely Part Failure

[Sleeprider]

I just got back from vacation this evening from the Keys and a great trip it was, except for the last night.  We were traveling back from Florida to PA and stopped for the night in Columbia, SC.  Got some dinner and settled in.  I put on the mask and was watching the local news when I heard a click, like when a GFI turns off, and I realized, i no longer had pressure from my Resmed Aircurve Vauto.  

I checked for a GFI switch and tried the VPAP in a different outlet with no luck.  Then I tried the power supply from my wife's Autoset and the machine worked fine.  My AC power adapter failed, and there was no return.  On the last night of our vacation I had a failure that could not be repaired or corrected without the new part.  I was fortunate that my wife volunteered to let me use her power supply.   Her apnea was diagnosed just a year ago as "mild" at 9.7 AHI, mostly hypopnea.  Don't let anyone tell you we don't become dependent on these machines. She got little sleep and I felt awful depriving her of the therapy, but I know from a failure a few years ago that no therapy is torture for me.  

I have a backup with my Respironics PRS1 760, but it was not with us on the trip, but I will be using it tonight for the first time in two years.  I think if you can't afford a backup, the one part I might suggest you carry over all others is the power supply.  What part has failed for you?  Next time i will bring at least my battery backup with adapter.  Being without a machine for a night or more is simply intolerable, and something I won't subject my wife to again.

[Walla Walla]

Good thing it happened on the way home and not the first day in the Keys.

[Sleeprider]

I don't know what I'd do. It would have ruined the vacation. I guess next time, I will travel with backup, or at least the DC adapter and battery.

[SarcasticDave94]

Thanks for involuntarily learning a lesson to educate the rest of us. And agreed, it's most fortunate it happened when it did in the trip timeline.

[Spy Car]

Somewhere--here, perhaps?--I read that hotel/motel complexes are notorious for having power surges. I wonder if that's what blew your power supply?

I'm not an electrical genius, but I know we have many members who are.

What's the easiest way to protect our devices from power surges?

Bill

P.S. Welcome back!

[Ron AKA]

If you can get the power brick open, you may want to have a look inside before you trash it. It may be obvious what part failed. These things typically have a diode bridge to make DC from AC. The charger in our RV failed a few years ago, and that is all it was. $3 or so, instead of $150 for a whole new one. These things only put out about 4 amps, so nothing big in there.

[Hydrangea]

Oh yikes. How very frustrating. And how semi-convenient that your wife could help you.

Because I'm only a year in, I haven't come across too many part failures. The big one I've experienced is the humidifier running out of water and waking me up with the smell of burned popcorn. It takes a good soak in vinegar to get that off/out, so there's no going back to sleep for me! Thus I have a back-up reservoir. And if I don't have one, then I make sure I'm not sleeping longer than 10 hours (since that's when mine seems to run out of water).

[Sleeprider]

If the power supply is not under warranty and I end up with it, then I will disassemble, however I believe these units are potted and the circuitry may not be accessible.

There was an audible click when it failed, and I did not notice any lights or the TV flicker.

Last night back on the PRS1 BiPAP Auto was interesting. I had a comfortable night with a slightly higher AHI than usual, and noticed the machine was often ahead of me on triggering IPAP. While the Resmed follows, the PRS1 seems to anticipate the trigger. Also with the variable PS, it gave me .5 cm more than I set on the Resmed.

[Hojo]

Wish you had sent an email, I'm not far from Columbia and could have gotten you a spare power supply.

[Ron AKA]

If the power supply is not under warranty and I end up with it, then I will disassemble, however I believe these units are potted and the circuitry may not be accessible.

The way I read the ResMed warranty at the US site is that CPAP products including the power supply are covered under warranty for 2 years. 

You are likely right about it being potted. In my RV the power supply diodes were pressed into a metal heat sink. They probably pot the components in our brick style units to help dissipate the heat without using a heat sink.