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Maximum total run hours - Printable Version

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Maximum total run hours - bsnelson - 01-05-2021

I've heard that CPAP machines have a configured maximum number of total run hours, after which they'll stop working (and honestly, probably need replacing, but that's another topic). 

I use my original ResMed S8 from 2007 as my travel machine, and it works great. However, it's over 14,000 hours, and I'm wondering if it's going to stop working at 15,000, some other number, or is this even a concern?

Anyone know about this, or have you encountered it? 

Brad


RE: Maximum total run hours - SarcasticDave94 - 01-05-2021

Not that it's a programmed it'll stop working, but I think it's just inherent that these PAP devices are good for about 5 years and 15-20K hours use. After that it's a gamble on the PAP not failing. And if you're familiar with equipment failure, it'll likely be about 3:30 AM Sunday when there's no way to replace the failed device.

If you've got the health insurance and your sleep study and/or a copy of the script, it's about time to replace the old reliable. If you do not have the insurance coverage and would be buying it yourself, try Supplier #2 and see what they have nearly equal to what you've got now. ResMed is still on the 10 series.


RE: Maximum total run hours - nadprok - 01-05-2021

I have been using my AirCurve 10 VAuto for over 5 1/2 years and have put on 19,000  hours on it . It still runs perfectly . So I don't believe that they die after 5 years or 15,000 hours .
However , I did purchase a new AirCurve 10 VAuto a couple of weeks ago as my insurance allows a replacement every 5 years . I am keeping my old one as a replacement .


RE: Maximum total run hours - mesenteria - 01-05-2021

Insurance and underwriting, including warranty duration, are all about 'mean time to failure'.  They bench run items to test them, and eventually estimate what the average time is before failure, and then they warrant items on that basis.  Ideally, you don't warrant an item until it actually fails, but you warrant it for about one standard deviation before the average/mean time of failure.  That way, you only risk having to repair or to replace a small number of machines that crap out some time during the warranty period, but most will fail outside of the warranty period.  The health insurance people have decided that they'll authorize replacement at the five year mark.  

The hours don't necessarily match because some of us sleep for six hours routinely, while others get the 'recommended' eight hours.  After two more hours per night, over five years, that's a whack of extra hours, over 3500!  So, there's quite apparently a great deal of variance in terms of accumulated hours of use, but the industry just goes with five years duration.


RE: Maximum total run hours - Sleeprider - 01-05-2021

The five year life-span is a creation of the insurance industry. Medicare is moving to a model where they require actual unrepairable failure before they will replace a machine. That's going to create a bunch of nervous seniors as their machines get older and they face the threat of no therapy during the transition. Without insurance, these machines would cost a fraction of the current cost in a competitive marketplace, and people would get what they want, when they need it. The system is really rigged to transfer as much cost as possible onto the end user, while giving them the least choice and control.