(10-14-2014, 03:14 AM)NCZzzz Wrote: I realize this is an old thread but having had my machine for 3 years now was starting to wonder about replacement intervals....
Q1: Are all the major insurers in USA set to a 5-year replacement schedule? I called mine they said yes 5-years. A buddy called his and got a kind of weird answer that maybe it could be replaced after 3-years.
In part I was curious as I would like to buy a travel-style unit and keep using my big S9 at home.
Q2: If you buy a used unit from CraigsList ... are there special sanitizing procedures you should go through before using a machine someone else has been using?
A1: It's becoming more common for insurance to only replace if the old one fails. Many DME's cheat and claim the old unit "failed."
A2: There's no way to clean a CPAP blower unit, and it's usually not really needed. Change the filters, check it out and wipe down the outside. Run it a few minutes to blow out any smells.
Replace or clean the hose, humidifier tank, and mask.
There are instructions from ResMed on cleaning in the links in my signature line.
If you're going to try to clean and sanitize things, clean first, then sanitize. I put mine in the dishwasher first on the hottest, longest, "sanitize" setting on my dishwasher. No foam or cloth in the dishwasher. Disassemble things as much as you can.
Manufacturers usually recommend against using the dishwasher, so make your own decision.
Supplier #1 sells Control III cleaner that is supposed to disinfect things. READ THE INSTRUCTIONS, especially about diluting it. Be careful with the undiluted solution, but the diluted stuff sounds to be reasonably safe.
I have heated a big pot of water to boiling, turned off the heat, and dropped in plastic mask parts and water tanks into the water and let it sit until it cools. Respironics tanks were fine. ResMed S9 "cleanable" tanks were OK. The newer ResMed "standard" non-dishwashable tanks were damaged by the heat. Don't use the boiling water trick on anything you can't stand to use.
Hoses may or may not withstand the heat, especially the "short" hoses that are part of the mask. Read the ResMed instructions for their hoses. I've successfully heat treated hoses by keeping the water to around 70C. At full boiling temperature, the hoses "wilted" a little.
For the cloth parts, I soaked overnight in the strongest alcohol I could get.
Warning: Neither boiling, Control III, nor alcohol kills ALL germs. That requires something like an autoclave or pressure cooker and higher risk of melting.
If you want to be extra careful, let everything sit aside and dry for a long time. The longer you sit it aside, the more likely it is to kill any remaining germs.