Air filters

[Big Guy]

I received an automated phone call yesterday From ROTECH, in regards to a resupply order. The call went down a list of supplies that I was due. 

On that list, was "airfilter", both disposable and non-disposable. I'll be receiving both. 

[Deborah K.]

The Dreamstations have both kinds of filters, not the ResMeds. Sounds like they are sending you the wrong ones. Neither will fit your ResMed.

[Big Guy]

The Dreamstations have both kinds of filters, not the ResMeds.  Sounds like they are sending you the wrong ones.  Neither will fit your ResMed.

ROTECH has been my DME supplier now for several years. They send me the Sunset air filters and they perform fine. So much so, that I wash them and get way longer life from them that way. 

I do recall them sending me non-disposable filters in the past, and they turned out to be one and the same Sunset filters. 

[Lucid]

Big Guy, good to know!

When you wash the Sunset filters, do they come out white again, or less gray?

Partly I'm wondering because of those annoying filters in the ResMed n30i and p30i QuietAir vents that start to turn black after one week of use, possibly from mold.  I've tried washing those: ordinary washing and even brushing them does nothing.  I had to resort to using my WaterPik to off most of the black stuff, whatever it is.  

That was just a trial to see if any cleaning method would remove that black stuff.  I haven't integrated WaterPikking into my mask cleaning routine -- God knows what's inside the hidden internal parts of my WaterPik!

[Big Guy]

Big Guy, good to know!

When you wash the Sunset filters, do they come out white again, or less gray?

Partly I'm wondering because of those annoying filters in the ResMed n30i and p30i QuietAir vents that start to turn black after one week of use, possibly from mold.  I've tried washing those: ordinary washing and even brushing them does nothing.  I had to resort to using my WaterPik to off most of the black stuff, whatever it is.  

That was just a trial to see if any cleaning method would remove that black stuff.  I haven't integrated WaterPikking into my mask cleaning routine -- God knows what's inside the hidden internal parts of my WaterPik!

My filters just don't get all that dirty or discolored. I couldn't convince myself to throw one away if it wasn't dirty or discolored. After washing a filter, I was very pleased with the outcome. 

Once washed and dried, I put it side-by-side with one fresh out of it's packaging. They appeared identical. I asked my wife to try and pick out the new / unused one. She couldn't. Even holding one in her hand and closely examining both, she couldn't tell one from the other. 

After about 5 or 6 washings, I do toss the used one and open up a new one. Needless to say, I have a ton of filters on hand. I'll never run out of them, that's for sure. 

[Lucid]

Thanks -- that's amazing!  Because of my lack of success with the QuietAir vent filters, it never occurred to me to try to wash the Sunset filters.  It's excellent to know this is possible.

I guess this reinforces my view that the black stuff on the QuietAir vent filters must be mold rather than just dust.

[Big Guy]

When you wash the filters, don't bend, twist, or fold them. Just a drop or two of dish soap works fine. A light finger massage on the filter is sufficient. 

I wash and rinse with hot water. Pat it dry on a flat surface with a paper towel. It doesn't take long at all for it to completely air dry. 

[UnicornRider]

Hydrogen Peroxide will bleach some black residue, and kill some microbes. I used it on my mom's reusable filters and found it bleached the sink drain gasket and white plastic drain pipe.

    As for filters turning black, after I heard about "Distillery fungus" I moved the offending distillation operation from the kitchen to the shop where it should have been to start with. You don't happen to live in the neighborhood of a distillery or a whiskey aging barrel storage warehouse?


    

[Lucid]

Big Guy, thanks for the washing instructions.  I'm using ResMed hypoallergenic filters that I buy myself, and I'll try washing them the next time I think of it.

Unicorn Rider, that's fascinating!  Wikipedia has photos of buildings and tree branches coated with that black fungus -- it's really something!  I'm glad it seems to be harmless to human health. 

This phenomenon of the filters turning black seems to be quite widespread.  There have been posts about it here and on YouTube that garnered many comments.