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Ants in my CPAP!
#1
Ants in my CPAP!
My nightstand is right in front of a window. I’ve had an ant problem in the past. It went away for a while, prior to me getting my CPAP (Resmed airsense 10) a little over a year ago. 

The ants are back. I killed one the other day on the outside of my water tank. Today I woke up and found that the machine had been running with a ton of ants both on the inside and outside of the water tank. There was a small piece of chocolate stuck to the bottom of the CPAP. Yes, I have bad eating habits at night. 

I yanked out the water tank, then rinsed it off to get out the ants, then found that there were a lot of ants in the cavity opening where the tank had been. I wiped them off, then for the next several hours kept seeing an additional ant or two running along it that I tried to wipe off. I moved it someplace further from the window, so there shouldn’t be new ants, just ones coming out. 

Tomorrow I am going to go to a family members house that has a 5 year old machine replaced by a new one. I will have to change the settings, but I know how to get into the service menu. 

If I want to make sure all the ants are out of the inside, what would you recommend doing? I have hex wrenches or torx bits that should be able to open the bottom. I had thought about trying to vacuum it either one the outside or once opening it up. Any thoughts? 

I could always call Resmed.
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#2
RE: Ants in my CPAP!
The ants where I live have two seasons. In the spring they want sugar and water, with some protein, and in the fall they want just water. There are granular insecticides that work great, available at home stores. I toss it against the hose foundation to create a barrier so the can't get inside.
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#3
RE: Ants in my CPAP!
DO NOT try to kill the ants using ant bait. They don't die immediately and you don't want dead ants inside the machine. I would try to lure them out with a few drops of honey placed around the machine, but be vigilant - don't let them scurry back in there!
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#4
RE: Ants in my CPAP!
Whatever you do, do not get poisonous insecticides or any other foreign substances near your machine where they can be inhaled. The best method for handling the problem is to seal the unit securely in a plastic bag and ship it to one of the local repair depots for full cleaning and sterilizing. The last time I had this done, it cost me $50 plus shipping both ways -- the total was under $90 end-to-end.

Try some of the vendors listed above in the Suppliers List for recommendations.
"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius
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#5
RE: Ants in my CPAP!
Ants in my Cpap   Shock   That would be my worst nightmare... no, maybe spiders.

In all seriousness, try Supplier #27 and/or Supplier #28. See if they can advise.
OpalRose
Apnea Board Administrator
www.apneaboard.com

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