Foam Removal - Philips System One

[peewee44]

Removing the foam from the System One machine is relatively simple. No cutting is required because the foam surrounds the blower unit and is not encased in plastic. I checked out my foam and it was in good shape and not degrading. I washed it to remove some dust and replaced it in the machine.

Before replacing the foam in the machine I reassembled the machine without the foam and it was only a tiny bit noisier. So if your foam is degraded that is another option until the foam is replaced by Philips.

If you are sending the machine back to Philips as a part of the recall i would reinsert the degraded foam.

Remember the foam is only a sound reducer and not an active part of the air pump system.

My machine has about 11k hours on the clock  and is still fine.

There is a good video with instructions on Youtube

Title
Philips CPAP Recall Foam Removal Guide
Duration 10:51
:









Philips CPAP Recall Foam Removal Guide

[SuperSleeper]

I think this is the video you're referencing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQnJAF3bm98

[SingingSam]

I'll add a few comments to supplement the video.

The big round button on top may be hard to remove by hand. The first time I had to pry gently around its perimeter with a standard screwdriver to work it loose.

At 1:38 Nick (the man in the video) mentions a "hex head" tool, which may be the term to use at Australia. I know it as "Torx". Nick mentions sizes T3 and T5. The size will vary with the blower unit. For my 50 Series model 950P the long screws holding the case together require a size T15 torx. Inside my 950P has no screw holding down the circuit board. Maybe someone on the Philips assembly line overlooked it. On the 950P the 7 little screws that hold together the motor casing are T10 torx screws.

It helps to use a magnetic tool, especially for reassembly. For anyone not experienced with driving metal screws into plastic holes, be gentle. Finger tight is enough when you reassemble.

On the circuit board your wire connections may vary. Mine has 3 electrical connections on the left side and 1 on the right side.

At about the 8:56 mark Nick loosens the already-installed motor casing in order to insert the black air tube with its side piece. I think it is easier and more reliable to attach this part to the motor casing and then slide the whole assembly into the case. Nick doesn't show it, but the electrical connector for the humidifier can be a tricky detail when you reassemble.

Before installing the two long screws, look into the back where the SD card is inserted to make sure that the wires from the humidifier's electrical connector aren't getting pinched or misrouted.

The job isn't difficult. Maybe a 2 on a scale of 5. Work slowly. Stay organized. Take pictures as desired.

Removing the foam isn't a good idea. I'm working on an alternative. See my next post in this thread.

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As Rich pointed out in the main Recall thread, removing the System One foam affects the air flow in undesirable ways.

I'm working on a modification that retains the foam and its tiny particles inside a thin flexible enclosure. I'm looking for suitable materials that can contain the particles, not react with the foam, and not be a source of off-gases or particles. When I find something I'll test it on my own machine for about 2 weeks. If successful then I'll document it in this thread.

A lot of folks are going with antibacterial (AB) filters to deal with the particles. This is not a hassle free solution because:
• You may have to change machine settings. To what? Nobody knows.
• You may have to give up use of the humidifier.
• You have to buy AB filters which are scarce and getting more costly.
• You have to remember where you stored the AB filters.
• You have to figure out how frequently to change the AB filter.
• You have to find a way to remind yourself when to change the AB filter.

One of my expectations of devices like the System One is that it should serve me with minimal maintenance. I see AB filters as a role reversal, where I have to serve the machine regularly. Not acceptable to me, but possibly tolerable to others.

What I'm going for is a simple fix that will last at least until Philips provides a solution and preferably a lot longer. It could be a year or more before Philips provides a foam solution.

[hegel]

Your machine may have an AB filter setting that will automatically adjsut pressure. Mine does. If not, a little experimentation is simple. Begin by realizing that you'll need a bit more pressure. Actually I've used an AB filter with no adjustments at all and didn't really notice a difference. Oscar is your friend here.

I've used an AB filter with a humidifier without issues. I have no problems remembering where I stored my AB filters (really?): my cpap mask drawer. It's no harder to figure out when to change your AB filter than it is to figure out when to change your regular filters ( the ones that are in my mask drawer with everything else cpap related. I somehow manage to find those.) Reminding myself to change the AB filter is easier than remembering to change the regular filter because it's right there in front of me every time I use the machine.

The AB filter should be a good indicator as to whether your machine is spitting out foam. I would think it would be worthwhile to try one for several nights just to see what it collects from your machine.

For me, tearing apart my machine and removing foam, which isn't recommended by various health agencies (you may leave crumbled foam behind) is far harder than fitting on an AB filter. Moreover, the latter won't void a warranty. Or cause Philips to not give you a new machine because you tampered with your own. I'm a klutz and if I mess up and wreck a machine, ooofff.
'
However mechanic types might prefer removal. Best of luck!

[peewee44]

Thanks for your helpful comments SingingSam.

I could not post the link because of my membership status.

P

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Thanks for your helpful comments SuperSleeper and SingingSam

I could not post the link because of my membership status.

P

[SingingSam]

For really dedicated hackers the ideal replacement probably is medical grade silicone foam of the same thickness and hardness as the old foam. Medical grade silicone is unlikely to react with air or with the surfaces it touches. It won't off-gas. It doesn't biodegrade, so it shouldn't become a source of small particles. It is so inert that it probably would have no problem with ozone or UV light. I won't be surprised if Philips designs a solution for the System One with medical grade silicone foam.

Finding a source in the Internet haystack will take more time than I have to invest. But who knows, maybe someone will read this who has the time or a contact in the foam business. Finding the stuff is step one. Figuring out how to cut and shape it will be step two.

I've shopped and ordered a material that will be suitable for a second-best approach to minimizing the problem on an interim basis while we wait for Philips. This material will contain the foam particles at the source. It is cheap and won't be a source of off-gasses or particles itself. Whether it is easy to work with remains to be seen. I'll update again when I have some hands-on experience with it.

[hegel]

Ya know...people are incredulous that PR would use a foam that hadn't been thoroughly tested. And then they introduce glues and foams and plastics into their machines that they find on sale on Amazon to replace the PR foam.

???? does not compute. "Should work" is what everyone says. That's a standard far below what PR did, and look at where we are today.

[SleepyCPAP]

Thank you for this thread.  Yes, getting to the foam is really easy on PRS1 machines.

I have two, and the oldest (which I happened to have been using mainly, as part of my rotation) has decaying foam.  The newer one the foam is intact (so far).  The old one was subjected to high heat, as my travel machine, in the trunk of my car.  Foam is crumbling on the right and bottom edges - making dusty foam bits.

I realized if I removed it the seal it provides would no longer be there. Air could be drawn, unfiltered, through other holes in the case (top button, SD card slot, and other crevices).  I also read the Australian recall announcement which suggested the foam _not_ be removed.  So I decided to leave the foam and cover it with ReynoldsKitchens Parchment paper.  I don’t know if I can attach a picture, but I just traced the outline (and the three holes for the motor suspension clearance) and laid it on top.  

   

The motor housing squishes it down, holding all the edges securely.  The three round holes are completely isolated from the air stream by the design of the plastic motor housing clamping down circles around them.

I put the decaying CPAP aside, and used the newer one (with its foam also covered with parchment paper).  I did not notice any change of noise levels.  

About a month later I obtained a used ResMed, so I’m not using the PRS1 - but it is a backup (especially if the power goes out).  

- SleepyCPAP

[SingingSam]

Nice work!

Kitchen parchment paper is on my short list of materials to consider.

The picture is helpful. Is the parchment paper on the top surface of the foam only? Are the edges of the foam covered with parchment paper or not covered?

[RayBee]

I made the suggestion several weeks ago on using a thin food-grade silicone sheet for lining cookie pans. Flexible and resilient and about $10. Just another material that may work.