Adding a true HEPA filter to APAP for california wild fire smoke

[Stom]

Haven't we both been overlooking something obvious?

Just cut a piece from an N95 mask and use that in place of the usual CPAP intake filter.  Humidification not affected, heated hose not affected, etc.

Thanks, those are sold out, too! (Really, they are a challenge to find :-/ )

Ok, I do have some, and that is an idea that would filter out the particles I need to filter out, but N95 masks actually require a bit of effort to breathe through, even with the full surface area of the mask in play. So using just a section of the mask in the regular filter port would restrict the input airflow in a way that the machine isn't calibrated for. I don't know if it would interfere with the ability to meet the prescription settings or not, nor if it would affect the machine's duty cycle from the extra strain. So, without knowing what, if any, effects such a small, restrictive filter would have on the machine (especially when it gets packed with filtered particles) I'm thinking that more surface area is better for reducing the restriction of air flow. But the fact is I don't know what the machine can handle.

I wish ResMed would just sell respirator rated or HEPA rated filters designed to work with the machine. I can't even find the ResMed brand "hypo allergenic" filters as every retailer and DEME wants the high margin profits from selling generics. (And hypo allergenic means literally nothing. It's not a standardized term.)

[Fats Drywaller]

Yes, good point about restricting the airflow. That had occurred to me but I don't know how to quantify it or have the machine compensate for it if that's possible.

N95 masks: None available to web-order? I just looked on Amazon, and although some brands are sold out, others are still available, supposedly.

[Stom]

Yes, good point about restricting the airflow.  That had occurred to me but I don't know how to quantify it or have the machine compensate for it if that's possible.

N95 masks:  None available to web-order?  I just looked on Amazon, and although some brands are sold out, others are still available, supposedly.

Yeah, not impossible to find if you go national, but I have a big nose, so not just any mask will work for me   3M must be getting a major uptick in sales. But I think smaller stores in my area are wary of trying to order large supplies of masks (if they can) lest they be stuck with unsold inventory as this current condition winds down. Big retailers like Lowe's can redistribute inventory later if they have to.

[mesenteria]

Why can't we rig up a hooka pipe type thingy?  Surely our machines can draw air through a shallow bath of water...or vodka? 

[Fats Drywaller]

Why can't we rig up a hooka pipe type thingy?  Surely our machines can draw air through a shallow bath of water...or vodka? 

I was imagining a jury-rigged setup that's almost as odd: take an entire N95 mask and arrange it loosely around the air intake of the CPAP machine, then use gaffer's tape (not duct tape, which is too messy & destructive) to seal it in place around all of its edges. Ugh! The opposite of elegant. Not just a kluge, but a nasty kluge. Replace the mask with a new one periodically, of course (also ugh). But that does give you the increased filter surface and should reduce the problem of the air resistance.

(You can see why I flunked out of engineering school ...)

The handyman's repair protocol:

1. If it moves but it shouldn't, try duct tape;
   
2. or if it doesn't move but it should, try WD-40;
   
3. after that, if it still doesn't work, throw it out and buy a new one.
   

[Sleeprider]

Hang in there Strom, rain is in the forecast by Thanksgiving. If you really want to McGyyver a solution, buy a HEPA cartridge filter for a respirator (magenta) and figure a way to attach that to your intake with tubing and tape. You can find cartridges at home improvement stores and safety supply.

[JenWith1N]

I'm in BC where we had extremely bad air quality these past few summers due to wildfires. I have severe allergies and asthma and literally could not breathe outside for several weeks this summer without having an allergy/asthma attack. I ended up wearing an N99 mask whenever I was outdoors for two weeks. I didn't use a CPAP machine at the time, but keeping all windows and doors in my apartment closed and running my HEPA air purifier on high 24/7 cleared up most of the air in my apartment. I think as long as you have a HEPA filter in the same room as you sleep, the air is pretty clean as long as no windows/doors are open. Good luck and I hope rain comes soon!!!

[Mosquitobait]

I think what you need to get is a Honeywell Air Cleaner (available at Amazon). Does a much better job than anything you could cobble together. Get additional filters.

[SleeplessInVirginia]

CPAPs are finely-tuned systems.  It isn't a great idea to do things to them that change the air flow. 

Stick a room-sized stand-alone HEPA filter in your bedroom, with the output near the CPAP.  If that's the only one in the house, keep the bedroom door closed and run it around the clock, or at least start it several hours before you go to bed.  You can also move it from room to room if you spend significant time in a room.  If the machines are sold-out locally, you should be able to get them from a big online retailer.

If high-end "allergy"-rated furnace filters are available, you could try to build your own (basically just a sealed box with a fan and filter).  But YMMV.  Those furnace filters aren't really in the same class as a HEPA filter.  It also wouldn't hurt to replace your furnace filter with one of those.  It should help some.

[SarcasticDave94]

IMO all the above are good ideas. If it were me doing this, I'd get a high rated stand-alone HEPA filter, place it's output as close to the CPAP inlet as possible, and go that way. Then put the MacGyver hat back on the shelf and relax to the coffee you earned by doing this the smart way.

One example here in the US at Home Depot for $30.00