Resmed Airsense 10 Noises on Exhale

[monkeychow]

Hi All,

Had a resmed airsense 10 for around 2 years.

The first year was fine, other than resolving normal starter issues - figuring out if I needed a chin strap and similar early problems.

About 1 year in one night I suddenly got a burning plastic smell. Took it back to the supplier who sent it back to resmed.


While it was under repair I had an older resmed 10 as a loan unit that worked fine.

A month or so later Resmed sent it back saying they couldn't replicate the issue but had fully serviced the unit.

That's when a new problem started. The went from it's previous whisper quiet white noise - to a loud motor whine on evey inhale. It's almost like the machine is snoring while you are awake - or you could make a Darth Vader joke - but essentially it makes a loud whine with each breath. I can get used to most white noise but the way it mirrors your own breathing is very distracting for sleep.

I tired replacing the mask, the hose and the humidifer chamber. I tried all kinds of tricks like putting rubber bands around the humidifer to push it in tighter. I played around with the water level. I changed the filters. I turned EPR on and Off.

Eventually I sent it back and they repaired the pneumatic block.


As soon as I got it back it started making the same noise again. My supplier of course started with the "getting used to cpap noises" talk...but the thing is - I had this model of machine for a year previously without the noise. I had rental machines for 2 periods without the noise. So the noise is not a default noise on every unit.

Finally I sent it back again - i'm not normally a fussy person like this and indeed not normally one to claim warranties or take stuff back for repair but these machines are expensive, so important to our quality of life, and this thing is just not right.

So this time I got the sense my provider doesn't believe me. But I asked them to get it checked anyway. they sent it back to resmed - who elected to send me a replacement unit.

I was elated - and I respected the customer service, but imagine my dismay when my new unit has now started making this noise as well - after about 2 weeks.

It's a loud noise. I've tried ear plugs and even a white noise generator to "drown out" the noise. But it persists.

To recap - between machines i've owned and rented i have now used 4 different machines of the resmed Airsense 10. Two of them were wonderful and quiet But 2 of them have made very loud inhalation and exhalation noises. Interestingly it's the more recent (newer manufacturing date) machines that seem to have this issue.

Can anyone offer any information on this? My supplier is starting to look at me like i'm crazy, but surely someone else has experienced this? Have i just been really unlucky and got 2 dud machines in a row, or is there a recent problem that is affecting all newer machines? I know its not every model of the machine as I borrowed some good ones in the past.

Be curious if anyone has any advice or similar stories to share. I am about 2 more sleepless nights away from ditching resmed entirely and buying a Fisher and Paykel (one of which I rented once during a repair and slept well) or some other model device. That would basically be a waste of $2k but at this stage I will pay anything to fix this problem. 

Sorry for a long rant...and thanks!

[HalfAsleep]

The burnt plastic smell....there are several threads on this. The solution, per Resmed, is to put the brick on the floor. It has to be away from the machine.

Regarding the noise.... my A10A for Her with FFM does make an assertive swishy noise on exhale/inhale. I don't hear anything like a whine, but I also don't normally use the P10. I did have an exploding sound at one point (when I used a P10), though. Apparently a combination of mask leak, crazy breathing, or whatever.

Have you thought of setting the unit on something that would absorb sound, like a piece of closed cell foam? Have you tried a different tabletop? Could the metal on the hose be rubbing somewhere? Move everything away from the intake, papers, power supply, surge protector? Plug it into a different outlet? Make sure it's totally level? Swap out any parts for which you have a spare? Do you maybe not have optimized treatment for snores, chokes, snorts? Is your P10 wanting to pop out of your nostrils? Attach little felt pads to the corners of the unit? Check the connection between the small hose and the big one (mine was howling one night)?

[DeepBreathing]

G'day monkeychow. Any chance of getting back one of the loan machines that worked OK?

I'd be interested to know where these machines were made - Resmed was originally an Australian company with all machines made in Sydney. Now they are a multinational with a factory in Singapore and have recently taken over a Chinese manufacturer. I wonder if the broadening of the manufacturing base is allowing the quality control to slip?

[MikeBear]

I've been on a brick cpap machine for 20 years (same machine all those years). It's a machine that has a LOUD white noise sound, that I really like! Anyway, I recently started wondering "what was new", and did some research and got an Airsense Autoset. It's so quiet, I can't even hear it, so that's disconcerting to me right now. But I mention all this to show that I LIKE a loud white sound making cpap machine and am used to it.

Ok, my normal mask is an older Mirage Swift II nasal pillow mask. The FIRST time I tried it with the Airsense, I noticed my breathing sounding just like you are saying, (Darth Vader like) and it made me panic. I ripped off that mask, and switched to an original Dreamwear mask I don't normally use, as I can't keep it from leaking. That mask does NOT have that same sound! However, it's bad because of the leaks.

So, I've now switched to a Resmed Airfit P10 nasal mask. That mask is like HEAVEN, and also doesn't have that Darth Vader noise!


So, the upshot I'm wondering, is it your MASK suddenly doing this? Can you try another one? I don't know what you normally use, but I can highly recommend the Resmed Airfit P10 mask!

[Beej]

Make sure the reservoir isn't too full; I get a horrible noise when I've filled it too high.

[accumack]

My first Airsense 10 was fine for about a year then one night it started to whine.  I contacted my vendor I sat in their office with my mask and machine and showed the the noise. They sent me a new one.I had to sleep in the front of our motorhome for a few nights until the new one arrived and was exchanged for the noisy one.

[monkeychow]

Thanks for all the tips folks.

I've tried a lot of these things but it seems determined to whine. They're good solid ideas for any future issues though.

Accumack's story gives me hope that it's not all in my head - it worked so well for like a year before all this trouble.

I hear good things about the new Fisher+ Paylel Sleepstyle machine. Don't really want the financial hit of a new machine but it does seem like something has gone wrong with Resmed's recent components. I just want to go back to the "set and forget" place I was using cpap every night and happy with it.