[Equipment] Vendor that sells just the seal for ResMed AirSense Humidifier?

[Alameth]

In my two years with my ResMed AirSense 10, I've noticed that the only part of the humidifier tank that seems to wear out or get dirty is the seal (gasket) between the top and bottom halves. It seems wasteful to replace the entire tank when only the seal needs to be replaced.

Does anyone know a vendor that sells just the seal for the AirSense 10 humidifier tank?

I've checked the vendors I know:Commercial Link Removed Searched Supplier #1, Amazon, a couple of others. All will sell the whole tank; none will sell just the seal. I called ResMed but they refuse to answer questions about their equipment, instead referring to a reseller.

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[trish6hundred]

Hi Alameth,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
Hang in there for more answers to your question.
Good luck to you as you continue CPAP therapy.

[tedgreen]

I haven't seen anybody just selling that part.

If Resmed don't sell it as a unique part/item (and it's not on their website), then no reseller would do so either.

Resmed don't sell spare parts for their machines or accessories, apart from very few exceptions (like the lid on the S9 humidifier). They don't want people to be able to repair their machines.

Maybe you can buy the full humidifiers (sold fairly cheap anyway), and start selling the plastic tanks without the seals on eBay or similar. In my case, the seal is usually fine, but the tank gets dirty.

[justMongo]

That tank is intended to be to be replaced at intervals; just like the intake filter.
So, the tank with lid seal is considered an expendable item.

Now the seal in the machine that mates with the tank, I believe is available for replacement.

[OMyMyOHellYes]

Not advisable to put seals (tiny though they may be), goldfish, or any other aquatic animals in your humidifier chamber.

No, seriously, my conceptualization of ResMedThink: "Why sell them a 25 cent part for $2 when we can sell them a $4 part for $50? Oh, YEAH! While we're at it, maybe we can think of a way so that they can't use batteries without buying a $15 part from us for $100 too?!?!?"

Does it seem like I don't have much good to say for ResMed in its current version? <Mission accomplished!

OMMOHY

[Agabaga]

Try Direct Home Medical.  I've bought parts for a very old CPAP machine from them.  They likely sell the seals separately.  You can also chat with them online before you buy.

[Alameth]

Maybe you can buy the full humidifiers (sold fairly cheap anyway), and start selling the plastic tanks without the seals on eBay or similar. In my case, the seal is usually fine, but the tank gets dirty.

I was wondering about that, thank you. I see lots of user comments on Amazon and elsewhere about the tank breaking. I've kept all my old tanks for that reason. I've also read comments from people in other parts of the country about dirty tanks, dirty air lines, etc., even when they clean them regularly; mine are spotless after six months of use. Maybe because it's pretty dry here in California?

It's not a cost thing; slrsly it's $22 every six months for a tank vs. $32 every month for the cushion. It just seemed wasteful, that's all. Our kitchen gloves always wear out the right hand first; my wife saves all the left ones for a friend who is left handed who saves the right gloves for her. Something like that, i guess.

Thanks again!

[Alameth]

Try Direct Home Medical.  I've bought parts for a very old CPAP machine from them.  They likely sell the seals separately.  You can also chat with them online before you buy.

Oooooh, whether they have my part or not, I really like their website. Thanks for the tip!

[Alameth]

That tank is intended to be to be replaced at intervals; just like the intake filter.
So, the tank with lid seal is considered an expendable item.

Understood. And by making the entire tank a consumable, ResMed lowers their number of SKUs, manufacturing costs, repair costs, etc.

I think TedGreen's comment nailed it, though: I'm an outlier. If a lot of people were finding the seal needs replacing after 3 months while the rest of the tank is good after 12, perhaps ResMed might address it. But I've gathered that the tank needs replacing by most people at the same time as the seal.

Thank you!

[CB91710]

I don't think the seals are going out at 3 months though... that's just the recommended interval by some providers.

IIRC, Kaiser wants me to replace my humidifier every 6 months, mask and tube at 3.
The problem that we are having is that Apria seems to want to use a different schedule... they actually want us to replace the P10 pillows every 2 weeks... Kaiser says 4 with a new complete kit at 3 months.

It's so frustrating that we are pretty much just self-evaluating and have been buying from a couple of the DMEs on the list.