H5i noises normal?

[Paptillian]

I want to poll the ResMed H5i heated humidifier users here because I'm trying to ascertain whether or not the sounds my unit makes are normal. They're very faint and hard to hear. If the blower unit is on, you probably won't notice them. The best time to catch these sounds is when you're heating up the water chamber before beginning treatment for the night.

The first sound is an intermittent clicking noise. I wonder if this is maybe the heating element or something expanding because of the heat?

The second sound comes from the area containing the LED that lights up red or blue in the water chamber. When the LED is red (chamber warming up), you can hear a faint fizzing/buzzing kind of sound and the LED seems to dim at the same frequency. It's analogous to a lamp with a ballast that's starting to go bad. You need to look really close at the chamber to catch this, otherwise you can't see the flickering of the light or hear the fizzing sound. Haven't had any issues with the humidifier function, though.

Thanks!

[zonk]

Sound faulty to me, have it checked or replaced
Make sure the lid rubber seal not missing, lid hinges properly attached and you hear click when closing the lid

[OMyMyOHellYes]

Never heard anything like that, but I don't pre-heat either.

I don't like electrical anything making buzzing or popping noises.

I would try to take it back to the DME and do a side-by-side comparison with a demo unit - at least that may give you some peace of mind if their H5i also does it.

Unless they just go ahead and say "No, we need to replace that" right up front.

OMyMy

[2Tim215]

I have had two H5i's, never heard anything like that with mine.

[Paptillian]

Vindication at last!

Here's a video from ResMed where you can clearly see the light flickering at about the 2:00-2:05 mark:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LmW9WMsdfI

Still really hard to see (you gotta look close and pay attention)

Anywhoo, while that's all going on, if you press your ear right up to the unit and have a completely quiet room (put your hearing aid in if you have one), you can also hear the LED buzzing a little.

I found out with some Googling that the intermittent click is just the thermostat working.

Now why I ever noticed such a minute and unimportant detail in the first place I'm sure is a subject of study in some university psychology department.

[RonWessels]

You've got to be kidding me. Do you have nothing better to do while wearing your CPAP than to study the indicator LED's and listen intently for subtle noises? Nothing better, like, oh, perhaps _sleep_?

Yeah, I wouldn't worry about it. Given the current draw of the heater plate, there are bound to be slight transients when it switches on and off.

Edit: If you are really interested in sounds in the night, get yourself a couple of cats. Every new "crash" is a brand new exercise in "what did they get into now".

[Paptillian]

Sleep is overrated

My room is dark & quiet so I was able to easily hear the sounds the H5i makes, which led me to investigate.