My answer to camping / backup problem

[bige94]

That would be the furnace filter. I have been using them for years. I buy the high end furnace filters and then cut them to fit.

One of the advantages of CPAP therapy is that we get our own personal supply of filtered air. If you have allergies to things like dust mites, this solves a lot of problems. There's no need to bother with those pillow and mattress covers, hypoallergenic blankets, and all that stuff.

If furnace filters work for you, that's great. I get my filters from my DME at esentially no cost. There's a foam pre-filter and fine mesh filter. I doubt a furnace filter would be as good at capturing the really tiny particles, as furnace filters are designed for a much faster air flow, but if they worked for me I'd use them, too.

That's a really nice system you've crafted for yourself. I guess when you sleep only four hours a night you've got lots of time on your hands for creative projects.

Thanks, my bedside system is a respironics m pro and I use the same filter but doubled up with the foam inset to hold it in. I know I can get the regular filters and the insurance will pay, but whats the reason really? I have something that's works great for me and only costs about 20 bucks every two years or so. Those furnace filters are huge when expanded. For me it's just an unnecessary expense to the insurance co.

I've had my nose pillow mask for 5 years. I clean and take good care of my stuff. I have been known to seal up leaks between mask components with Teflon tape. A couple of wraps on the hose ends before assembly and it's all airtight with no leaks.

I know folks that get new masks every 3 months or so just because they can. That's ok, to each their own. I just don't see the need.

It is nice to have that 20 hrs every day. I have plenty of time to chase down almost every little thing that interests me (much to my wifes dismay).:grin:

[SlightlySleepy]

I like your creativeness. My only concern about using non-medical filters for CPAP machine is the possibility that furnace filters may not be manufactured to the same level of cleanliness and stability. I don't even know what a furnace filter is made from, but say for example little pieces of fabric or fiberglass broke off, they would go directly into your lung, rather than settle out on the floor for your next vacuuming. That and the previously mentioned fact that they do not filter quite as small a particle as the CPAP filters, especially the super fine $35/filter ones.

In general however, I agree with you -- everything medical grade is 10x's the price it should be. Sort of like the notorious prices for tools used in space. Reason? You can't afford to have them fail. And liability to the company if they do.

[Sleepster]

Compared to the costs associated with delivery to the patient, the cost of the filters themselves is negligible. You are already paying for those delivery costs when you pay for your insurance and your co-pays. But, like I said before, if something works for you?

[bige94]

I like your creativeness. My only concern about using non-medical filters for CPAP machine is the possibility that furnace filters may not be manufactured to the same level of cleanliness and stability. I don't even know what a furnace filter is made from, but say for example little pieces of fabric or fiberglass broke off, they would go directly into your lung, rather than settle out on the floor for your next vacuuming. That and the previously mentioned fact that they do not filter quite as small a particle as the CPAP filters, especially the super fine $35/filter ones.

In general however, I agree with you -- everything medical grade is 10x's the price it should be. Sort of like the notorious prices for tools used in space. Reason? You can't afford to have them fail. And liability to the company if they do.

I agree that the fiber seperation could be a problem. I cut the filter very wide and then double them up with the foam filter used to hold them in.
I am currently using Filtrete EA01DC-6 Elite Allergen Reduction Filters, 2200 MPR. I have a clean house and its amazing how quickly they get dirty. I have doing this for years and it does work well for me. I have been quite pleased with the level of performance. No more stuffy nose. I used to shoot nasal spray up my head several times an hour. Not any more.


BigE

[DCwom]

The batteries are sealed and if there shouldn't be any buildup to worry about.

But will the batteries stay sealed? Its these little things that keep reliability and safety engineers awake at night. With a medical device that can potentially do harm you want things to "fail-safe", so when they fail, they go to a safe state. By putting everything inside one box you have, in essence, created a new medical device whereby one of the components has the potential to create a harmful situation. You should be very careful about providing sufficient isolation between air intake and venting of the batteries in the event of leakage.

As someone else mentioned about air filters and the high cost of medical equipment, its this type of stuff that really drives up development and manufacturing costs. A CPAP seems like a simple device, a fan and a mask, but since it supplies air, an essential life sustaining human need, it must be safe & reliable.

[Sleepster]

You should be very careful about providing sufficient isolation between air intake and venting of the batteries in the event of leakage.

I agree. I keep my battery back-up (a UPS with two sealed lead acid batteries) under my bed. The CPAP machine is on top of the night stand.

If it were me, I'd remove the CPAP machine from that box whenever I was using it. The acid in those batteries could put out some nasty fumes in the event of a leak. There's a huge safety risk there.

By the way, we had a rain storm the other night. I was told that the electricity grid went down twice. I slept right through it.

[AC Hunter]

I've been away from this forum since 2012 and had to re-register since my memory for passwords is not 6 years!

Just wondering whether this setup worked long term and if there are new recommendations.

Brought home a new machine today and it appears to need 24 volt.
Any ideas?

AC