Noisy S10 autoset

[jhellwig]

I recently got my insurance company to get me a new machine after 8 years and everything has been fine for four months till a few days ago.  The machine started makes a loud sound that changed pitch and got louder everytime I inhale.  The best way I can describe the sound is a wheezy zipper.  It got bad enough last night that I couldn't sleep so I dug my old S9 autoset out and used it.  I see from a quick web search that people have had problems with them making noises.  It was a lot quieter than my S9 up till this point.  Nothing seams out of place on the seals or anything.  I will try the original lid for the humidifier tub to make sure it isn't the So Clean causing the issue.  Anyone else run into this issue?  

I like the S10 but had to shut off the auto control of the climate line as it kept letting water collect in the mask and blow it into my nose when I moved.  The So Clean 2 is awesome since I am lazy and don't clean things as often as I should.  My old S9 got to the point where I would get sinus infections all the time even if I cleaned it regularly.  It was musty smelling when I got it out last night even though I cleaned it very well before putting it away.

[AlanE]

Several things can cause the noise, when you insert the humidifier tub, you could inadvertently dislodge the inner seal(s) Look inside there to see if they are still in place. The seal in the tub itself may not be seated properly. If the seals are good make sure you insert the tub far enough so that it properly engages the inner seals. The last thing to check is the intake filter area. Make sure nothing is out of sorts with that.

Inner and tub seals


intake Filter

[jhellwig]

Everything looks fine with the seals in the humidifier tub. I had changed the filter when it first started making noise as I had forgot to change it since I had it but that didn't change anything. The noise is still there with the tub out of it and nothing attached to it so it is coming from the machine itself.

Now hopefully I can get my incompetent DME supplier to fix it.

[AlanE]

It's under warranty so you shouldn't have any trouble getting a new one. They replaced mine just because the cell modem failed. It was still a perfectly good functioning machine just that they couldn't spy on me.

[jhellwig]

I took it into them today and left it for them to look at instead of making an appointment. They called me later and said they tried it out and it wasn't making any noise. I got it back home and it is still making the same noise. Every time the fan accelerates the noise get louder.

I am ready to give up on this DME provider. They can never get me the right mask or filters the first time and even tried giving me this new machine with the original settings I had from my first titration that was just a fixed pressure instead of the auto that the prescription was changed to later.

[ragtopcircus]

I’m having some trouble with wheezing on a brand new Airsense also. It’s definitely coming from the intake.

I think the problem is the design of the intake. There seems to be an acoustic resonance in the blue silicone tube behind the filter and the chamber behind it. If the fan makes any noise at the resonant frequency (almost impossible to avoid across the range of flow and pressure), that wheezy resonance begins.

Partially restricting the tube inlet breaks up the resonance, albeit with a louder whooshing sound as a result.

I know the flow sensor is on the inlet side, so I don’t know if it is possible to do anything to change the resonance (either shift the frequency or reduce the Q) without affecting the flow sensor accuracy.

[PaulaO2]

The thing is, they probably let it run on the workbench without anyone breathing with it. That's not going to reproduce the issue.

When it makes the noise, where is it coming from? Machine or mask?

Check all hoses.
Check placement of mask parts.
Replace hoses, one at a time, to see if one of them has a leak that is causing the machine to attempt compensation.
Replace tank after trying hoses (or before).
Ensure machine is set to the type of mask you are using.

If all of the above does not resolve the problem, insist on a new machine. New and fresh out of the box that you see vs their word for it. It is under warranty. Hold them to it.

[ragtopcircus]

The thing is, they probably let it run on the workbench without anyone breathing with it. That's not going to reproduce the issue.

When it makes the noise, where is it coming from? Machine or mask?

Check all hoses.
Check placement of mask parts.
Replace hoses, one at a time, to see if one of them has a leak that is causing the machine to attempt compensation.
Replace tank after trying hoses (or before).
Ensure machine is set to the type of mask you are using.

If all of the above does not resolve the problem, insist on a new machine. New and fresh out of the box that you see vs their word for it. It is under warranty. Hold them to it.

Most of the noise is coming from the air inlet, by the filter. Some is carried down the hose, but most of it is direct. I checked the tube and mask, and reseated the tank. I don’t hear any noise coming from the tank end.

It isn’t very loud at all. It’s not the volume that bothers me. It’s the wheezy character of it. I’m not convinced that it is a mfg defect instead of a design flaw. I am worried that in trying to tune the acoustics to lower the overall noise (I think it is quieter than the Dreamstation), they accentuated frequencies that are like nails on a chalkboard to me.

Or to put it another way, I’m worried that another machine will sound the same. It seems to be a common complaint, and it also seems common for some to get several “bad” machines in a row before they give up and accept it.

The machine is from Supplier #1. They unboxed it to set to my Rx pressure (totally unnecessary, of course) before shipping. My local DME won’t go beyond the letter of the Rx (fixed pressure), and the doc does not like auto machines.

[ragtopcircus]

By checked, I mean I tried two different new hoses (one Resmed, one Respironics) and different several masks, put my ear by the humidifier, jiggled it, etc.

[ragtopcircus]

It’s been 7 years since I was lying awake all night, listening for the faint wheezing next to me to stop. Some things you never forget.

I suspect that 9 out of 10 or 99 out of 100 would not even hear a problem.