ResMed Airsense 10 pulsing in Australia using 240v - Normal use is 110v is US

[cornishpd]

I am visiting Australia from the US and using my ResMed Airsense 10 with an aussie power adapter (no transformer).  I have been here about a week and everything has been working fine.  I moved to a new location in Australia and now as soon as I place the mask on the CPAP starts pulsing with varying air pressures.  I had ramp time turned on but have turned it off to see if it helps and it doesn't.  I checked and EPR is ON and set to FULL TIME at Level 2.  I also tried turning this off but found no difference.

Any ideas?  I assume it is likely to be related to different 240v voltage but don't understand why it would work fine for 5 days and then change.

[Sleeprider]

Regardless of the outlet you plug into, the machine should only see 24 Volts DC through the adapter. Maybe have that checked out by an electronics shop or DME.

[Sleepster]

The machine is designed to run on either voltage, so that shouldn't be the problem. I suspect an issue with the electricity at your new location. I forget the details but the AC voltage supply has to have a smooth waveform, like a sine wave. Some generators and inverters (used to provide AC power from a DC battery) do not produce a smooth enough waveform for some devices such as CPAP machines.

Is your new location being electrified by solar panels that charge battery banks? Because those setups require an inverter. Or is it being electrified by a generator?

[cornishpd]

Sorry for delay in responding but I have been testing out the theory about whether solar panel related issues are causing the problem.  The trouble is that we are traveling around and the last 3 locations have all had solar panels.  It has consistently been a problem so I will try to find a location that doesn't have solar power and provide an update.

[dwd1249]

I have used my AS10 that I got from the USA in Dec 15 around a lot of NSW,VIC,TAS &QLD.
It has run off all the local power as well as generators and never missed a beat.
I don't think that the 240v power is the cause of your problem.
Maybe a local Resmed dealer will try out your machine on a different power pack.
Good luck in finding the source.

[Sleepster]

I also would recommend that you take it somewhere that doesn't have generators or solar panels and see if it works okay. It could be the power supply or it could be the machine itself. If you verify that it is indeed the electricity source at the hotel, you could always buy a battery. Run the CPAP machine at night on the battery, then charge the battery during the day. That's an expensive option, though.

[StratCat48]

I'm tending to think it's not the the AC power supply. While solar panels and inverter type supplies may introduce funky noise/waveforms very near where they are located, there is likely a stepdown distribution transformer on the line drop to the location where you are using the CPAP. Transformers with the iron and copper will tend to smooth/filter much of the crap on power lines. Additionally, if your CPAP power adapter is functioning properly, its 24vdc output is very well regulated and filtered and should maintain the 24v even for fairly quick changes of the incoming AC supply voltage. If the AC supply voltage were changing you might notice lights in the room flickering or pulsing.

Where you have been moving about, is there a chance that something in the air supply to the mask has developed a leak which opens and closes as the pressure changes, such as a hose that has a small crack. An intermittent air leak may cause the CPAP to attempt to compensate for a leak and pulse as the leak amount changes.

Any remote chance water remaining in the humidifier tank may have gotten into the machine and blower?

[cornishpd]

I apologize to all of you giving ideas about the issues about my delay in updates. I am now back in the US and the machine is still pulsing the same way. In case the hose (ClimateLine) has a crack I just tried it with a brand new SlimLine hose as I don't have a new ClimateLine. It still is pulsing. With all the moving around there is a remote chance some water got into the machine and blower. If that is the case is there anything I can do about it?

Here is what I did in Australia after my previous post. I took the CPAP into a RESMED dealer who was very helpful. They may have had solar panels on the building. It was a little hard to tell as their office is in a building that housed a number of businesses. We tried my CPAP with an Australian power supply and still had the same problem. They also had a device that measured the actual pressure coming from the CPAP. When my machine was set at 8 it actually measured 13. They had never seen a machine do that.

They also used a different RESMED AS 10 with my US power supply and an Australia adapter along with my ClimateLine hose and it worked fine. Their assessment was there is a real problem the CPAP itself.

To help me get through the last week of my trip I rented a RESMED AS 10 from the dealer and that of course worked fine.

In the past when I have problems with a previous RESMED AS 10 my provider said there is no way to get one repaired and getting a new one is the only option. Is that accurate?

[StratCat48]

I've read a few posts about the water tank on the AS10 sometimes not sealing/seating properly and may have an air leak. Perhaps it's another place to look. Can't remember if someone said it makes a clicking noise if the water tank is loose/leaking air.

[Sleepster]

So you now know for sure it's the machine that's bad. They can be repaired, but I understand it's very expensive. It may be better to try and buy a used machine on craigslist.