ResMed S10 Air Filter Options

[MoreBeers]

Hello Folks!

I was just cleaning our two ResMed AirSense 10 AUTOSET machines (my wife and I both use them now), when I usually also replace the Air Filters.

My usual Routine is that Daily, I will wash/clean our Face Mask Frames, our Face Masks, our Elbow Joints and our two Humidity Tanks. I use Baby Shampoo and warm, then very hot water, to make sure bugs, bacteria and any fat covered virus nasties are stripped of their protective fat layer via the soap, then killed with the hot water.

Then, once a Month I would also usually clean the actual ResMed S10 Machines, along with our ClimateLineAir Heated Pipes, that's when I also changed the Air Filters.

However, as I noted a definite improvement to our nights after the Monthly clean, a few weeks ago I changed that to every four weeks, rather than Monthly.

Then I thought, even Four Weekly is far too long so, I am now going to clean the ResMed s10s every week, including washing the ClimateLineAir Pipes, and also changing the Air Filters.

In particular, it's the Air Filter issue that I wanted to mention.

Up until now, we have been using the Genuine ResMed Hypo-Allergenic Air Filters, mainly because my wife also has Asthma, so I wanted to take out all that we could as the Air enters the S10 Machines.

Since she started on CPAP a few Months ago, her Asthma has improved at nights, partly because it wasn't Asthma every time, it was Sleep Apnoea, but also partly because she was, in effect, starting to breath Filtered Air because of the S10's Hypo-Allergenic Air Filter!

You only need to see how grey the Filter goes after a few weeks, to see what would otherwise get breathed into her lungs.

The ResMed S10 Air Filter Part Numbers seem to be as follows (this may be useful to some, personally, I wouldn't bother with the Standard variant, I would just go for the Hypo-allergenic Variant):

SKU         Item

36850     S9/Air10 Air Filter Standard (1 pack)
36851     S9/Air10 Air Filter Standard (2 pack)
36852     S9/Air10 Air Filter Standard (12 pack)
36853     S9/Air10 Air Filter Standard (50 pack)

36855     S9/Air10 Air Filter Hypo-allergenic (1 pack)
36856     S9/Air10 Air Filter Hypo-allergenic (2 pack)
36857     S9/Air10 Air Filter Hypo-allergenic (12 pack)
36858     S9/Air10 Air Filter hypo-allergenic (50 pack)

However, as the Genuine ResMed Air Filters are a bit costly, last week I looked around for either a good quality alternative, or the Originals for less, if I could find a Supplier.

I thought I had found some on eBay but, unlike my usual self, I didn't read the Sale very well, and found I have invested in some SPIRIT+ Medical Hypoallergenic Ultrafine Filters SKU CF-36855-2. I clicked Buy It Now thinking they were Original ResMeds. My fault entirely for that error.

These claim to be made in the USA, when the Original ResMeds that we bought were made in the UK.

I kept one Original ResMed back unused, so I had one to compare with the SPIRIT+ Medical Filters.

They looked similar but, on close inspection, I was disappointed to see that the SPIRIT+ Medical variants were definitely more fibrous. In that I could tug out fibres, which was not so easy to do with the ResMed originals. Under magnification one is hairier than the other!

I'm not therefore too keen to use these, on the basis that I do not want stray fibres being sucked into the Air Motors and onwards down the pipes and, potentially, into our lungs.

Certainly not long term so, whilst I will wing it for a few days until I can Order in some Original ResMed Air Filters, I'm not keen to use the SPIRIT+Medical Filters for the above reasons, even changing them frequently. Indeed, that could be worse if changing them more often just increases the rate of stray fibres being sucked in!

I have hunted on Google to try and find a source for the Original ResMed Air Filters, but nobody in the UK is coming up, other than chancers selling them for more than ResMed UK.

There are few Suppliers elsewhere in Europe, at a good price that is, and only a handful in the USA, but carriage across the pond is a bitch, as they say.

I thought I would Post this, because I had to look closely at the SPIRIT+ Medical Filters to see that they are not as good as the ResMed Originals.

I may be being overly cautious but, I feel (as an ex-Diver and Pilot) if you are going to feed pressurised air into your lungs, you really don't want to be firing in anything other than as pure an air supply as you can possibly get. Best bet is to Filter out all that you can, not add in a potential source of debris.

The point being, a particle of Asbestos is very small but, if that gets into your lungs, it never comes out again, and just the one can lead to major problems down the line. So, never risk breathing in anything nasty, if it can be avoided.

I see you can get huge packs of Filters on Amazon, made in China but, Buyer's Comments seem to suggest many are very thin so, you need to use two, and I would be hesitant to trust the material quality and safety, let alone the filtration.

The current Philips Foamgate issue is a case in point! I can say the Foam in the ResMed S10 Units seems pretty stable (yes, I have had our machines apart), so I am not concerned about any Foam within the CPAP Machine.

I just want to use decent Air Filters and change them often, cost allowing.

If I find a Supplier of quality Air Filters, I will update this. Likewise, if anyone has any thoughts on ResMed S10 Filters, please do join in.

MoreBeers

[Big Guy]

The air filter on the machine is there to protect it, not the patient. If absolute clean & purified air is a must, you will be better served by using a whole room air filtration unit. 

They are relatively small now-a-days, and not all that expensive. They have a true air filter in them. Not just a little rectangular piece of cotton. 

The air filter in my Resmed 10 AutoSet rarely gets dirty, and I do mean rarely. I just wash and dry them. I have plenty of extras on hand (several dozen) but can't justify throwing them out if it's not necessary. I've yet to have one actually change color on me. 

I don't have any allergies at all, and pollen doesn't bother me in the least. I could sleep thru a dust storm with only a handkerchief tied around my face.

[hegel]

Smoke from fires is a real issue here over sept., august and October. Nothing for it but to shut the windows and use a powerful room air purifier. But I also use the hypoallergenic filters made by Resmed. Mine will go greyish over a number of weeks even in normal times. In fire season I make sure to have plenty on hand.

[Big Guy]

Yes, we've had plenty of wild fire smoke as well. We're now well into our Monsoon Season. It clouds up most every afternoon and cuts loose with rain to some degree. 

Flash flood alerts in place thru the weekend for numerous areas. 

[Coffee Man]

The air filter on the machine is there to protect it, not the patient. 

As an allergy sufferer, I have to comment that this is not an accurate statement. It has been made before and I try to correct each time I see it being made.

 The hypoallergenic filters do filter smaller particles in the allergen range effectively. 

From ResMed’s website re: filters for the AirSense 10:https://www.resmed.com/ap/en/healthcare-...toset.html

Standard: Average arrestance: > 75% for ~7 micron dust

Hypoallergenic: Efficiency: >98% for ~7-8 micron dust. >80% for ~0.5 micron dust.

[Big Guy]

As an allergy sufferer, I have to comment that this is not an accurate statement. It has been made before and I try to correct each time I see it being made.

 The hypoallergenic filters do filter smaller particles in the allergen range effectively. 

From ResMed’s website re: filters for the AirSense 10:https://www.resmed.com/ap/en/healthcare-...toset.html

Standard: Average arrestance: > 75% for ~7 micron dust

Hypoallergenic: Efficiency: >98% for ~7-8 micron dust. >80% for ~0.5 micron dust.

I was referring to the standard air filter. I have no experience with the hypo-allergenic filter.

[MoreBeers]

I don't think the ResMed Inlet Air Filter is there to protect the machine, it is almost certainly there to protect the Patient, given that the only moving Part is the Brushless Motor Blower (AKA Pneumatic Block), which only has a single area of vulnerability and that's the all but sealed Motor Spindle/Bearing.

It is not a Vehicle with lots of metal to metal moving bits and bobs, where the Inlet Filter is pretty critical to the lifespan of the engine!

The sole purpose of these machines is to assist with Patients' Respiratory issues. Whilst dirty air may dirty up the Blower Blades a bit (or a lot if no Filter is used or not changed), there is not a lot else between the Inlet hole and the Patient's lungs other than pretty resilient and cleanable plumbing!

So, with the utmost respect to Big Guy, I think the Filter's primary purpose is indeed to protect the Patient, as Coffee Man has properly pointed out.

It may have a secondary role to stop dirt getting into the machine but, by far the main task is to stop dirt getting to the Patient.

That was why I have only used the Hypo-allergenic Filters, and primarily because of my wife's Asthma which is indeed affected by dust and pollen etc.

The bottom line is the use of good Filters have indeed improved her night-time Asthma issues.

Our bedroom is as clean as any, and we live in a fairly rural Town so, the basic air quality is pretty good.

But, even so, after 4 weeks, if I place a brand new Filter next to a used one, the former is brilliant white, whereas the latter is clearly grey. If I take an Air Duster to the used Filter, and blast that outside, small clouds of dust get shot out, which the Filter has stopped. Plus all the smaller stuff the eye cannot really see that well.

My main gripe is not the Filter, just the cost of the Original ResMed Hypo-Allergenic variants which, in the UK, are around GBP 20.00 for a pack of 12, plus Carriage, which pushes them up to around GBP 26.00 - 30.00 Delivered

I could buy a pile of maybe 150 Chinese bargains on Amazon for less, that's if I was willing to compromise on quality, and safety. But that makes no rational sense given that breathing in well Filtered air is far more important than saving a few pounds.

That said, paying GBP 2.00+ per Hypo-allergenic Filter is very expensive, given their size, relative simplicity and now compounded by the fact I would like to change two of them every week.

Given we have two S10s, that's well over GBP 200.00 per year, just on Filters!

ResMed must sell truck loads of them so, it's hard to see how that cost is justified, other than Corporate greed to make Super Normal Profits just because ResMed can by virtue of having a monopolistic Market position.

Having seen a few used S10s from the inside, where people have clearly not changed the Inlet Filter very often, if at all (probably because of the high Cost), this price fixing by ResMed is not a very creditable pricing strategy given that it can ultimately harm the Patient.

It's also hard to clean a dirty Motor, because the damned thing is sealed into an outer casing, with very limited access via the Inlet and Outlet apertures.

Thus, a cynic might argue that this pricing is deliberate, to hasten the demise of the Motor, to generate a repeat sale of a complete CPAP Machine, even if the Motor is not affected very quickly.

I feel the Inlet Filters should be far less expensive, to encourage people to change them more often, for their own health and well being.

At the moment, I am very limited in terms of where I can get these from, which boils down to just ResMed UK, or waiting for a slow delivery from overseas, with the risk that the Filters may not be Genuine.

I'm still looking, but nobody in the UK seems to sell Genuine ResMed S10 Filters at prices that are less than ResMed UK.

If anyone knows different, please do let me know.

MoreBeers

[georgelewisray]

Thanks for raising the visibility of this topic. . . . . . Agree with your view on benefits of Hypoallergenic filters and the cost and difficulty to obtain them. My provider 'LINCARE' does not carry anything other than the standard 'fly strainer' filter so I went on my own to get them and after seeing the grey color of the hypoallergenic filter in a few weeks I am so glad I did..

[DancesWithCats]

I have never had a genuine ResMed filter - my (frankly awful) DME provides only the Spirit filters, and I now have a collection of white dust from the Spirit filters building up in my machine. Not only are they poor at catching it, they shed their own material into the guts of the machine. I can see it all the way from the intake to the output into the humidifier.



I'm Not Thrilled about that.

Following the last straw with my DME I started cutting up KN95s that had the straps pull off or whatever. They seem to work as well or better, and cost a lot less. I do have a thought in mind to make some sort of adapter to use the electrostatic filters my car's cabin air filter uses because they are inexpensive, filter very well, and have a large area that might work as a muffler for the intake noise. The filter/intake design seems rather sub-par, on whole.

[DancesWithCats]

Apparently I took too long to figure out how to post an image here before the edit window expired.

Intake white filter dust
   

Output to humidifier white dust
   

I can't imagine that this is doing my blower any good.