Humidifier boiling right after turning on

[cpap5127]

Hello All,

I have had my CPAP machine since 2010 and had no issues until lately. When I turn on my machine the humidifier starts to boil/ bubbles in the plastic chamber. The chamber is filled to the 75% line and only when I decrease the water to 25% or lower does it not boil/bubble. Again this happens seconds after I turn on the unit. Also the bubbles are being produced at the metal heating area.
Other than that it works fine but the boiling sound keeps me awake.
Any ideas how I could fix this?

Have a wonderful day.

P.S. I always have kept the humidifier at level 4

[trish6hundred]

Hi cpap5127 and WELCOME! to the forum.!
You could try turning your humidifier back a notch and see if that helps you.
Best of luck and hang in there for more suggestions.

[PaulaO2]

Holy crap! Is it actually hot with steam?

Get it to a DME. It is under warranty for 2yrs I think. You may be passed that. But maybe all you need is the humidifier replaced.

[SuperSleeper]

Yeah, what Paula said. If it's actually an overheating issue and not something else, please note that your humidifier should never get so hot that the water nears the boiling point. That's something seriously wrong, and I would discontinue using that humidifier NOW for safety reasons. A heating element could easily start a fire if it's malfunctioning like that, or damage your CPAP machine.

Yikes.

[vsheline]

The chamber is filled to the 75% line and only when I decrease the water to 25% or lower does it not boil/bubble. Again this happens seconds after I turn on the unit. Also the bubbles are being produced at the metal heating area.
...
I always have kept the humidifier at level 4

Hi cpap5127, welcome to the forum!

Sounds like, beneath the water chamber, the metal heating plate on the humidifier needs cleaning, or the metal bottom of your water chamber needs cleaning or has gotten a dent or dimple (even if only slightly) so it no longer sits perfectly flat. Or, if there are mineral deposits building up on the metal floor of the water chamber, these can be dissolved by putting a weak (5%) or strong (50%) vinegar solution in the chamber and leaving it to soak/dissolve the deposits.

If the metal of the water chamber does not contact the heating plate evenly the water chamber will need to be replaced, or else the heat will be too concentrated at some places, which perhaps could lead to the bubbles and noise occurring so soon, while most of the water is still cool (since this starts within "seconds" of turning on the humidifier).

So cleaning the heating plate and cleaning or replacing the water chamber may quiet the humidifier.

Of course there is a chance a temperature sensor (if there is one) has started to malfunction, but I would first suspect one or more of the other things, since it seems to work OK if you put LESS water in the chamber, making the chamber lighter, perhaps reducing pressure between the heating plate and the bottom of the water chamber, perhaps leading to slower heating of the water (so less bubbles and sound). If there were to be a dangerous malfunction, you'd likely have bubbles and steam when even LESS water is used, (as long as at least some water is used).

Good luck in your sleuthing,
--- Vaughn