The DreamStation Foam Removal Thread

[destroyedcpap]

Well... look what I did. Opened the machine and somehow dropped it immediately which tore the connector clean off. Was hoping just the screen would be impacted but it's totally busted. The power light flashes which might be because the modem was out for an extended period of time and I have to go through some startup prompt, but I don't have a working screen to do anything. Going to send it back to DreamStation and hope they miraculously don't void my warranty. Sigh. Be careful. (If anyone knows where I can get a replacement display, let me know please).

[RayBee]

Welcome to the ApneaBoard destroyedcpap. (Hey, you're stuck with that name now.   )

I doubt Philips would repair it under warranty. Especially since they have bigger fish to fry with the recall.

But I have a suggestion. Post online anywhere you can think of for a "Wanted - parts only Philips Dreamstation CPAP". Try Craigslist, OfferUp, Facebook Marketplace, any local neighborhood posting sites. Be willing to pay for postage of course. I think a lot of these Philips machines are being tossed into recycle bins and landfills just because of the recall alone. And then there are the ones that have a bazillion hours on them or just plain died.

If you can get your hands on one for cheap, you can harvest the ribbon cable and make yours functional again.

The end of the ribbon connector you show has a connector that can be easily disconnected. The gray plastic part should be the latching mechanism. You didn't show a closeup of the other end, but I would assume it has the same connector too. If so, it would be a simple fix if you can get your hands on a dead machine for parts.

I think this is straying off topic, so watch for one of the admins to break it out to a new thread.

[DaveCar]

Has there been no progress on foam removal by dissolving it ?
Perhaps someone that has removed the foam mechanically could do some tests with their foam scrap.
Would have to be something safe enough on the plastic housing so as not to etch or soften it.
How about boiling it in water ??

[chandlertj53]

I removed the foam today from my DS1 BiPAP.  All is well thanks to the info in all of the videos and posts.  Thank you all. 

I used a solder iron to cut into the chamber.  The cut was a bit wide, and I was afraid my solder "welding" repair was too weak.  I added hot glue outside of the weld.  It worked OK, but I used too much hot glue. It kept the outer shell from locking back into place.  It was a simple fix to remove some of the glue and "level" the repair with the solder iron. 

I am 99% sure there was glue on top of the "rib".  I was able to remove most of it through my cuts.  I was unable to remove one small spot of glue with a small amount of foam stuck on it near the louvered vent.  I could have cut a third hole, but decided not to.  I tried alcohol, but it did not dissolve the foam.  As suggested in the previous post, the issue may be that a solvent that dissolves foam may also damage the plastic housing. 

If I did this again, I might consider using a box knife to cut the plastic.  That would make it easier to "weld" back and get a solid repair.  I chose not to use a box knife this time as I am getting older and it is getting more difficult to do things with my hands.  The solder iron was very easy, but made wider cuts in the housing.   

I ran the machine for an hour or so.  I put on my mask for a few minutes.  Everything seems normal.  There is perhaps a bit more noise from the air moving through the machine.  I do not expect I will notice a big difference. 

I will keep my foam, but I do not expect I will ever need it.  Philips will want to keep the repairs short and simple, and to make an issue about the foam being removed would take a great deal of time for them.  Besides it would be a PR disaster on top of one HUGE PR disaster. 

I am looking forward to sleeping without the foam for a few days to see how I feel.  I will report any issues that occur.  Thanks again to everyone for your help.

[DaveCar]

Re- Cutting with a soldering iron and adding hot-melt

I can appreciate getting older (aint we all) and having some difficulties with knife cuts etc.
Some concerns perhaps of using hot-melt glue, it may offgas itself. At the least, blow air thru it for a good chunk of time.
Someone posted earlier about hotmelt sometimes losing its stickiness to some surfaces, so that may start 'cracking' some leaks. Leaks in the box, depending on where it is, can throw off the sensors.

[mrmagloo]

Although I'm still on my heels with my 4 month old machine waiting for what they have planned for me, I've watched every Youtube video out there to prepare for next steps. Imho, the easiest and cleanest method I've seen so far is using the step drill, with the salt shaker plugs mentioned in this thread. I think the only thing I would change is to cut back the depth of the plugs to leave one rib. With the aluminum tape, that is a very clean solution.

[TrailerSweetheart]

So would there be any issues with the melted plastic emitting harmful toxins when soldering the cuts back together?  I

[chandlertj53]

I do not think heat would cause changes in plastic that cause it to emit toxins.  Honestly, that is way outside my area of expertise.  I did see plastic welds that I believe were used to manufacture the part.  Personally I would not be concerned about that.

[Zalagar]

So would there be any issues with the melted plastic emitting harmful toxins when soldering the cuts back together? 

Definitely do it in a well-ventilated area and avoid breathing the smoke fumes in, but once the plastic cools and hardens, it will not off-gas. Make sure to rinse the chamber out thoroughly with soap and water thoroughly to get the foam residue and particles out.

[Phil7]

Hello, I'm new.

I have a Dreamstation that's around 5 years old (version 1.0x) and a newer Dreamstation that I purchased about 8 months ago.   I used the coat hanger method to remove foam from the older unit, then used it over the last couple of weeks (no issues).  Today I removed the foam from the newer unit.

On the older unit, the impeller chamber was completely clean after removing the foam.   On the newer unit, some type of glue appeared to have been used.   I was left with thin strips of black against the chamber, where I assume glue was used.  Since I used a coat hanger and didn't cut, I could get rid of this.

Any thoughts on if having these thin residue strips left in the chamber are worth worrying about?    I'd assume that tiny amount of residue left on the chamber body is no big deal.    Thanks

Here's an image.  I'm new and can't post an image or link.  Removing the beginning of the URL let me add it though:
ibb.co/LdQmBnC