The DreamStation Foam Removal Thread

[LindanHotAir]

LindanHotAir - Are the holes that you drilled near where rocketrobo in his Post #60 (this thread) had his located?  That's where I drilled my two holes also.  I wonder if the locations of the 2 two-port sensors relative to where my two untrimmed plugs are located could be a factor in my not seeming to have turbulence problems? (Thanks to qwerty42 in the RECALL THREAD post #567 for his great explanation of sensor operation!)

In hindsight, I guess the best thing would have been for me to have paid attention to what mrmagloo suggested in his Post #65 and trimmed the plugs.  Hopefully I won't have to do this later on.

My holes were between the temperature port and the flow sensor double port, and on the outlet side of the flow ports. Before I trimmed the plugs, the flow rate reported was half of what it was before defoaming and after I trimmed the plugs. My pressures on the ASV are 10 to 25 so the whistling was obnoxious.  Trimming the plugs or minimizing turbulence makes a significant difference in the performance.

[Zalagar]

This foam is tough stuff lol. Nothing I do is affecting it at all. Tried
-Acetone
-Rubbing Alcohol
-Brake Cleaner
-Hydrogen Peroxide
-Lysol
-Windex
-Hand Sanitizer
-Dawn Platinum Powerwash
-Degreaser
-Vinegar

Nothing has even touched it yet. I figured Acetone and/or Brake Cleaner would eat it up, but nope. Nothing.

[Zalagar]

Tried
-Boiling Water
-Comet Bathroom Cleaner
-Acne Wash With Salicylic Acid
-Sta-Flo Liquid Starch
-Bleach.
Nothing has hurt the foam at all. Not even weakened it...

[KenSleep]

Would you be kind enough to post a photo shopwing exactly what/which 2 holes you used
to gain access to the foam?
Thank you very much.

[LindanHotAir]

[img]blob:http://www.apneaboard.com/4de6c8fa-de9d-42eb-a535-1f3f85bf6dc8[/img]This shows the chamber before drilling. The holes were drilled between the cover and the outside corners at about 45 degrees left and right of vertical, near the mounting tabs.. Be sure to avoid getting too close to the cover. A tube below the black grommet at the right extends through the foam in the chamber so you need to compress the foam to the bottom of the chamber to get it under the tube. Don’t break the tube.

[rocketrobo]

Food-grade Salt Shaker Plug Installation

( Initially Post 60 and 64 in this thread)

I have now done the salt shaker plug solution on two DreamStations, and took a few more pictures the second time. Hopefully this will help anyone using this method!

 - photo of the foam inside the chamber
   

 - photo of one of the clips you need to release when opening the main case
   

 - photo of q-tips I used to clean the openings of the turbine filtered air intake. Looks like some of the wildfire smoke from last summer made it through the HEPA filter! (note, this is not degraded foam, it's from the intake)
   

Next up, removing the electrical cables.

[rocketrobo]

Food grade salt shaker plug solution

Removing the ribbon cables from the circuit board
Some folks have had problems removing these two cables. To remove the ribbon cable, use a flathead screwdriver inserted flat between the connector body and the plug. Twist it slightly, then move it to the other end and twist slightly again. Go back and forth until the cable releases.
   
   

Use a smaller flathead to lift the plastic clip on the white power plug and it should release easily.
   

[rocketrobo]

Food grade salt shaker plug solution

Drilling the pilot hole with 1/8" drill bit. You can see the vacuum nozzle adjacent I use to minimize plastic bits being flung around.
   

Using the step drill to bring the hole to 1/2". Again using the vacuum to reduce the spread of waste plastic.
   

Hole complete, the foam exposed.
   

[rocketrobo]

Food grade salt shaker plug solution

The foam partly removed. I used a hemostat and needle nose pliers to get it out. At one point, the foam started to rip and I had to back off and make sure I could fish it all out cleanly. There was no dust or debris remaining inside the chamber, but I cleaned it thoroughly anyway.
   

The hole. I used an exacto knife to remove any drill flashing, again with the vacuum.
     

The plug, ready for insertion.
   

[rocketrobo]

Food grade salt shaker plug solution


Plug inserted. It seems pretty airtight as is, but the tape makes extra sure. I decided not to use any sort of sealant so as to keep any volatiles out of the picture, but you can make your own decision here as to any additional goop, caulk, or sealant.
   

The plug visible through the side. You can trim it if you want, but I have not noticed any change in the sound whatsoever and all the readings appear normal to me. As you can se, it only protrudes about 3/16 into the chamber.
   

HVAC tape over to top, rubbed down to provide a secure seal.
   


Repeat for the second chamber. Reassemble and test. I recommend running the unit for an hour or more to make triple sure any particles are pushed out.