When do I REALLY need to replace items?

[Sleeprider]

I think I bought a mask from Supplier #1 at some point and I get endless discount offers that are actually pretty good. If I didn't get everything 100% covered, I'd be there or Supplier #30 and others. It's wrong that your insurance has only one provider. Sounds like a reason to change to me. Your coverage area is basically MA. Don't you have a BCBS option?

[Homerec130]

I keep getting calls from my DME for replacement parts. Every so often I will contact them and say, send me what you are supposed to. My wife is the same way.

I get about 2-3 months out of a mask and cushions, and a couple of years out of a tank and hose. I try to keep at least one spare of everything on hand just in case. However, I have enough masks and cushions to supply a small army. If Medicare and Tricare 4 Life wants to send me stuff, so be it.

[BlueSky1958]

Don't you run the risk of some nasty bacteria growing in your tub if you never swap out old water for fresh and clean it more frequently. A bug getting access to your upper nasal passages could be serious.

[Homerec130]

BlueSky,

If you are referring to me, I do clean my equipment on a regular basis. When I inspect it and it doesn't show a need to replace, then I don't replace. I do get about 6-8 weeks on the mask as the foam cushions on my F-20 tend to start to split at that point. I wash the mask out and hose when I take a shower. Let the hose hang over the showerhead to dry.

Homer

[BlueSky1958]

I was referring to "Dances with Cats" response.

[SarcasticDave94]

I tried the distilled water only thing for a while in the humidifier, but I was fine with not going to fill in the blank chain stores to buy water when I have a faucet that somewhat similar H20 flows. Is it distilled? Nope but my humidifier never failed in the 1 year and 11 months I used plain tap.

The odd water item was from the hospital stay. The nursing staff came up with some sealed water that got billed to insurance at an interesting price. Had a sweet smell somewhat like sugar water.

[paulag1955]

Wouldn't that be nice to have a choice? We're covered by Kaiser and there are no options as to DME; everyone is out of network except Apria. So that sucks, but on the other hand, we paid a $20 copay for my husband's recent $92,000 nephrectomy and a $40 copay for the first of 17 rounds of immunotherapy, which would otherwise run almost $90,000 each, so it all evens out in the end, doesn't it?

[DancesWithCats]

I don't fill it to the max and then throw excess water away, and then fill it to the max, as the instructions suggest. 

I put in enough for 2-3 days, (I run 3-4 in winter and don't humidify in summer, it's already plenty humid then) and wash it when/if there's any sign of things wanting to to grow. Or occasionally anyway. 

It's not like I'm spewing things into that water - all it ever sees is filtered air. And it's not like there are nutrients in it, it's distilled water.

You can also use Reverse Osmosis filtered water. You can also build a solar still for making your own distilled water.

In the house I grew up in you could use the well water, it was/is mineral free. Any place with hard water, you'll either get the minerals in the water or the minerals from the water softener building up in anything that you evaporate water from on a regular basis. 

BCBS would only be an option if they happened to be the one company the small employer that provides the coverage went with, unless I wanted to pay full boat for insurance not via a company plan, and I don't, particularly. They have at times had BCBS be the option that they offered, and other plans at other times. But there's not a smorgasbord of choice as with a giant employer. Any given year there's whatever company they pick that year.

[robbob2112]

interesting on all fronts - 

When I was delivered the machine and the starter supplies I had to sign a sheet that said I could switch DME at any time and just call the insurer to get a list of valid ones.  I called and after a couple of menus I was talking to a live person that cheerfully gave me a few and offered to email me a full list.  That is with UHC.  

I am pretty sure that is the way it is supposed to be with all of the evil life sucking companies, not hat it is, but is supposed to be.

All my cpap supplies are covered at 100% on the typical medicare schedule (I am 10 years away, that is just the schedule they use).  The only real issue I have had is Apria had me in with the wrong machine initally and they had to change the type when I called after the first delivery.  They said just keep the extra hose/filter they sent for the Airsense 11 and dispose of it.  I'll be posting on the nextdoor website to give it away.  I can't see throwing supplies in the trash that are still in sealed packaging.

For water I use a RO (reverse osmosis) filter with an oversized de-ionizer filter attached and meters to read the in/out counts.  I built it from scratch and it is a 3 stage filter that feeds the waste water from one into the input of the next and the next so I get 4 gallons of filtered water to each gallon of waste.  My tap inlet reads 385ppm and the outlet reads zero.  The waste water reads about 1200ish when I turn on the manual flush I run the water for my cpap through a UV sterilizer just in case some creatures are living in the well water.  So while it is not distilled it is pretty much the same thing.  I built the setup for keeping a soft water aquarium verse just what the liquid rock coming out of my tap would support.  

So no extra cost to me really because I already had it, but a cheap basic system can be had for $100ish and then you have to change the membrane and cartridges every few years if sleeping is all you do with it.  Probably about break even with buying distilled in the long run but less convenient in than just filling the empty gallon jug once a week.

I empty and dry the tank daily and monthly give it a wash with liquid soap, haven't needed more than that so far.

Air filters I have to change out every couple of weeks, they visibly change color because of the cat dander, pollen, and other particulates in the air.  I wouldn't ever try blowing them out as I expect it would result in them filtering less than good.  I have bought filters from Supplier #1 and they appear to be genuine.  The filters that come every 3 months with my order also look real or at least good close copies that I can't pick out of a blind filter test.

Still using the original hose but it hasn't been a year yet since I started on the pap wagon.  I clean it bi-weekly unless I forget and then my better half reminds me.

[ejbpesca]

From over 15 years of experience with full face masks, I have found them needing at least monthly replacement.  Past the second week of use, they lose elasticity causing large leaks.  After two weeks of use, I adjust headgear straps to an uncomfortable tighter fit to keep leaks down.  With the installation of a new mask, I can let up on the straps again.  Maybe if my pressure levels were not as high as I need (set to 8min. 19max.) I would not have such large leak problems, but not sure.

I replace the headgear every six months.  By six months it has lost elasticity but probably could function much longer than six months.