p30i making more noise than it used to

[Benzi]

Hi

I got the p30i nasal pillows a few weeks ago following member's recommendations in order to reduce the hissing noise that was disturbing my wife's sleep. They immediately helped with the noise, and I also felt better because I didn't need to make the headgear so tight to achieve a good seal.

All was terrific till a few days ago, when my wife started complaining about the noise again. This time there was an additional noise: she hears my breathing, but it seems to be amplified. I also think that my breathing sounds louder to me as well, when I use the mask.

In desperation, last night I went back to using the n30i cushion, and that seemed to solve the problem of the noise for her - and also seems quieter to me. Trouble is, it ain't as comfortable for me as the p30i, and I feel it leaking when I lie on my side.

Then I saw there's a way to remove the venting hole section of the nasal cushion for cleaning (even though Resmed don't mention this in the User Guide). So I soaked it in water and scrubbed it with a toothbrush. The venting holes still look black.

Is it common for a nasal cushion to start making more noise after a while?
Could the venting holes be blocked, causing more noise? How do I go about making sure they are clear?

TIA for any advice.

Have a great day!

- Benzi

[multicast]

In my experience the P/N30i produces only sound if the vent on top of your head has contact with your pillow.  If there's no contact you have to be a bat to hear any sound arising from the mask.

[Benzi]

In my experience the P/N30i produces only sound if the vent on top of your head has contact with your pillow.  If there's no contact you have to be a bat to hear any sound arising from the mask.

No bats in my family ?

[Benzi]

Update:
After taking apart the nasal cushion and soaking and cleaning the part that has the vent holes, we had a much quieter night. Wife says almost back to what it was when new. (Now I just haye to be careful not to break the thing when taking it apart)

[SevereApnea]

Hello Benzi:

You are correct: you can remove the oval venting piece from the front of the P30i to clean things thoroughly inside the pillows.

There are two systems for the venting in the P30i mask, these are interchangeable.

1. holes only: these vent more air which can reflect off the bedding onto your face, and makes very little noise.

2. holes with Quiet Air Mesh: this vents even more quietly which is "partner friendly"....but the mesh has caused some folk problems. The mesh can get moist quite quickly, trapped moisture somehow results in the black dots you mentioned. On occasions I too heard a wheezing bubbling sound from the mesh: Two solutions (a) swapped back to the holes only variety, (b) just remove the mesh carefully, wash in low (1 - 10%) percentage vinegar rinse and dry thoroughly, then replace. Fine tweezers help.

Also: the parts of the nasal pillow that fits over the nostrils has an inner lining: I found that vigorous cleaning would sometimes result in the inside piece turning inside out (or outside in, if that makes sense) and needs to be positioned properly. Sometimes water gets caught between the inner and the outer pieces and can add to funny noises!

I used to wash mine first thing in the morning, dried the inside with tissue paper, put out to dry during the day.
Reassembled at night, good to go.


Hope this helps!

[Benzi]

Thanks very much for all the useful information!

I was using the n30i nasal cushions - but that cushion would blow the air in my wife's face whenever I turned in my sleep and faced her. Then someone on the forum suggested the p30i cushion - the one with the "mesh", which solved the problem for a few weeks. I'm glad disassembling the cushion and cleaning the parts has helped. But it's only a matter of time before I manage to break the cushion while disassembling it (clever of Resmed to manufacture such delicate parts), so I've ordered another 2 as spares.

I soak the parts for a while in warm water with a bit of detergent, rinse well, then let it all dry on a plate. At one stage, the mask (and the tube, on days when I washed it as well) weren't drying completely by night time, so I turned up the A/C (heat) in one of my rooms for an hour or two. That did the trick.

[SevereApnea]

My Sunday routine to dry out the hose that works for me is to:

Wash, rinse and then dry the outside of the hose. Shake water out inside of hose. 
Dry off the electrical connectors with tissue.
Remove SD card from machine.
Connect hose back to machine, lower the hose outlet below the machine (on towel on floor e.g.)

Set Autostart to off...

Press start and let it blow for 45 minutes or so, while cleaning the rest of my gear..
I also connect the P30i or F30i headgear for part of that time: helps dry everything out.

Then go downstairs for a well deserved coffee....

Then hang hose somewhere in the house to dry, saves costs on a/c!

Getting warmer here in WA, so drying things won't be a problem for a while...

[Benzi]

Sounds like you're very thorough! 
What electrical connectors are you referring to?
Why do you remove the memory card?

[SevereApnea]

The connectors on the end of the Climate Line hose that connects to the machine.

Not sure if you use that hose.

I remove the SD card so that the drying run time is not recorded on the card.

[Crimson Nape]

I don't believe the "Mask Fit" option records any data. You might be able to use this function to dry your hose. The only downside to using your CPAP to dry the hose is the accumulative time added to the blower unit. These are rated in usage hours. As an alternative, using the blower action of your home vacuum cleaner. Most units today have a HEPA filter. This allows for blowing filtered air that will warm as it passes through the vacuum.