Air Filter Fiasco

My Airsense 10 started acting weird and it wouldn't turn off automatically. Got to fooling around and found out my problem was that my air filter has sucked down over the inlet tube. You can see where the filter turned gray right over the hole. What happened? It's really simple to install a filter. Did I get one that is too flimsy? Do they make different qualities? Any suggestions?

What pressure are you using?

Never Higher than 13. Average 8.

What is your minimum pressure that you start the night out with (and I assume end the night with)?

I have a specific reason for asking this.
My AirSense 10 machine also doesn't work properly for the auto off part of the SmartStart. I know the reason why. It's related to the pressure at the time the mask gets removed and we awake and probably at the low starting minimum pressure.
The Auto On works fine...it's the Auto Off part that doesn't work and it isn't related to the filter.

I think my problem has been solved. My air filter had collapsed over the intake hole. I merely changed the filter and it worked fine.

I start off at 6 though. I am set for 8-15.

I know you know your stuff. It had never been a problem in the first 367 hours?????

Aliens...

That's who gets blamed when weird things happen that we can't explain.

If changing the filter fixed it...great.
It might have been a combination of things...the filter getting stuck in the hole and the lower pressures and the nasal pillow size maybe.
My AirSense still doesn't turn off when I remove the mask. It never has... It starts fine though. Filter is fine and changed about once a month.
The pressure thing and nasal pillows affecting SmartSense is well known though...documented even in the manual.

Sounds to me like the filter started getting clogged and the fan sucked it down the intake trying to get enough flow to meet your needs. I would keep an eye on the filter and if it starts looking loaded change it. Resmed recommends every two weeks.

For auto shut off - I also think it's a pressure thing. If the mask type alone generates enough back pressure that the machine thinks your still using it, it won't cut off.

I've been doing that deliberately with my FFM - got annoyed with my machine for turning off when I'd take the mask off for a second to scratch an itch or what not. So I cover the mask a bit creating a little back pressure and the machine doesn't cut off. I then quickly put the mask back on and it keeps on running like nothing happened. I'm sure the incident shows up in the SH data though.

Gryphon

[quote="gebo"found out my problem was that my air filter has sucked down over the inlet tube. ... Did I get one that is too flimsy? Do they make different qualities? Any suggestions?[/quote]

Was it a "genuine" filter or a knockoff?

For example, cpap dot com doesn't sell genuine Respironics filters for the DreamStation, They only sell filters "manufactured by cpap dot com".

I don't know if there's an actual difference in quality, I'm just presenting the idea that there could be.

cpap.com

Supposedly one of their highest quality ones.

I have compared the ResMed name brand white fine filters to the cpap.com white fine filters and if I didn't know which package they came out of I couldn't tell the difference.

Now the standard mesh filters...I have one that came with my AirSense 10 machine and it is a bit different than the aftermarket standard mesh filters.

The filter on the left...a white fine filter...I don't remember if ResMed or aftermarket.
The 2 on the right are the standard mesh filters...2 different after market brands. I didn't have a ResMed standard mesh when I took this picture some time ago.

The one on the left.