how often should i change the filters on my machine ?

how often should i check and change the filters in my machine

Medicare guidelines are 2x a month.
Many do it less often; some may want to do it even more frequently.
Visible soil is positively reason to change.
Mine usually needs it in about a month, but when we were remodeling--eeew!

I try to change mine once a month... or at least check to see how it's doing. The filter traps dust and all kinds of things; you don't want to breath that in.

I think it depends on the air quality where the machine is kept and used. I live in the same house as my mom, and we both have the Resmed S9 autoset. I keep my machine in a night stand drawer that is open at night and closed during the day. Even when open, the back of the machine is under cover, so only air that enters the open drawer can get sucked into the machine. My filters go months without any color change, so I usually change it every few months.

My mom keeps her machine on the floor next to her recliner in the living room. It is wide open to everything, and there is also a lot of pet hair, dust, etc in the air. Her filters look dirty every time I see them, which is usually once a month or so as we travel and the machines get packed up for the hotel room.

Hey Ford,

My machines (Trilogy & Oxygen Concentrator) have mostly washable filters and I wash them weekly . I have two sets so I rotate them. I am allowed 1 antibacterial filter (do you use these??) per month, but I change it twice a month because it needs it (6 cats).

My husband uses a PRS1 and we have him on the same washing/changing schedule. His machine uses a paper filter in addition to the foam one. We change his paper filter twice a month like we do my antibacterial. His antibacterial tends to last the full month, probably because we're cleaning/changing the other filters often.

I do masks & hoses all in the same bath. We've gotten into a routine so it's not that hard to do.

Filters ate so cheap and easy to buy. I change mine every two weeks. I have four cats and Arizona is very dusty.

I use both a standard and hypoallergenic filter piggybacked in my S9. In theory the standard filter should keep the hypoallergenic filter cleaner making it last longer. But I change them both out at the same time anyway. I try to change them monthly.

This time I waited about 1.5 months and the filters were noticably black. So in my case 30 days should be my maximum.

If your house is dusty and you are prone to sinus/respiratory issues bi-weekly may not be a bad option either.. Filters aren't very expensive.

Do what works best for you.

You have a PR S1...so likely you are using the gray foam outer filter and the white fine filter inside.
I have the same setup. I change my white fine filter monthly and wash the foam filter at the same time and put it back.
It's up to you how often for the white filter...my house is an old farmhouse and I have a truckload of animals in the house (3 dogs and 1 cat)..at 2 weeks the white fine filter starts turning a little gray...by 4 weeks its fairly medium to dark gray so it gets changed.
I might could change at 2 weeks but the looks of the white filter aren't horrible so let it go another 2 weeks.
Now with winter coming on and using the old and not very efficient furnace...I will watch it a little closer.

Respironics says to wash the grey foam filter at least every two weeks, and replace it at least every 6 months.

If you use the white extra fine filter, replace it at least every 30 days.

More often if they get extra dirty.

Remember, the filters are mostly there to protect the blower, not the patient. People without CPAP breathe unfiltered air all the time. Even CPAPers breathe unfiltered air while awake. If the filter gets too dirty, it makes the blower work harder, and it may overheat or not blow enough air.

ResMed says 6 months for S9 filters.

When I was taking HVAC class they taught us that the filters are to protect the equipment not the occupents of the structure. Also that to a point a dirtier filter allowed less contaminants in as it clogs up, then larger particles cannot pass through. Then came hepa filters, media filters, activated charcoal, U.V. Germ killer lights, etc. Remember if someone talked you into adding some of these aftermarket fine particulant filters to your HVAC equipment the increased restriction of airflow means you need more horsepower and c.f.m. to keep airflow correct for your equipment. If they sold you on a U.V. light to kill germs and your older unit does not have U.V. resistent insulation on the wiring then your fancy little light is going to cause the insulation on the wiring to turn into dust and short out your wiring in a few years.

So back to getting on topic... I wash my foam prefilter weekly when doing the Sunday routine of washing the entire gizmo. Each week I inspect my second stage hepa filter and replace when it looks dirty. Since I installed my own HVAC equipment and engineered the blower horsepower to provide the correct c.f.m. to allow for a 5" media 1st stage filter then activated charcoal 2nd stage, then put a filter on the fresh air duct that allows tlhe system to pull controlled fresh filtered air in and keep the house at positive pressure our indoor air quality is so good i probably dont ever "have" to change the filter I do it once a month just for grins.

Back off topic... If you pull your fresh air in from a controlled and filtered duct for a positive pressure environment instead of the system sucking air in from around door jams and windows your air quality can go up significantly. If you have some extra cash have an indoor air quality asessment done and spend your cash on clean air for your home instead of your kids or grandkids speninding it on hookers in Vegas or a Harley-Davidson after you die early from breathing poison air in your own house. If your ashflow is low then some research combined with a few hundred dollars and two weekends of labor can do a lot. I take clean air in my home as a high priority.