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I have managed to get Large Leaks down to get a more accurate AHI on OSCAR reports. I, unfortunately, have to tighten straps to a quite uncomfortable level to prevent what I call blowouts that ruin therapy due to loss of mask pressure. I am now getting consistently lower AHIs.
My humidifier has its water tank replaced every six months by insurance. When mine has leaked which of course makes the machine unusable, it takes 4-6 tries to get the seal between the water tank and the intake to seal. Once it seals it stays sealed. Water tanks leaking at their silicone air connections is common. The silicone seals on the air intakes last at least 5 years for me, but a few times the water tank will not seal but working it in and out 4 - 6 times gets the seal back.
Since I have been using ResMed Hypoallergenic filters my chronic bronchitis has reduced in severity. The difference between these filters and others once they have been used for a month is dramatic. Generic filters remain white. The ResMed filters are charcoal gray.
On occasion, my AirSense 10 will lose its humidifier seal. I move the water tank in and out of its slot a few times and the seal will return.
Congratulations on your success with PAP therapy. I have been using it for 18 years. The OSCAR program is available free from various online sources. You can view your sleep in many graphs of information and look at individual wave forms that show the quality of single breaths during sleep. It helped me take my AHI down to <2.00 and sometimes < 1.00.
My MD does not set cpap features nor does my DME. It is all up to me and advice I can get from forums like this which is a common state of many. Point is that my median pressures are skewed by a session of apneas that the machine cannot supply therapy to therefore the median and the high pressure are not the optimal setting. I must factor out the large amount of apneas that occur under high pressure to get a realistic figure for min./max. cm. and AHI. What good is an AHI of 10.0 when 97% of those apneas happened during an untreatable session of positional causation?
Discoloration is the only thing I have as an indicator that particulates are captured by a CPAP filter.
A proper filter has been the ResMed brand. No, I do not believe any CPAP filter is made that captures viruses. No MERV rating is given for CPAP filters which would indicate what size particles will be captured.
I have two 20" x 20" MERV 12 air filters running, and at times 3M 18" x 20" filtration running when a window heat pump/ AC is running. Those discolor rapidly showing their particulate capture. I could run 10 of them and the particulates will not be gone. While on my CPAP with a proper filter, I do not get my usual allergy symptoms that can cause no air to pass through my nose.
I have had some tell me my CPAP filter is for machines' protection only. I wonder where that misconception originated.
Your filter brand description includes, "KEEP THE AIR CLEAN - This CPAP filter can easily filter out dust and other particulate matter in the air, keeping you away from the polluted air and making your life healthier and more secure."
You said your filters show evidence of capturing something from room air. That to me is microscopic particulates like pollen/dust/mold spores. The filters in question I claim to be defective show no signs of particulate capture. I think your filters do more than protect the workings of the machine from hair and dust bunnies.
ResMed brand makes standard filters and hypoallergenic filters. Surely the hypoallergenic ones are evidence that filters are not just to protect the machine from hair and dust bunnies. They are to protect the user whose room air will have particulates even with MERV 12+ and/or a HEPA filter running. Unfortunately, ResMed does not give specifications of their filters' particulate removal capabilities, not even for the so-called hypoallergenic type.
I am very allergic to airborne particulates that in my area are continuously present at a high level. I am just now after 18 years of CPAP use discovering that filters can be defective and possibly dangerous. I am attempting to bring the topic to public attention for consideration.
