CPAP humidifier leaking fix

gathermewool

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The heat plate is riveted to the bottom of the last of water reservoir. Its leaking. If I press up on the spot where the rivet must be loose the leak stops.

I need to figure out how to safely stop the leak. my concern is the relatively low heat causing fumes. The unit seems to only be 1A, so it’s not too hot, but still a concern for fumes being sucked into the CPAP or leaching into the water.

The reservoir also slides into the humidifier, so there‘s no way to simply apply pressure or something similar.

//

the plate also has rust (this is a used unit I’m trying to get workable While I wait for my Rx CPAP to be filled. I plan to clean that off.
 

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Strictly speaking you don't need to humidify the air. It's better if you do but not strictly necessary. I didn't use water during the first few weeks of my trial run. So I'd try that first.

Some ideas: Use at your own risk.

The right solution would be to drill out the rivet and replace it. But unless you know what you're doing you could wreck the whole thing.

You could probably get a replacement tank but that would take time and be expensive.

It sounds like the rivet goes from the heated bottom plate into a plastic reservoir. On my CPAP machine the heated plate barely gets warm. If that's the case, you might try injecting a miniscule amount of epoxy between the bottom plate and the rivet and then weighting down the rivet until the epoxy sets. That should keep the epoxy between the head of the rivet and the bottom plate, and away from the water in the reservoir. I wouldn't expect that warming up already set epoxy would generate very much for fumes anyway. But since I can't be sure I'm visualizing it correctly, you would be doing this at your own risk.

And/Or you might check to see if a bit of very high quality candle wax will liquefy on the heated plate. If it doesn't you could heat some with a match and apply a few drops to seal where the rivet comes into the reservoir. Having a few drops of solid candle wax in contact with reservoir water should be quite safe. But don't try this if the candle wax melts on the heated plate.
 
I’ve been using the CPAP without the humidifier for a few weeks now. I’m a mouth-breather, so I’m waking up with a sore tongue, upper lip and the worst dry mouth I’ve ever had in my life due to the relatively low humidity air blowing into my mouth all night.

I like the wax idea. It would also help to know that the heat isn’t enough to really cause fumes no matter what I use.

Would silicone caulk work? The gap is also imperceptibly small. I’m not sure how I’d inject anything.
 
I’ve been using the CPAP without the humidifier for a few weeks now. I’m a mouth-breather, so I’m waking up with a sore tongue, upper lip and the worst dry mouth I’ve ever had in my life due to the relatively low humidity air blowing into my mouth all night.

I like the wax idea. It would also help to know that the heat isn’t enough to really cause fumes no matter what I use.

Would silicone caulk work? The gap is also imperceptibly small. I’m not sure how I’d inject anything.
I'd try using a needle and syringe. But it might not come through a needle small enough.

A few drops of a wax (hard enough that it won't melt on the heated plate at it's hottest ie without water in the reservoir) should be pretty safe. The wax doing the actual sealing around the rivet would be negligible, so I'd keep the total amount as low as possible.

I'd be less happy with silicone. Some contain anti-fungals (which as a group are bad for you), most release acetic acid.
 
What about a circle of duct tape (the metal kind)? - Not duck tape (the sticky cloth backed kind).

Could put a dot maybe 1/2" or 3/4" diameter on the reservoir side over the rivet. Just don't know if it would hold water.
 
I apologize for not tracking this more often. I’ve got family over and it’s my kid’s bday.

the leak doesn’t appear to be coming through the rivet. The loose rivet appears to have loosened the seal between the plate and plastic.
Here are some more pictures:
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It looks like it has a metal plate attached to a plastic reservoir and there is a leak in the seal between those parts. That's way more complicated than a leak at a rivet.

The best fix would be to replace the seal. And even if you had a new seal, replacing it wouldn't be easy. I've never seen this design before so I don't know whether this company is even still in business.

If the company is still in business the most practical thing would be to replace the whole 'reservoir - metal pad' unit. But that would likely be expensive and take some time.

Is there a support group for people using these units? Someone may have a spare reservoir, or repair parts, or there may be a known repair.

What is the expected delivery time for your new CPAP unit? My supplier provided a loaner for the few weeks I waited for my ResMed to arrive.
 
It looks like it has a metal plate attached to a plastic reservoir and there is a leak in the seal between those parts. That's way more complicated than a leak at a rivet.

The best fix would be to replace the seal. And even if you had a new seal, replacing it wouldn't be easy. I've never seen this design before so I don't know whether this company is even still in business.

If the company is still in business the most practical thing would be to replace the whole 'reservoir - metal pad' unit. But that would likely be expensive and take some time.

Is there a support group for people using these units? Someone may have a spare reservoir, or repair parts, or there may be a known repair.

What is the expected delivery time for your new CPAP unit? My supplier provided a loaner for the few weeks I waited for my ResMed to arrive.

you’re absolutely right about how it’s attached; however, I was unclear about one key thing and using the wrong terminology. There is not typical metal rivet and I can’t see any seal. the metal plate with circumferential holes seems to be held to the plastic reservoir buy the plastic of the reservoir that protrudes through the metal plate and is melted/riveted to the plate.

The source for a new one is cpap dot com, but the reviews pretty much say this design sucks and it’s going to leak again. I’d rather jury rig this than wait weeks for a new one that may not last long either.

I like the wax idea and will try it. I also might try ripping the plate off and figuring out how to glue it back on. the obvious concern is water contamination. Whatever gets into the water will literally be what I’m breathing in for hours.

Due to the Philips CPAP recall and supply chain issues my Rx CPAP (Resmed Airsense 10 or 11) won’t be available until sometime early next year. I was lucky to get a used CPAP with a hose and mask, though the mask is a size too small and uncomfortable. A properly-sized mask should be here this week.

for this who don’t know, the scale for obstructive apnea is AHI. < 5 is normal, > 30 is severe. My score is over 100.

As another data point, my Fitbit tracks sleep cycles and many nights wouldn‘t even record sleep. Zero, zip, nada sleep. Even on good days I mostly light sleep and very little deep/REM sleep. This is over MONTHS. I’ve been exhausted most days for a very long time, maybe forever, all day and pretty much crash after work - literally pass out in my chair - and sleep for long periods on my days off. It’s too soon to tell, but with the used unit I’m now recording actual sleep with with some days of HOURS of deep/REM sleep. It’s too much of a difference to be a coincidence. Last night I crashed after a long week and recorded my first sleep score of over 90.

Im still having issues with pressure and mask comfort that. It’s really not good, but when I exhausted and pass out on certain nights I actually sleep. I wake up with major dry mouth issues, but at least the rest of my body is better for it. When I get this good sleep I actually feel almost buzzed. My mind races and I‘ve had to cut my caffeine intake way down!



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I just checked the plate. there are 3 LEDs. When turned on the 3rd LED lights red.

With the reservoir in one green LED turns on

With the CPAP inserted into the top the second green LED turns on.

I heard a click and then, after a couple of minutes, a second click. I assume this was the heater clicking off, and when I checked the heating plate was barely warm to the touch. It was cool to the touch before starting.

I have a light candle (no smell, meant for power outages) lit and will pour the wax on the plate, fill the reservoir and leave it over night on the sink to see what happens.
 
I have a ResMed AirSense 10. I like it. I couldn't see much advantage to the 11 and the 10 is tried and true.

I was having over 80 interruptions per hour when sleeping on my back. I'm now typically about 1, with an occasional 2/hour. I believe using a CPAP machine reduces my heart attack and stroke risk.

The one you're using doesn't look like such a great design.
 
I have a ResMed AirSense 10. I like it. I couldn't see much advantage to the 11 and the 10 is tried and true.

I was having over 80 interruptions per hour when sleeping on my back. I'm now typically about 1, with an occasional 2/hour. I believe using a CPAP machine reduces my heart attack and stroke risk.

The one you're using doesn't look like such a great design.

I wore a Holter monitor and it recorded 8 instances where my heart “paused” at night. My cardiologist was sure she had the answer, also knowing the results of my sleep study but was smart enough to walk over and ask a colleague. Without prompting, the other interpreted the results and concluded bad OSA. So, likely just one problem, not two…

I like that the 10 seems to have more history. I wouldn’t be upset with either.
 
Meant to say that my heart “paused“ 8 times for 5 seconds.

The wax thing was not successful in the limited time I had. Id have to spend a lot of time getting the wax seal all the way around. The plate is also relatively thin, so it’s also very delicate.
 
You might try this "all in" repair. You could drill out the plastic tabs that are holding it together, put an (asbestos free) gasket between the two, and put it back together with pop rivets.

It'll work out well or the reservoir will be junk - which it is more or less already.

If I were you I'd get my name on the waiting list for a ResMed AirSense 10 or 11. I think you're fighting a losing battle here.
 
You might try this "all in" repair. You could drill out the plastic tabs that are holding it together, put an (asbestos free) gasket between the two, and put it back together with pop rivets.

It'll work out well or the reservoir will be junk - which it is more or less already.

If I were you I'd get my name on the waiting list for a ResMed AirSense 10 or 11. I think you're fighting a losing battle here.
As a less than "all in" repair you could drill out only a few of the plastic fasteners (assuming you can determine where it is leaking and the leak is fairly localized) and replace them with pop rivets.

The only disadvantage of that approach is that pop rivets may be harder to drill out if you decide to go "all in" later.
 
Strictly speaking you don't need to humidify the air. It's better if you do but not strictly necessary. I didn't use water during the first few weeks of my trial run. So I'd try that first.

Some ideas: Use at your own risk.

The right solution would be to drill out the rivet and replace it. But unless you know what you're doing you could wreck the whole thing.

You could probably get a replacement tank but that would take time and be expensive.

It sounds like the rivet goes from the heated bottom plate into a plastic reservoir. On my CPAP machine the heated plate barely gets warm. If that's the case, you might try injecting a miniscule amount of epoxy between the bottom plate and the rivet and then weighting down the rivet until the epoxy sets. That should keep the epoxy between the head of the rivet and the bottom plate, and away from the water in the reservoir. I wouldn't expect that warming up already set epoxy would generate very much for fumes anyway. But since I can't be sure I'm visualizing it correctly, you would be doing this at your own risk.

And/Or you might check to see if a bit of very high quality candle wax will liquefy on the heated plate. If it doesn't you could heat some with a match and apply a few drops to seal where the rivet comes into the reservoir. Having a few drops of solid candle wax in contact with reservoir water should be quite safe. But don't try this if the candle wax melts on the heated plate.

Well, THAT failed! :ROFLMAO:

I told my coworker about your recommendation and how nigh on impossible it was to use candle wax, and he mentioned trying braces dental wax. I had braces a while back and remember it being pretty tough, but malleable. My order from Amazon came in earlier this week and I got to work. The wax was tough and formed a great seal around the plate! I was stoked!

I woke up at my usual 0430 to cotton mouth and an empty reservoir. I tried to pull the reservoir out to inspect and it would’t budge. It was wax-welded tight! I ended up pouring water into the outlet to get the heater to turn on and, about ten minutes later, it came right out. Even though I tried to make the seal as flush with the plate as possible, it was still disturbed by sliding it into the unit, breaking the seal.


All well.

I did end up buying a better, larger mask that fits a lot better, and that helps.
 
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