My Remstar Pro w/ CFlex started giving me an Error code, E-24. So I got an Rx from my doctor to "Repair or replace" my
CPAP.
Well my insurance would not pay to repair, or replace it. The best I could do was they would pay to "rent to purchase",
but I have a $500 deductible, & a new machine is about $600. So I’d be paying almost all of it!
So I did a Google
search for “Remstar Pro E-24 error code" And came to this forum....
http://www.cpaptalk.com/viewtopic.php?t=11773&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=&sid=014fbf557f7ee365f1a9bdc249e84fb1
Where a post states..."An E-24 error on a REMstar Plus w/C-Flex is:
Problem: Flow offset
Corrective Action: Check
for leaks or kinked internal tubing.
Replace Main PCA.
Looks like you need to take/send it in to the DME/place where
you bought it. "
So I took my machine apart to look inside. I did find a hose that should've been connected to a plastic
nipple that had broken off.
A few drops of Super glue & Walla!
Now, I Still had this error code showing up.
So
I find on E-bay people selling “Clinicians manuals” for about $5 each.
(http://search.ebay.com/cpap-clinician-manual_W0QQfromZR8QQfsooZ1QQfsopZ1QQfsprZ1QQssPageNameZWD8B)
The listings state they are “Home Care Provider Set up Instruction Manual” And
“This is the manual
that allows you to enter the Therapy Set up Menu to Change and Set Pressures, Adjust C Flex, Alarms, Display Lights, Elevation
Settings and all other features.”
I e-mail the seller & ask how many pages the manual is and if you need
any other equipment to access & change setting such as the prescribed pressure?
The response was that no other equipment
is necessary; the manual tells you how to access the menus to change any and all settings. And it is 8 pages.
So I
start searching the web to find the manuals or instructions on how to do this.
It didn’t take to long before I found
an actual Respironics TECHNICIANS SERVICE MANUAL!!!
157 Pages!!
This thing tells you how to take the machine apart &
completely replace any component! Along with how to access the therapy set up menu and change any and all settings!!!!!
On
page 34 it even states “to prevent patients from tampering with the settings, the directions for entering the therapy
menu should not be revealed to the patient”.
It also list ALL THE ERROR CODES and even has wiring diagrams for
everything including the circuit board.
Now, I have a REMstar Pro with CFLEX that this manual is supposed to be for,
but mine is slightly different than the one in the manual. (mine is an older model?) But it was close enough that I could
figure out what I needed to by trying similar things on mine.
So I thought I’d try to get word out on the web
somehow that this manual was available FREE online (from the Respironics web site).
Now IN NO WAY DO I CONDONE ANYONE
ACCESSING THE MENUS TO CHANGE THEIR SETTING WITHOUT FIRST GETTING THEIR DOCTORS PERMISION.
But I wanted people to be aware
of a resource to help with repairs if they might be in a situation where insurance would not help. And repairs to any medical
equipment are never cheap.
In my case I would’ve had to had my DME dealer ship my machine to a repair center
($60 I had to pay) just to find out what was wrong ($ labor?) to find out how much it would cost to fix it. All out of pocket.
OR get a new machine and since I have a $500 deductible, pay the first 6 months of the rental @ $92 a month. (I only pay $163
a month for my truck payment!)Then the insurance would pay 80% of the remainder until purchased (rent to buy) according to
my DME dealer.
So I saved my self a lot of money with just a little research on the web.
Now I’m passing
that info on!
The manual is on the Respironics web site… but not the main web site. It took some searching to
find it. It can be found at…
The REMstar Pro SERVICE MANUAL (157 pages) PDF
http://manuals.dev.respironics.com/service%20manuals/Remstar%20Pro/Remstar%20Pro.pdf.
My machine has 5 buttons on it. To the left are the HEAT and RAMP buttons. Directly under the display are < and > buttons
(the so called “user buttons”). And in the lower right is the START/STOP button.
(Lcd Display)
HEAT
< >
RAMP
Start/Stop
Now, I was able to completely RESET my machine by unplugging the power cord
on the back of the machine then holding down the HEAT, RAMP and START/STOP button while plugging it back in. The display said
“RESET”.
Which reset my machine to the factory settings. (the therapy pressure was @ 20 cm/ H2O)
Then
I unplugged it again the re-plugged it while pressing & holding the 2 “user buttons”
( < & >)
until you hear 2 beeps.
That got me into my therapy setup menu, where I could then change my prescribed pressure back
to 12 cm/ H2O.
Now my machine works perfectly again.
(I also found another another menu by unplugging it/
plugging back in & holding the HEAT & RAMP buttons. But I’m not really sure what those settings do. And I didn’t
want to mess with too much & push my luck!)
