Would vacuum sweeper filter/bag work???

[TOM KAN PA]

My wife uses a CPAC. This is a night time breathing aid for people with apnea. It uses two filters, one is a washable foam rubber, the other is replacable "paper" filter. This replacable filter is about as big as a compact disk and costs close to $7 for ONE filter. My question is...........Could I buy a package of HEPA filtration vacuum sweeper bags and cut filters from them to fit the CPAC. From what I've heard, these HEPA filters allow nothing buy filtered air to come out of the sweeper. Seems to me my idea would work. Any opinions?

[Nan]

Oh for goodness sake, spend the money for the proper filters for your wife to be able to breathe! Can't you submit the cost to an insurance company for reimbursement since it's medically necessary?

Nan

[MaryL]

You would need to consult a doctor, but I personally would consider this dangerous. You would be using the filter for a purpose for which it was not intended, and your wife has a condition (apnea) that has caused some fatalities. Don't take chances!

MaryL

[Tom Miller]

Tom, this is not really an answerable question. It might work, might not. Probably not. No way to know if it is working properly without a manometer to check the pressure and without checking the internal fan for dust and dirt.

You risk changing the pressure of the airflow produced by the CPAP blower, which would mean that your wife's apnea would not be correctly treated. Also, you risk damaging the blower if the homemade filter allowed dirt and dust into the mechanism unbeknownst to you. My CPAP cost around $1200, so the proper, factory-made filter seems to me like a small investment.

My CPAP has two filters, one in front of the other. By vacuuming off the collected dust from the outer filter while it is still in place, I can extend the life of both the outer and inner filters somewhat. But when the inner filter starts to look gray and dirty, it's time to toss them both. This was suggested to me by the respiratory technician who delivered the CPAP. I would not do this if the machine has only a single filter.

Just FYI, it's "CPAP" by the way, not "CPAC." It is an acronym for "Continuous Postive Airway Pressure."