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The most neglected part of your device
The air filter sits at the back of your CPAP, behind a small cover. It catches dust and particles before they reach the motor, then the tubing, then your lungs.
It costs a few euros and takes ten seconds to change. Yet it is the part most patients have never replaced once.
When to change it
ResMed gives a simple rule: check the filter and replace it at least every six months. More often if it has holes, or if it is blocked by dirt or dust.
In practice, your environment decides. These situations call for a faster rhythm:
- You have pets in the bedroom
- You live somewhere dusty, or near a busy road
- You have building work going on, even at the other end of the house
- You smoke, or someone smokes in the home
- You are allergic to dust mites or pollen
How to tell it is time
Take the filter out and hold it up to daylight. A new filter is white and translucent. A filter due for replacement is grey, yellowish, or visibly loaded with dust. If in doubt, change it: at that price, hesitating costs more than the filter.
Replacing the filter, on the AirSense 11 and AirSense 10 alike
This is the one case in this series where the procedure is identical on both devices. The cover is in the same place, at the back, and the action is the same.
- Unplug the device.
- Open the air filter cover at the back of the device.
- Remove the old filter and discard it.
- Place the new filter onto the cover.
- Close the cover, making sure it clips properly into place.
Standard or hypoallergenic?
ResMed offers two filters for the AirSense 11: the standard filter and the hypoallergenic filter.
| Filter | Who it is for |
|---|---|
| Standard | Most patients, in an ordinary home environment |
| Hypoallergenic | Allergies to dust mites, pollen or pet hair, or a dusty environment |
Both fit the same way. If you wake with a blocked nose and no humidity setting makes any difference, the hypoallergenic one is worth trying.
What happens if you never change it
A saturated filter no longer lets air through properly. Three consequences, in the order they appear.
The motor works harder
To hold the prescribed pressure against the resistance, the motor has to push harder. The device gets louder, and it wears out faster.
Dust gets through anyway
A clogged filter eventually starts letting through what it should be catching, and sends it straight into the air circuit you breathe all night.
Your nose blocks up
Many patients raise the humidity to treat a blocked nose that actually comes from a saturated filter. They move the problem around without solving it.
The full replacement calendar
| Part | Indicative frequency |
|---|---|
| Air filter | Every six months at minimum |
| Mask cushion | Every one to three months |
| Headgear | Every six to twelve months |
| Tubing | As soon as it shows a hole or a crack |
| Water tub | As soon as it leaks, cracks or turns cloudy |
Read more
- Cleaning your CPAP mask
- Noisy CPAP: causes and fixes
- CPAP side effects and how to fix them
- Our CPAP replacement parts
All our settings tutorials
Each tutorial gives the procedure for both the AirSense 11 and the AirSense 10.
- Setting the ramp
- Setting humidification and tube temperature
- EPR and SmartStart: what you set yourself
- Running the mask fit test
- Cleaning and maintaining your device
- SD card, myAir and therapy data
- Turning on airplane mode
Frequently asked questions about the air filter
No. The manual is unambiguous: the air filter is neither washable nor reusable. Running it under water destroys the fibre structure that does the filtering. You end up with a filter that looks clean and filters nothing.
It is not recommended. The filter and its cover protect the machine from water and dust. Without a filter, dust enters the motor and goes straight into your tubing. If you truly have no choice for one night, at least refit the cover.
ResMed recommends using only its own parts. A non conforming filter can seat badly and let unfiltered air past the edges, or resist too much and make the motor strain. The saving is marginal, the risk is not.
Yes, indirectly. A saturated filter forces the motor to work harder to hold pressure, which raises the noise. If your device has become louder for no obvious reason, the filter is the first thing to check.
Yes, without hesitation. Plaster and sanding dust saturate a filter within a few nights. The six month schedule assumes a stable environment, and does not apply to a room under renovation.
The filter depends on your exact device model, and references are not interchangeable across generations. Find the model name on the label of the machine, and write to us if you are unsure. We will check compatibility before you order.