ResMed ClimateLine Heated Hose: DOA

2026-01-29

Mary plugged a new ClimateLine heated hose into her Resmed Airsense 11 CPAP machine, spent the night feeling a bit chilly, and got an error message in the morning that boiled down to “Bad Hose”.

Unsurprisingly, the new hose looks just like the previous ones and the old picture remains relevant:

ResMed ClimateLine heated hose ends

The new hose has the same 12 kΩ resistance between the two outer contacts: the thermistor is fine.

The two inner contacts are an open circuit, not the expected 10 Ω: the heater element or (more likely) a connector joint failed. We don’t know if it was DOA or failed during the first use, but it does not respond to the usual wiggling and poking.

Her experience with Lincare’s Customer Disservice has been so terrible she refuses to start a warranty claim. She’ll continue using the old hose until it’s time for the next replacement and we’ll hope for the best.

As I understand the arrangement, she must get all the consumables (masks, hoses, filters, tanks) from Lincare for five years from the date of the original prescription. After that, she can order supplies from elsewhere, although that seller must have a new prescription.

Basically, Lincare gets five years of guaranteed business and, like the phone company of old, they don’t care about you because they don’t have to.

So: they win.

Comments

6 responses to “ResMed ClimateLine Heated Hose: DOA”

2026-01-29

RCPete

Hmm, I’m going through the hoops to upgrade to a BiPAP machine. I passed on Linde in favor of Norco, largely because they have a local office and I’ve used them for welding supplies. That machine will be on a new prescription, but I have an old one with an outfit in Washington for CPAP machines and supplies. (That one was cash based, trading expense for less hassle.)

At least in Oregon, an ordinary doctor can write CPAP prescriptions. Some places (not sure if true in OR) allow dentists to do so, too. Other states are bonkers, needing specialists to do the Rx. (Ohio, from what I’ve heard.) Still, if a separate prescription is viable, I’ve used an outfit in Washington for over 20 years. The current URL is the absurdly named http://www.cpapninja.com. (The URL changes every several years. [shrugs])

For a price point, a brand-name ResMed AS 11 heated hose runs $45. I had really good luck with the S9 hoses; one outlasting its machine. I need a backup for the AS10, but I’m waiting to see what I get for BiPAP. The AS10 will be the travel machine, then.

Reply
1. 2026-01-30
  
  Ed
  
  Around here one has a choice of two suppliers, each with scathing reviews: it’s a tossup.
  
  Reply
2026-01-30

captnmike

My local medical provider works with Apria – I call them for supplies and they ship them, I think they have a “local” office maybe 15 miles away but the phone works mostly fine (a time or two I confused the nose thing after Dr. changed the type of nose cushion) – they also have an online site but it does not seem to be well behaved – struggled ordering a spare/travel type unit

Reply
1. 2026-02-01
  
  Ed
  
  “Apria” sounds like the Other Choice around here.
  
  AFAICT, the supplier you get with depends on which one fields the most persuasive doctor-facing sales team. :sigh:
  
  Reply
  1. 2026-02-02
    
    RCPete
    
    I’m lucky; the doctor’s office doesn’t care who I choose, though I need to light a fire under the Norco people; they seem to react when I show up or call, but not on their own. I’m in town twice this week, so I’ll have a chance to try a face-to-face. (I *think* all the relevant people are in this town. Might be very wrong. Sigh.)
    
    I used to spend some time on the apneaboard forum (great resource, especially if you have a need for the clinician manual for necessary tweakage), and Apria generally got a lot of comments. None positive, I fear. I haven’t looked for a while, though. Perhaps the swine are aeronautical?
    
    Link to Apnea board: https://www.apneaboard.com/
    
    Reply
    1. 2026-02-02
      
      Ed
      
      Mary spent quite a while reading through that forum to figure out how all the pieces fit together, after which we tried some of the recommended this-and-that, eventually reaching a cushion / headgear / settings combination that works well enough. We both wish it weren’t necessary, but we’re glad it exists. :sigh:
      
      Reply