Altera Nebulizer with White Film

[Ryan B]

My Altera nebulizer handsets have all developed a white, powdery film on them. This is on all parts, including the silicone, plastic, and metal. I have been unsuccessful at cleaning off the film. My RT says it's perfectly normal, and nothing to worry about, but considering how thoroughly one is supposed to clean their Altera handsets daily and after each use, I can't feature that the film is healthy. Has anyone dealt with this?

Thanks for any feedback!

 

[momofmia]

My daughters Pari Nebs look the same. Are you using them with Hypersal? Its the salt. You do know that you need to have separate nebs for Pulmozyne.

 

[Aboveallislove]

Lime from water can cause a chalky residue, especially if parts are boiled for a long time. We use Pari LC so not familiar with your brand, but every 3 months or so we soak the parts in vinegar for about 30 minutes before washing and sterlizing. And also we wipe the sterilizing pot out with vinegar before washing it for reuse. Not sure if you can use vinegar with the metal; I'd call the manufacturer and ask what they recommend to remove lime residue.

 

[Ryan B]

I'm only using the nebulizer for the Cayston. I use the Pari LC for everything else.

 

[Ratatosk]

We have hard water in our area and if our water softener needs more salt or is faulty, we get calcium deposits on the nebs. I usually set them in vinegar to get rid of the residue before washing and sterilizing the nebs.

 

[Ryan B]

I tried the vinegar method once, but it didn't seem to help. Will give it another go, though! Then again, if it's lime, maybe I'll just soak it in CLR.





And yes, that was a joke.

 

[bigstar]

Guyz im an expert here! I use those stuff every day! So listen! Take them all, put them on a saucer pan or whatever. Add water and vinegar lets say a spoon of it. Let them boil 3-4 mins. Theyll be brand new!

 

[Liza]

You need to call Pari, who is the maker of the Altera neb. I don't know what the vinegar might do to the little mesh part in the metal piece. In most everything else, it is acceptable to use vinegar to descale. I had previousely thought I should be able to put the altera pieces in my brand new dishwasher in a bottle basket but thought to call Pari first. It's an absolute NO, NO! The heat is too intense, which is why they give you a bottle sterlizer with your first order. Made me wonder about boiling it, when away from home. Not lugging the sterilzer on a trip with all the other stuff you've got to bring along. We use filtered or bottled water (we have hard water) in the sterilizer and when we are away, I heat water in a measuring cup in the microwave, just short of a boil, then put the pieces in for a couple of minutes. Best move before trying vinegar, is to call Pari. They have always been super helpful and even sent us a new DC plug when we lost it.

 

[ladeedah]

I agree with Liza to call Pari for the correct information because these handsets are very expensive. If your handset is still under warranty they may just send you a new one. I had to switch one out once and Pari was very fast.

Yesterday I just happened to be talking to the Pari Rep for the new "eFlow Rapid" handset at a CF event. eFlow Rapid is a brand new handset from Pari that you can use with the Altera eBase Controller. Since you can only use Cayston in the Altera handset, Pari has designed this new handset that you can use with a variety of other meds including Tobi, Dornase, and Hypertonic Saline. This new handset is only available through CF Services and it has only become available in the past two weeks.

I have the Pari pamplet in front of me so I can tell you that you can call Pari at 1-866-335-6943 for Customer Service. As incentive NOT to do your own cleaning of the Altera handset I found out that the Altera Controller costs $860 and the handset runs $135 !!! Both very expensive so it is definitely best to clean only according to Pari's instructions.