New to NxStage. Question about the PureFlow Unit

[javaseuf]

WE are still in training for a few more weeks but our machine was deliverd yesterday.
I have connected the drain and supply lines under the kitchen sink but the machine will be used about 15 feet across the room.
After treatment, can I disconnect the drain and supply lines from the back of the machine and coil them up under the sink?
The reason I ask is that in one manual, it says that when the dialysate batch expires, the machine automatically goes into the drain mode, even if a treatment is being done. For obvious reasons, I don't want to have the machine enter the drain mode without the drain line connected.
another, newer manual says that I can activate and stop the draining process.

So my question is, do I have to have the machine connected to a drain and supply line when not in use?

Thanks,
Steve

[silverhead]

Steve, I don't see any problem disconnecting the drain line, it's a simple click to remove it and it has a built in shut off in the chassis drain, so it won't leak anything, and even if the machine possibly went into drain mode it would go into alarm for high pressure. The incoming water line looks like it could be a problem at the back of the machine (at least on ours), no simple way to disconnect like the drain line.
Is there a bathroom anywhere behind the walls of the treatment room?, I was lucky to have one not far from the Pureflow and used a 1-1/4" inch hole saw to go thru the wall and made my permanent connections. I spent some time searching through Home Depot and finally in the electrical department found a gray plastic fitting that fit the hole in the wall sort of like a grommet and it gave it a "finished look".
Tom

[willowtreewren]

We also put our lines through the wall into the bathroom. We have the drain line permanently angled into the tub.

Could you run the lines under the floor to the kitchen sink so you won't have to disconnect each time?

When (if) we change to nocturnal, we will have to run under the floor to the nearest bathroom. I like that option better than tripping over lines or having to disconnect them each time.

Good luck with this. And if the PureFlow really won't work, you can do bags. We used bags for an entire school year before switching to PureFlow.

Aleta

[javaseuf]

Thanks for the replies.
I just spoke with Nxstage and they don't see a problem disconnecting as long as I'm not making a batch.
Unfortunately there is no other easy way to gain access to another supply and drain line. No plumbing near the machine on the other side of a wall and a cement slab under the tile floor.
I have toyed with the idea of running a water line around the base of the house outside, to the wall where the machine is and then go through there. Right outside of that area is a sewer cleanout where I could drop the drain line into.

Also, is it necessary to have the machine connected to a phone or internet connection?

Thanks everyone!

[willowtreewren]

Ideally your machine should be connected to a phone line, but NxStage provides the splitter (I think).The machine calls in during the night to download your info. If you cannot connect to a phone line, NxStage will give you a flash drive for downloading info.

You'll most likely cover this in your training. But it is good to be thinking of questions and asking them.

Best wishes,
Aleta

[vcarmody]

We just started our training today. I do not have a phone hook up in my home (only cell phones and cable for internet) we were advised today that  NxStage will supply a thumb drive and it will save all data they need and then we just have to plug it into our computer, so a phone hook up is needed.   

[funnygarcia]

We live in an apartment thus we can not make any plumbing or structural changes.

When making batch I pull out a water line to connect to our bathroom sink. Our team connected a "hollywood valve" to our bathroom faucet, it just screws on to the existing faucet and has a spigot to connect the blue water line from the pure flow unit.

I also pull out the black drain line, taping it at the sink or tub edge (the diameter is too large to shut the bathroom door so we move it as needed to the kitchen sink).

You need both water and drain line in place when draining and making batch.  There is some oozing from the drain during batch making, found that out the hard way.. stinky carpet.. gross!

When it's done, I curl up both lines. Bind it with a piece of velcro and tuck it on the side (or behind) the pure flow unit. Once we have used the batch twice (dh runs at 28 liters per run, with 60 L SAK), I turn off the pure flow unit power until I'm ready to drain and make a new batch. No worries about automatic draining puddle making. 

We use drain line extensions (the clear tubing with yellow clamps) during treatments, it fits nicely under doors and is less bulky to reel up after use than the black drain line.

We have had only one problem with this process, our cat bit the water line when we were not home. Came home to find a spooked wet cat, pure flow unit alarming and water spraying in the hall from the tiny cat teeth holes. We were  and then we     Life is never boring at our home.