dear all experience fellows,
just getting nostalgic remembering various models of freseniusi have handeled.. can everyone share their views on less troubling machines from fresenius? workhorses..?
thanks & cheers

I have worked on short case D machines that were made in Germany all the way through to K machines that are only two weeks old right now. My vote would be for the H machine without On Line Clearance and Diasafe as the most dependable and easy to work on. The D and E machines were a pain to calibrate,too many pots to tweak back and forth. And there was always that mirrored blood leak detector that got dirty. Calibrating the acid and bicarb pumps was no fun either, even though they seldom broke down. The K machines have far too many problems with the blood pump module, and the main circuit boards are pretty expensive compared to an H. And the hydraulics from a D,E or H machine except for an extra valve or two are no different than a K machine without OLC or Diasafe. And who knows what the problems will be with K machines that were just delivered with the combination Actuator/Test board in them.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Ktech,

Well I have worked on the C, D, E, H, and K machines over the past 13 years. So Ktech is right about the D & E machines being a pain to calibrate. The H machine was a great improvement and easy to work on, we have had the K machine now for about two plus years and they seem to be easy to work on, but some of the changes in the hydrolics has made it a pain to change some parts. The hydroblock has to be removed to get the heat exchanger out, bicarb pump sits on-top of the heater bar, but other than that it's as easy to work on as the H machine.

Dude, after changing several heat exchangers out,I found that you only need to loosen the upper screw on the exchanger, you can get to that without removing the hydrochamber . The lower screw is loose and will slide right out of the keyhole. That saved alot of foul language that can be used on other issues in a dialysis center

In my nearly 10 years, I've worked mostly on the H machine. Currently, I have more K and K@Home machines than H machines. I have more than a few pushing 40,000+ hours. They are showing their age, but they still get it done.
I like the calibrations on the K better than those of the H. However, I miss the 'Type 2' hydroblock of old, with it's massive brace holding the top down just a little tighter to prevent leakage.
The new hydroblock design seems a bit like an engineer's cruel joke. True, I have yet to have one leak a drop; but I wonder if all the removal and reinstallation isn't going to make it leak. This colossus must be removed in order to gain access to the screws holding the heat exchanger. In that instance, it's possible to just remove the hydroblock with its bracket still attached. If you want to replace the float switch, then the [protective?] bracket must be made to relinquish its hold upon the hydroblock. I can't imagine anything more entertaining than troubleshooting a problem by manipulating the removed float switch and peering into the hydroblock to see if it's filling or not.
Bitter much? Yeah, I guess I am a little bitter and more than a bit off topic....
Nuff said.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: FMCLongHair,