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Permalink Reply by 99 on December 28, 2009 at 5:00am

try to cover the hose

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Permalink Reply by RockRpsgt on December 28, 2009 at 8:09am

You should be able to control the humidity. There should be some sort of dial with a range from 1-4 that controls the heat.

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Permalink Reply by sleepycarol on December 28, 2009 at 10:56am

I, like you, use my humidifier in pass over mode in the winter. In the summer I don't use it at all. The water will eventually need to be topped off since the air passing over it is picking some of it up as it passes over. I can go several days without "filling" my tank up. When using the heat, you will use way more water and will probably have to add daily. Condensation forms and is the cause of your problem. Try covering you hose to see if that helps.

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Permalink Reply by Andy on December 28, 2009 at 7:10pm

Hi Sherry,

Good work on using your bipap since April!

Condensation occurs when warmer moist air hits a colder surface. If your room is cold, then you may be getting condensation inside the air tubing, commonly called "rainout." You should check the tubing to see if there's any water in it in the morning.

If there is, you have a few options. You can turn down the humidity, warm up the room, or warm up the tubing. There's a humidty adjustment on my ResMed AutoSet II, so when condensation becomes a problem, I just turn it down a notch. I also keep the tubing under the blankets, in order to keep it warmer.

I have my CPAP machine on a table next to the bed, at a higher level than me. The tubing exits out the front, dips down to below the level of the top of the mattress, and then goes under the blankets. Many nights I wake up with a noise, due to the air flowing around an accumulation of water in the low point in the tubing. On those nights, I usually just shut off the CPAP, disconnect the hose from the CPAP, put the end into a gallon jug I keep by the bed for this purpose, and drain the hose into the jug.

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Permalink Reply by Susan M. Nelling on December 31, 2009 at 12:53pm

Hi Sleepycarol, I empty my water everyday, let the water tank dry out everyday, open up the lid and let condensation dry up. isn't that what you were told to do? If i forget to rinse my silicon part of my mask early and it is still damp at bedtime, I run the machine with no water till it dries out, then put it on.isn't there concern for bacteria, mold , fungus, being blown down our throats?

sleepycarol said:

I, like you, use my humidifier in pass over mode in the winter. In the summer I don't use it at all. The water will eventually need to be topped off since the air passing over it is picking some of it up as it passes over. I can go several days without "filling" my tank up. When using the heat, you will use way more water and will probably have to add daily. Condensation forms and is the cause of your problem. Try covering you hose to see if that helps.

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Permalink Reply by sherry on January 1, 2010 at 11:50pm

Well I have found and turned down the heat setting (thanks Andy!). It is so useful to actually read the manual..at some point. I do have a cover on my hoses, I bought one to eliminate noise and make them feel better in bed with me, so it was a 'duh' about using the cover to keep the hose insulated, thanks for that too. After adjusting the heat and fixing my hose so it had more of an S-trap in it, I have not any more condensation in my nosepiece.

The only instructions I remember re the humidifier were to wash it weekly, and empty it before moving the machine. So Susan, your procedure for drying out your humidifier daily is new information..

I have had bronchitis for the last 2 weeks, and am wondering if this condensation issue is a contributor; I saw a discussion thread here several months ago on this issue but have not been able to find it.

I used Control III the last time I cleaned my full system to disinfect it, just to be on the safe side.

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Permalink Reply by claudette paluch on January 4, 2010 at 11:59am

Sherry, What is Control III? Thanks....



sherry said:

Well I have found and turned down the heat setting (thanks Andy!). It is so useful to actually read the manual..at some point. I do have a cover on my hoses, I bought one to eliminate noise and make them feel better in bed with me, so it was a 'duh' about using the cover to keep the hose insulated, thanks for that too. After adjusting the heat and fixing my hose so it had more of an S-trap in it, I have not any more condensation in my nosepiece.

The only instructions I remember re the humidifier were to wash it weekly, and empty it before moving the machine. So Susan, your procedure for drying out your humidifier daily is new information..

I have had bronchitis for the last 2 weeks, and am wondering if this condensation issue is a contributor; I saw a discussion thread here several months ago on this issue but have not been able to find it.

I used Control III the last time I cleaned my full system to disinfect it, just to be on the safe side.

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Permalink Reply by claudette paluch on January 4, 2010 at 12:04pm

Rock...Are humidifiers able to be adequately disinfected for multi-patient use? I cant imagine how a multi-patient machine would be disinfected...How is disinfection regarded for machine multi-patient use?

Rock Hinkle said:

You should be able to control the humidity. There should be some sort of dial with a range from 1-4 that controls the heat.

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Permalink Reply by 99 on January 4, 2010 at 12:42pm

if you are refering to your hubby you share the same germs and build up a tolerance to each other

claudette paluch said:

Rock...Are humidifiers able to be adequately disinfected for multi-patient use? I cant imagine how a multi-patient machine would be disinfected...How is disinfection regarded for machine multi-patient use?

Rock Hinkle said:

You should be able to control the humidity. There should be some sort of dial with a range from 1-4 that controls the heat.

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Permalink Reply by claudette paluch on January 4, 2010 at 10:19pm

thanks 99...I think I posted my question in the wrong place....No, I was just wondering about disinfection of humidifiers in general when more than one person may use the same humidifier...or perhaps...thats not recommended at all....Claudette

99 said:

if you are refering to your hubby you share the same germs and build up a tolerance to each other

claudette paluch said:

Rock...Are humidifiers able to be adequately disinfected for multi-patient use? I cant imagine how a multi-patient machine would be disinfected...How is disinfection regarded for machine multi-patient use?

Rock Hinkle said:

You should be able to control the humidity. There should be some sort of dial with a range from 1-4 that controls the heat.

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Permalink Reply by RL on January 9, 2010 at 1:00am

Hi all,
My DME suggested I could put my humidifier water container in the dishwasher to clean it, but I am skeptical of this. Does anyone else do this? If so, does it matter what detergent or settings are used?

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Permalink Reply by sherry on January 22, 2010 at 12:15am

Update..I had a visit with the sleep dr, and also stopped at the DME for new gear, AND to the PCP for some antibiotics to treat the bronchitis..
I found the bronchitis is going around here and it is about a 6-week thing, it is much better but still a little wheezy, but didn't use the cough medicine etc that I was given, so I figure that is partly my fault. I'm wondering if it isn't a little asthma-based, as that runs in my family..I was burning gel Christmas candles a lot when it all started, and chemicals like that can trigger my allergies, so I have an appointment to look into that.

Both the sleep dr and the DME tech told me to never leave water in my humidifier container, whether or not I use the heat setting..to empty it every morning, and wash it with mild detergent (Ivory) once a week..I have not been using the heating function of the humidifier, as I prefer dry air, but do leave the humidifier hooked up.

RL, I was told to use mild dish detergent or baby shampoo,nothing with antibacterial etc chemicals, so I use Ivory Liquid, and had a hard time finding it, everything has lots of additives and grease cutters nowadays. As I always put JetDry in my dishwasher, or use detergent that coats the dishes so they don't spot, I don't think I would go the dishwasher route, unless I was willing to omit my Jet Dry and have spotty dishes. Don't think that coating would be a good thing on my stuff. But would probably smell good! I'm a little tired of Ivory and sometimes use the baby shampoo for a different smell..

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