Pad a cheeck AirFit/AirTouch F20 mask liners?

[djams]

I have been using the F20 since they first came out with it...

...Another poster said monthly replacements are BS... that is the correct assessment. My DME at Mayo Clinic gave me a chart with the suggested replacement time by which insurance or Medicare will pay for new CPAP accessories, and that is what I go by.

I have to respectfully disagree. With my higher pressures, I can tell the seal goes after 30 days or so. Your mileage may vary.

In this discussion it's important to differentiate between AirFit and AirTouch F20's. The latter is memory foam, which will wear out much more quickly.

[palerider]

Update on this - as I left a pretty negative impression in the last update.

It turns out that I'm an idiot - again. There are rectangular velcro strips that hold the liner in the wrap-around position on the cushion. I looked at these and just lined them up exactly (loop side and hook side). Well, it finally dawned on me that it's a velcro connection for a reason - so it can be adjusted to suit your liking. Very easy to adjust these so that the airflow restriction I mentioned above goes away completely, and everything is very comfortable.

My initial dissatisfaction was user error - something I'm pretty adept at.

Whenever someone has a problem with a padacheek product, *CALL THEM*... Karen (the owner) wants to help.

[palerider]

I have been using the F20 since they first came out with it...

...Another poster said monthly replacements are BS... that is the correct assessment. My DME at Mayo Clinic gave me a chart with the suggested replacement time by which insurance or Medicare will pay for new CPAP accessories, and that is what I go by.

I have to respectfully disagree. With my higher pressures, I can tell the seal goes after 30 days or so. Your mileage may vary.

Perhaps it's your soclean that's degrading the mask fast, whereas people that didn't buy one, get longer life out of their equipment.

Ozone is bad for silicone, after all.

[MrsRinPDX]

I have been using the F20 since they first came out with it...

...Another poster said monthly replacements are BS... that is the correct assessment. My DME at Mayo Clinic gave me a chart with the suggested replacement time by which insurance or Medicare will pay for new CPAP accessories, and that is what I go by.

I have to respectfully disagree. With my higher pressures, I can tell the seal goes after 30 days or so. Your mileage may vary.

Perhaps it's your soclean that's degrading the mask fast, whereas people that didn't buy one, get longer life out of their equipment.

Ozone is bad for silicone, after all.

That may be. I have seen no study either way. I'd appreciate seeing the one you are referring to.

[palerider]

I have been using the F20 since they first came out with it...

...Another poster said monthly replacements are BS... that is the correct assessment. My DME at Mayo Clinic gave me a chart with the suggested replacement time by which insurance or Medicare will pay for new CPAP accessories, and that is what I go by.

I have to respectfully disagree. With my higher pressures, I can tell the seal goes after 30 days or so. Your mileage may vary.

Perhaps it's your soclean that's degrading the mask fast, whereas people that didn't buy one, get longer life out of their equipment.

Ozone is bad for silicone, after all.

That may be. I have seen no study either way. I'd appreciate seeing the one you are referring to.

"study" for what?

[MrsRinPDX]

I have been using the F20 since they first came out with it...

...Another poster said monthly replacements are BS... that is the correct assessment. My DME at Mayo Clinic gave me a chart with the suggested replacement time by which insurance or Medicare will pay for new CPAP accessories, and that is what I go by.

I have to respectfully disagree. With my higher pressures, I can tell the seal goes after 30 days or so. Your mileage may vary.

Perhaps it's your soclean that's degrading the mask fast, whereas people that didn't buy one, get longer life out of their equipment.

Ozone is bad for silicone, after all.

That may be. I have seen no study either way. I'd appreciate seeing the one you are referring to.

"study" for what?

A study showing that ozone at those concentrations is bad for silicone. I am finding that silicone is very resilient in my research this morning. Can you support your claim?

[palerider]

I have to respectfully disagree. With my higher pressures, I can tell the seal goes after 30 days or so. Your mileage may vary.

Perhaps it's your soclean that's degrading the mask fast, whereas people that didn't buy one, get longer life out of their equipment.

Ozone is bad for silicone, after all.

That may be. I have seen no study either way. I'd appreciate seeing the one you are referring to.

"study" for what?

A study showing that ozone at those concentrations is bad for silicone. I am finding that silicone is very resilient in my research this morning. Can you support your claim?

Aside from the fact that YOU claim that mask cushions wear out far faster for YOU than they do for most people, there's this: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs ... .060130206

However, I'm well aware that you've already made up your mind, and facts, *even your own experience* isn't going to change your opinion.

[MrsRinPDX]

Perhaps it's your soclean that's degrading the mask fast, whereas people that didn't buy one, get longer life out of their equipment.

Ozone is bad for silicone, after all.

That may be. I have seen no study either way. I'd appreciate seeing the one you are referring to.

"study" for what?

A study showing that ozone at those concentrations is bad for silicone. I am finding that silicone is very resilient in my research this morning. Can you support your claim?

Aside from the fact that YOU claim that mask cushions wear out far faster for YOU than they do for most people, there's this: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs ... .060130206

However, I'm well aware that you've already made up your mind, and facts, *even your own experience* isn't going to change your opinion.

I hope others read the abstract you provided. It states ACID RAIN with ozone deteriorate silicone sealants. I do not have acid rain in my bedroom. Normal cleaning solutions leave silicone unaffected. Ozone alone was not tested.

I'm not opposed to other views. I do expect them to be backed up with solid science before I accept them. I am a research analyst by trade with more than 25 years of experience.

As for the SoClean, that may be a factor. I hadn't considered that and it doesn't appear to be studied directly. So it is a possibility.

The original question remains, however. Are those who getting more time on their pillows at higher pressures? I'd honestly like to know.

[palerider]

I hope others read the abstract you provided. It states ACID RAIN with ozone deteriorate silicone sealants. I do not have acid rain in my bedroom. Normal cleaning solutions leave silicone unaffected. Ozone alone was not tested.

Acid rain creates acidic conditions, your skin oils on the mask maybe more acidic than base, and then in the combination of ozone...

Can you not see the possibility?

Regardless, the cpap silicone cushions/pillows are *NOT* (as far as we know) developed with expectations that they'll be bathed in ozone every day, given that *no manufacturer* recommends using ozone on their products.

I'm sure that Resmed would be perfectly happy for you to use something that would cause you to have to buy more of their product... and would likely not spend any research time or effort make it last longer when used in a manner they don't recommend.

[no_more_headaches]

Can we just stop it with the attitude on the schedule replacement stuff. Thats a personal decision. Lets keep the politics out of it.

Lets get back to the original question of mask liners and the Airtouch cushion.

I have used an Airtouch mask for the last year or so with the padacheek liner and just recently it went downhill. I was getting massive leaks every night. I replaced the cushion and tried my backup padacheek liner as well. I wound up cranking down the straps on the mask more than I should and developed a neck muscle spasm as a result.

For the time being I have switched to Pillow mask with a chin strap. I still have some leaks and my AHI numbers (1 to 2) are higher than I had with the full face (<1) but its at least working.

I wish the padacheek liners had a larger velcro surface. I like to make the liner relatively loose but its hard because of the length of velcro straps.

[palerider]

Can we just stop it with the attitude on the schedule replacement stuff. Thats a personal decision. Lets keep the politics out of it.

what "politics"?

I feel it's *important* to make it clear to new people that the "replacement schedule" is a fabrication of greedy DMEs, because that 'schedule' ends up costing many people significant amounts of money that they don't need to spend. If you don't agree that helping new people to save money is important, then please, just move along and do whatever you want to do.

I wish the padacheek liners had a larger velcro surface.

Then you should call Karen at Padacheek and talk to her about it. heck, she might even make you one the way you want. It'd be more effective than posting about it here and taking the chance that she might see it while she's on the forum.

[djams]

I wish the padacheek liners had a larger velcro surface. I like to make the liner relatively loose but its hard because of the length of velcro straps.

Loosening the liner up is what fixed my initial problem.

I'm guessing that the velcro may have been enlarged since your purchase, it seems to me that there's a lot of room for adjustment. On my liner the velcro areas are 1"x2". I use a medium size cushion.