CPAP journey begins

[Okie bipap]

Hoses do not require a prescription. If you do not want to wait for the VA to get you a heated hose, you can purchase them at a local DME, or on line.

[USMCVet]

Yea I broke down and just ordered heated hose off Amazon and it will be here Sunday. Fixed humidity 3 felt great compared to the Adaptive level 4.

[Okie bipap]

I would be lost without my heated hose. We have heated hoses in both machines, and heated hoses in the BIPAP travel bags for when we travel.

[USMCVet]

How long do heated hoses normally last?

[Pugsy]

How long do heated hoses normally last?

With common sense care and assuming out of the reach of pets or small children....years and years.
I have a ResMed S9 heated hose that went through 4 different machines and had well over 15,000 hours on it before I finally retired it mainly because it wouldn't work with my new AirSense machine.

My common sense care...don't do anything to it. The more you mess with them the more the chances of tearing something up or breaking a wire or something..
But most insurance (including Medicare) will allow a new hose every 3 months....but it's not really needed...I guess I had well over 3 years on the one I retired. Always have one spare of everything though...just in case something happens.
Like not long ago I dropped my water chamber onto the floor and it broke the seal so it leaked like crazy. I couldn't see the break but it leaked at a junction seal. First time in over 8 years I ever broke anything.

[PhotoCrusader]

You need to get that heated hose sooner than later...and in the meantime fix up some sort of homemade hose cozy.

Trust me....old socks with the toes cut out and slid over the hose and bunched up to provide insulation will help in a pinch. Been there and done that many years ago.

Anything laying around the hose that can be wrapped around the hose and secured so that it insulates the hose.
An old fleece sweatshirt cut up and wrapped around the hose...and I used scotch tape to secure it. Doesn't have to be fancy.
Back when I started therapy we didn't have the integrated heated hoses...I did do a lot of DIYing trying to figure out how to prevent the condensation.

You could reduce the humidity choice but 3 isn't very much on your machine anyway and your nose might not like even less moisture.

I read that one can get a hose cover or adjust the tube so it does not get low lying areas where the water can accumulate.

[chunkyfrog]

True, but my heated hose is less fussy.

[Pugsy]

I read that one can get a hose cover or adjust the tube so it does not get low lying areas where the water can accumulate.

Hose covers, machine lower than the bed, and routing the hose so there are no "low" spots will help with condensation but not necessarily fix all the problems especially if the condensation is in the mask itself. Sometimes due to mask type and body position the water can't get out of the mask.
I use nasal pillows...there's no place for the water to go unless I sleep on my head with feet vertical.

Heated hoses don't always keep the air warm enough at the mask level, especially if there is a short hose from the long hose, to prevent condensation and non heated hoses even with a hose cover won't likely get the job done at the mask level.

You might read this...posts number 2 and 3 as I cover a lot of the potential causes and how to fix condensation issues.
viewtopic/t94035/Pugsys-Pointers-3Deali ... -road.html
Often it can take a person using multiple fixes to totally eliminate the problem.
Like for me...machine is lower than the bed and the hose is routed so no real low spots and I use a heated hose at max temp...and I still sometimes get water in the nasal pillows. I have several options available and some I don't like (like turning the house furnace up). I choose to insulate the nasal pillow itself with a barrel cozy....it works and it feels like silk on my skin. Double win.

Hose covers add weight to a hose...no way around it and while they do work and work well for a lot of people that extra weight can also be very annoying to some people. I used them for years before the heated hoses were available...I don't like that extra weight...it's annoying to me.
Why be annoyed when a heated hose can likely fix the problem and no added annoyances??

[USMCVet]

Ok so I got my heated hose today. I know I like ac humidity setting of 3. My room is probably between 60 to 64 degrees. What heat setting should I use to prevent rainout?