Can CPAP hose length affect your pressure?

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
Big Steve
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Re: Can CPAP hose length affect your pressure?

Post by Big Steve » Fri May 04, 2012 7:16 pm

neverbetter wrote:All the machines are self adjusting now. Unless you have an old brick from before 2007 or 2008, they will adjust themselves just like they do for minor leaks.
I received my machine from Apria in April 2008 so I guess you could say I have a brick. Well this brick is so much nicer than the straight CPAP machine I received back in 1999 from another DME; that machine was a Sullivan and it did come with a big water chamber which the machine sat on but there was no heat. It still works; it's packed away in a closet. My CPAP pressure on that machine back then was "16".

Big Steve
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Re: Can CPAP hose length affect your pressure?

Post by Big Steve » Fri May 04, 2012 7:24 pm

Guest wrote:
Big Steve wrote:
RandyJ wrote:Some machines have settings in the Clinician's Menu for the length and/or diameter of the hose. I'm not familiar with M-Series machines though... I'm sure someone who has that machine will respond.
I wasn't aware that CPAP hoses came in different diameters; interesting. I just assumed they were all the same diameter.
Even though there are different diameters, the connectors are typically the same size.
If you go to CPAP (dot) COM, then to category "CPAP Supplies" and then to sub-category "Hoses (Tubing)" you can check out the various types of hoses. You can also view them by manufacturer.


.
I've never measured the diameter of my hose; Apria keeps supplying me with the same new hose every 6 months. Why would someone want to have a hose with a larger diameter? To be able to receive more volumes of air through their hose like the larger the diameter in a garden hose will send more volumes of water to a lawn sprinkler? Would the sleep doc have to include that information in the patient's order? Supply patient with size X diameter hose? Just curious.

Big Steve
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Re: Can CPAP hose length affect your pressure?

Post by Big Steve » Fri May 04, 2012 7:38 pm

GumbyCT wrote:
Big Steve wrote:Can the length of your CPAP hose affect your pressure? My current pressure is "18" and my current hose length is 6 feet. If I wanted to purchase an 8 foot hose would the extra 2 feet in length have an affect on my CPAP pressure? Would a longer hose cause my pressure to be lower; for example drop to "16" instead of my prescribed pressure of "18"?
Stevo "I was worried sick about you"... where ya been buddy? Good to see you again.

You have been given some good info, let me just add my penny to the pile.

The short answer to your question is Yes, it can affect your pressure. Tho, In your case I doubt you will have any troubles.
As mentioned by UB the mask used can add another 6-12 inches. You don't say which mask you are using?

Also using a humidifier will add an additional volume to help reduce the effective pressure at the mask end. IF you are like me and you use the HC-150 plus the integrated humidifier, that volume increase WILL also make a difference.

For other readers who might be using an auto - Stevo is using straight cpap - the auto can stop sensing events when a hose + volume of other things mentioned above gets too long. With straight cpap you can compensate by increasing the pressure to allow for the loss of pressure.

However comma IF you rely on the features of an auto-adjusting cpap YOU should pay attention to things like hose length.

Also IF you track your data and keep getting an AHI of zero yet don't feel the therapy is effective, it could be that you machine is not sensing some (or alot of) events.

So it is not just the hose length but the entire volume of your cpap system that should be considered.

HTH

Stevo check your PM's
Oh I'm still alive here in Biloxi, MS; we're coming back strong since Hurricane Katrina. We now have 2; count them 2 supermarkets in my end of town; the west end; 2 weeks ago a new Super Walmart opened less than 2 miles from my Winn Dixie and they're killing Winn Dixie as I expected. Haven't been posting here much until just recently. The mask that I'm currently using is a Respironics Profile Lite; size M with headgear and chinstrap; last year I tried using a Resmed Ultra Mirage Quatro FF mask with headgear but couldn't tolerate all that air at "18" blowing around in my mouth during the night when my mouth would open using a FF mask. In the mornings the inside of my mouth felt like it had been scrubbed by a Brillo pad so I went back to using a nasal mask; easier on the mouth but I'm still having mouth breathing issues. Still having to use Nasonex each night; lots of it.

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RandyJ
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Re: Can CPAP hose length affect your pressure?

Post by RandyJ » Fri May 04, 2012 7:42 pm

Steve,

Standard cpap tubing is 22mm in diameter, but Philips Respironics makes an optional 15mm tubing for their newer machines. Resmed's standard tubing for the S9 is 19mm, the Slimline and ClimateLine are 15mm.

_________________
Mask: AirFit™ P10 Nasal Pillow CPAP Mask with Headgear
Additional Comments: Backup & Travel Machines: PR System One Bipap Auto, S9 VPAP Auto, S9 Autoset, Oximeter CMS-50E
Diagnosed March 2011, using APAP 14 - 16.5 cm, AFlex+ 2
Alt masks Swift FX pillows, Mirage FX nasal mask, Mirage Quattro full face mask

Big Steve
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Re: Can CPAP hose length affect your pressure?

Post by Big Steve » Fri May 04, 2012 7:56 pm

RandyJ wrote:Steve,

Standard cpap tubing is 22mm in diameter, but Philips Respironics makes an optional 15mm tubing for their newer machines. Resmed's standard tubing for the S9 is 19mm, the Slimline and ClimateLine are 15mm.
Hey RandyJ why would a CPAP user want to use a larger diameter hose? Just curious.

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RandyJ
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Re: Can CPAP hose length affect your pressure?

Post by RandyJ » Fri May 04, 2012 9:08 pm

22mm is the longtime standard, the rest are actually SMALLER. The smaller hoses may be more desirable because they are less bulky.

So no one wants a bigger hose, it's just that these smaller tubings have recently been made available.

_________________
Mask: AirFit™ P10 Nasal Pillow CPAP Mask with Headgear
Additional Comments: Backup & Travel Machines: PR System One Bipap Auto, S9 VPAP Auto, S9 Autoset, Oximeter CMS-50E
Diagnosed March 2011, using APAP 14 - 16.5 cm, AFlex+ 2
Alt masks Swift FX pillows, Mirage FX nasal mask, Mirage Quattro full face mask

Big Steve
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Joined: Thu Jan 17, 2008 3:30 pm

Re: Can CPAP hose length affect your pressure?

Post by Big Steve » Fri May 04, 2012 11:19 pm

RandyJ wrote:22mm is the longtime standard, the rest are actually SMALLER. The smaller hoses may be more desirable because they are less bulky.

So no one wants a bigger hose, it's just that these smaller tubings have recently been made available.
Well thanks but I'm just considering a longer hose; not larger in diameter.

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GregCavalier
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Re: Can CPAP hose length affect your pressure?

Post by GregCavalier » Sat May 05, 2012 6:00 am

I don't think the hose length would matter. My analogy would be a water hose. The length of the hose determines how long before the pressure reaches the end, but once the hose is pressurized there is no distinction in the outlet pressure on a 6 to 10 foot hose. Now, the diameter might change things up a bit. Some of the newer masks use a sleeker CPAP hose. The normal hose is 22mm, but the newer models are moving to a thinner hose that is 15mm. This is the one I am using on my mask. Resmed calls theirs a "SlimLine" tube, but they caution that it should only be used on their machine with a setting for a higher resistance tube. However, I have a friend of mine that wanted the slimmer tube. She bought it and her APAP functioned normally. I bought one of the slimmer tubes as well and my machine functioned normally as well. I really don't remember my college physics very well, but decreasing the diameter increases the resistance of the tube (I think) and most machines sense this as the initial condition on their pressure feedback and adjust. This is true even with plain CPAPs. But the length should not be much of a factor, not from 6' to 10' in any event. I could be wrong, but I know that manufacturer's routinely sell extended length hoses and I don't think they would do that if there was an issue with it. When in doubt, Google the manufacturer and email their tech. support.