Hose that will not dry out! Help!

[Raphaella]

This is my very first post with asking for help. I am also brand new to this forum. I have been a CPAP (ResMed Elite with full face mask, Quattro FX with oxygen at night) since June and am doing very well. I know how to take care of the equipment and such…all is well.

My question is, and I am very concerned about this, is that the last time I cleaned out the hose; LAST Saturday, August 17; standard hose from ResMed, (soapy water/rinsed well) then hung to dry.
It STILL has tons of water droplets inside the hose and I live in one of the driest of states: Nevada! What is up with this? It is still hanging in a sunny dry bathroom and is still wet inside.

Should I re-wash/rinse well with hot water and hang in the sun? The instructions say no sun but that may be the only thing that works! I mean, I can’t exactly run the hair dryer through it!
What would you do? What do you guys suggest?

Thank you so much! I have not had a lot of time to peruse this forum but it looks awesome and full of fantastic advice. I am so happy that something like this exists!

[Lambeau]

I also ran into this problem after I got my first device in July. What I did was to grasp the hose in the center, and then finding a space with lots of space above me and to all sides of me. I then whirled it around as hard as I could for several rotations. Centrifugal force eliminated the majority of the water droplets, and then it air dried completely in a short time.

I thought of putting a hair dryer at the end of the hose and turning it on, but since my mechanical whirling of it did the job, I decided not to risk doing damage to the hose with hot air going through it. It might not harm it at all, but I do not know that for sure. But since swinging it in a large arc did the job, no need to do anything else.

[Raphaella]

You really did all that? WOW. I have a smile on my face-but you have to do what you have to do!!
OK< I will go re-wash and try that.

[oak]

I am new also, but I think I read somewhere here that some people run their machine for a few minutes without putting their mask on to get rid of the condensation. Of course that wont work if you have it set to turn on with your breath. do a search here or google "cpap hose condensation"

[LSAT]

My personal opinion.........If you use distilled water, you should rarely need to clean the hose, and when you do, why worry about moisture in the hose. As soon as you turn on your CPAP/humidifier, the moisture is back. My hose is about 9 months old and I have rinsed it out 2-3 times in that period. I hang it over a clothes line in the basement until night when I hook it up again. (NEVER HANG IT IN THE GERM FILLED BATHROOM).

[Raphaella]

Good info..I swear, the local medical supply house told me to hang in the bathroom..I knew that may be wrong ...it was also hung in my closet and I think it was too dark in there. I do use distilled water and I did purchase an extra hose.

[Todzo]

This is my very first post with asking for help. I am also brand new to this forum. I have been a CPAP (ResMed Elite with full face mask, Quattro FX with oxygen at night) since June and am doing very well. I know how to take care of the equipment and such…all is well.

My question is, and I am very concerned about this, is that the last time I cleaned out the hose; LAST Saturday, August 17; standard hose from ResMed, (soapy water/rinsed well) then hung to dry.
It STILL has tons of water droplets inside the hose and I live in one of the driest of states: Nevada! What is up with this? It is still hanging in a sunny dry bathroom and is still wet inside.

Should I re-wash/rinse well with hot water and hang in the sun? The instructions say no sun but that may be the only thing that works! I mean, I can’t exactly run the hair dryer through it!
What would you do? What do you guys suggest?

Thank you so much! I have not had a lot of time to peruse this forum but it looks awesome and full of fantastic advice. I am so happy that something like this exists!

Say you hang the hose over a shower curtian rod. It has a "U" shape with the open ends down. Air is trapped and cannot move the water out.

So you take a rubber band and, near the top of the hose place it over the hose and then loop over the rod to go back over the hose. This holds the top of the hose frim to the shower rod and makes the top end up open to the air and the bottom end bottom open to the air and so air can move and clear the hose of water.

[Raphaella]

That may be it!! Thank you for the visualization!! I will go re-hang right now...makes perfect sense . Thank you so much...
Such a small thing but important.

[Wulfman...]

Why do you feel it necessary to "dry" your hose? You're just going to put more humidity back in it when you turn your machine on.

For those who feel it "necessary" to even wash their hoses, I recommend doing it in the evening before bedtime and then the excess moisture will be added to the humidity coming from the tank.

I've been using the very same hose I started out with eight years ago and have NEVER "washed" it. But, I use "passover" (cool/no heat) humidification year-round, use only distilled water and I live in a pretty dry part of the country.


Den

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[hyperlexis]

Honestly, it's wholly unnecessary to 'dry' it out. Wash it in hot soapy water, ideally each day, and hang to dry. Simple.

It's plastic and therefore there will likely be some water droplets left inside. This is normal, and you shouldn't worry about it.

I have even used masks and hoses straight after a wash, wet, and its been fine. You don't get soaked if that is what you are worried about. The airflow from the CPAP dries the tubing out itself, anyway.

[jdm2857]

Say you hang the hose over a shower curtian rod. It has a "U" shape with the open ends down. Air is trapped and cannot move the water out.

So you take a rubber band and, near the top of the hose place it over the hose and then loop over the rod to go back over the hose. This holds the top of the hose frim to the shower rod and makes the top end up open to the air and the bottom end bottom open to the air and so air can move and clear the hose of water.

How is air trapped in an inverted-U-shaped tube with open ends?

What is going to make air flow through a hose hanging vertically?

DIstilled water or tap water, the hose really does not require cleaning. All that flows through it is air and water vapor (everything else that may be in the water is left in the tank.)

I've been using tap water for five years, am on my second hose (the first developed a tear at the machine end) and have never cleaned either one. Both stayed crystal clear.

[hyperlexis]

Some people have recommended never bothering to clean a hose. To somehow 'preserve' it. I would definitely not recommend this just from a hygiene perspective. There is backwash from the mask, along with aerosolized mucus and bacteria. I, for one, have many times sneezed into the mask, and blown the filters straight out the back of the machine -- because the air does in fact flow backwards into the system. Not pleasant.

A seemingly 'clean' but never washed hose is going to be coated in germs and mucus. Wash them and do replace them on a sensible schedule. Basic, non-heated generic hoses should last a year and are very, very cheap to replace. It's not worth saving a few pennies just to risk an infection. Is it really that difficult to wash a hose for two minutes? Heaven help us as a civilization if it is. Sheesh.

[Wulfman...]

Some people have recommended never bothering to clean a hose. To somehow 'preserve' it. I would definitely not recommend this just from a hygiene perspective. There is backwash from the mask, along with aerosolized mucus and bacteria. I, for one, have many times sneezed into the mask, and blown the filters straight out the back of the machine -- because the air does in fact flow backwards into the system. Not pleasant.

A seemingly 'clean' but never washed hose is going to be coated in germs and mucus. Wash them and do replace them on a sensible schedule. Basic, non-heated generic hoses should last a year and are very, very cheap to replace. It's not worth saving a few pennies just to risk an infection. Is it really that difficult to wash a hose for two minutes? Heaven help us as a civilization if it is. Sheesh.

Personally, I've never "recommended" that hoses should not be cleaned. I just don't do it myself. But, each person needs to figure out what works for them. My feeling is that every time the hose is disconnected from the machine it's more subject to dust particles and other things that can get inside it than if it's just left connected. In the eight years I've been using mine, I've had hot water in it a couple of times to check for leaks, and since there were none, I just kept using it. After reading over they years how many hoses people get and use, I got curious to see just how long I could make mine last. I do have a number of spares.....mostly still sealed in their original factory bags, but I can't see changing them "just because". It's not a matter of money, but, I'd rather spend it on something else. And, all of my supplies and extra equipment has been purchased out-of-pocket and not from insurance. I really don't believe that insurance should be helping pay for these "consumables". My automobile insurance doesn't reimburse me for the oil and filters I change myself or repairs at the dealership.

I've never seen any evidence that people can "infect" themselves with their own germs. We're more exposed to germs during the other 16 or so hours of the day when we're not connected to our "sleeping buddy". The "germ paranoia" expressed by some with this therapy is rather laughable in my opinion.

A person can't blow a column of air back up a hose very far in a running machine. Blowing the filters out the back would happen because you're blowing on that column of air and the pressure dislodged the filters. Those loose filters was a known problem (flaw in the design) with the System One machines.


Den

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[Raphaella]

I just found a mistake that I wrote down here-I DO NOT use distilled water to clean the hose-I use soap and water as recommended. The distilled water is for the humidifier-sorry.

But I do agree with CPAP equipment should be cleaned out as per instructions! I may not get to it every night but I do run humidifier part though dishwater monthly and hoses should be cleaned out once in a while.

Hyperlexis, could not agree with you more-cleanliness is very important.
Thanks for the input everyone!

[knightlite]

Water in the hose won't be easy to get out, the next night you will get some breath moisture in it anyway. . Soap does not disinfect , it only makes the stuff try to slide off. That's why the hot rinse is called for .
Vaporization of contaminated stuff can hurt you , that's where legionaries and similar stuff becomes dangerous. Every four days, I personally soak my hoses /mask/ liner/ humidifier tank in a capful of beach to a gallon of water . Its enough to stop mold etc, from getting a good hold . . It does kill bacteria. That's why its in your water system , the grocery stores clean their spray lines etc with it . Don't over do it .
After washing all with dawn(best for removing oils) and rinsing the soap out. I hand wash my liner and headgear and I limit the bleach time exposure and I rinse real well. A vinegar rinse (1 part v to 4 parts water) every now and again is a good thing too as it disinfects. I have a 3 gallon plastic tub just to clean my cpap gear. The headgear I only clean every two weeks as it doesn't come in contact with my breath.
It hasn't bothered my gear but I'm not out to get years out of it-- 6 to 12 months is my replacement target even though most plans allow sooner change out . They know it is hard to clean everything out longer than that. Sun will damage your hoses for sure. I use passover mode on my humidifier except when in the dry season .I have a hose hanger on the headboard and my machine is lower than my mattress . In the winter I use a hose cosy . All this reduces rainout. I would recommend the pad a cheek liners as they wick away the mask moisture from a ffm but I am not familiar with your mask . The pad a cheek stuff is great.
Do what you are comfortable with - you are the best caretaker of your health.