Fix Turns ComfortLite 2 to Perfection

[NightHawkeye]

For the couple of weeks I've had the ComforLite 2 it has not been a good mask for me. I'd use for a few hours at a time, but then give up in disgust and revert back to the Swift. At least that's the way it was up until I made a minor modification to the CL2 yesterday.

The problem for me with the CL2 was that the pillows just didn't fit my nares correctly. Sure, I tried tweaking just about everything that could be tweaked, but to no avail. I even tried reshaping the pillows and their angles, again to no avail. The darned pillows either bit into my nostrils or leaked air - lots of air.

I finally concluded that the pillows interface for the CL2 had a serious design flaw which pivoted the pillows seating angle off the tip of my nose. Now, if genetics had blessed me with a flat nose then the CL2 would probably have worked just fine . . . Anyway, as much as the mask cost, I resolved to try to correct this deficiency. To my engineering mindset this meant additional support was needed at the back of the pillows, the part closest to the face, in order to keep the pillows snug against the nares there. I finally achieved success using fishing line to provide the additional support. It took days to think this through. (Well, OK, truth is it took days to get around to going to Wal-Mart to get the fishing line. The idea came in just a flash of inspiration).

The fishing line attaches to the metal brackets just below the hole where the pillow snaps in, and hooks around the air vent. After snugging the line up, then the other end of the fishing line is attached to the other metal bracket for the pillows just below the hole there.

Hard to get much simpler. No hacksaw required for this mod. It's also totally reversible - if you don't like it just cut the fishing line off, and the mask is back to its original configuration.

I slept well with it last night. The CL2 is much quieter than the Swift. It was so quiet that I was actually listening to my BiPAP-auto and thinking it was really loud. Then I discovered there was a leak between the machine and humidifier. Once I corrected the leak, everything was amazingly quiet, eerily quiet. It was almost unnerving during the night not to hear the constant whoosh, whoosh of air, especially when I'd wake up during the night. It was almost like not having a mask on. Don't know if I can get used to that, but I'll try.

Regards,
Bill

[wading thru the muck!]

Bill,

Sounds like a great fix! You're right... the CL2 is very quiet (once you get the leaks sealed )

[NightHawkeye]

... the CL2 is very quiet (once you get the leaks sealed )

Ya know, I really haven't had any leaks with my CL2 other than at the mask-nose interface. I read about the problems some folks experienced and thoroughly checked my mask for leaks at various places including around the right angle connector, but no air found coming out from the wrong places.

I also don't have much of a problem with the angle connector either. I think the right angle connector in the CL2 actually works better for me than the flexible rotating junction on the Swift does. The worst thing about the right angle connector is that it is a little stiff. I've wondered what it might take to loosen it up a little.

Regards,
Bill

[Tn-Ken]

The fishing line attaches to the metal brackets just below the hole where the pillow snaps in, and hooks around the air vent. After snugging the line up, then the other end of the fishing line is attached to the other metal bracket for the pillows just below the hole there.

Hmmm.. for those of us less imaginary folks is there a chance you could provide a picture of what you've done.

The description sounds to me a little like the directions from my neighbor about how to get to some friends.... "Well - you go up yonder to where the old oak tree was, take a left and after awhile you should see a field with some corn growing......"

Thanks for your research - it's a great mask but this sounds like it might make it even better.

Ken

[NightHawkeye]

The description sounds to me a little like the directions from my neighbor about how to get to some friends.... "Well - you go up yonder to where the old oak tree was, take a left and after awhile you should see a field with some corn growing......"

Hey, don't be makin' fun a my background now. Just cuz I graduated high school in East Tennessee and I live in the middle of corn country now don't make me a hillbilly. .

Regards,
Bill

[rested gal]

VERY cool fix, NightHawkeye! Thanks for posting the picture.

[Tn-Ken]

Hey, don't be makin' fun a my background now. Just cuz I graduated high school in East Tennessee and I live in the middle of corn country now don't make me a hillbilly.

I KNEW there was some Tennessee in there! It's a great place to be and thanks for the picture. Now, if I'd been born in Tennessee I wouldn't have needed the picture.

I think I accomplished the same sort of thing by significantly bending the metal that goes under the mask so that it places the pillows more upright. Wal-mart was out of fishin' wire anyway.

Thanks Bill - I appreciate your posts.

Ken (in East Tennessee)

[NightHawkeye]

I think I accomplished the same sort of thing by significantly bending the metal that goes under the mask so that it places the pillows more upright.

Yeah, bending that metal piece was the first thing I tried, too. That sorta/kinda worked, but not really for me. The easy way to describe what happened is just to say that the tip of my nose acting as a pivot point prevented me from being able to snug the pillows up against the base of the nose which is where I experienced leaking.

Since I'm not the only one here with slotted nares who has had problems with the CL2, I thought I'd post this fix. The only problem I had last night with the CL2 was a tendency for the headgear to slip some, but even the leaks I had with the CL2 looked to be a little less than with the Swift. Hopefully, I'll learn to minimize the slippage.

Time will tell, but right now I'm cautiously optimistic that the CL2 will become my new preferred interface.

Regards,
Bill

[Tn-Ken]

The only problem I had last night with the CL2 was a tendency for the headgear to slip some,

I had some troubles with the gear shifting as well - moved the top straps to the very top connectors and slip the headstrap as low as it will go toward my neck and pulled them fairly tight. That seemed to stabilize it for me.

As I said to RestedGal earlier today it's amazing to me how different we all are - solutions that work for one don't work for others but it's so neat to be able to share all the way around.

Happy sleeping!
Ken

[Guest]

Untill I saw those 'pillows' I thought all pillows were the same. Those illustrated appear shorter and more rigid than the pillows on the Breeze. Are they?

[NightHawkeye]

Don't know about the Breeze, but the CL2 pillows seem a little more flexible to me than Swift pillows.

Regards,
Bill

[Guest]

You're a genius. Works great. It's cheap and relatively easy to do. Highly recommended.

[oldgearhead]

After I read this post, I realized this fix would help my CL2 also. However, I think I came up with a simpler way to achieve the same thing.

I got two bread wrapper ties, the paper covered wire type. I fastened one to each side like, the fishing line. Then simply twisted them together just below the passive ports. With this fix, you can change the pillow angle by just twisting the wires.

Many thanks to Nighthawkeye for the inspiration. I am sorry I forgot to post this fix sooner.

[oldgearhead]

I got two bread wrapper ties, the paper covered wire type. I fastened one to each side like, the fishing line. Then simply twisted them together just below the passive ports. With this fix, you can change the pillow angle by just twisting the wires.

I meant just ABOVE the passive ports (like the fishing line).

Sorry for the confusion. My bad.

[RestInSeattle]

Oldgearhead, I'm trying to decide on the ComfortLite 2 and the only question remaining is how is the exhilation ports on the interface?

Do they really jet out or is it not to bad for the bed partner?