Does more pressure = larger leaks?

@lliann, the quattro air doesn't have a padacheek leak strap, I asked her if she had one and she is working on it, it's not perfected yet.... I did want to try that.

@Pugsy, I was thinking about trying either the Simplus or the Sleepweaver full-face cloth mask. Next post, some leak/pressure charts.

Here are several random nights of leak/pressre graphs for interpretation on how to adjust pressure to optimize the leak results .. my pressures are either 8-8 or 918 depending on which you are looking at. Dates are marked on each set in red:

I know I don't have any SleepWeaver masks....and I doubt I have the F & P Simplus but I will look just to make sure.
Mostly what gets sent to me is Respironics and ResMed stuff.
I just got a new box of donated stuff today and haven't had a chance to sort through all of it...maybe we will get lucky.
I will let you know what I find or don't find.

You know looking at your leak graphs the earlier graphs were quite acceptable. How old is this cushion you are using? Maybe it is just getting tired and it isn't that slight pressure minimum increase that was the culprit. Though I can sure see how you might think that. I like the looks of the pressure graph better with that little increase in minimum but the leak line is UGLY.
Maybe it is the mask cushion getting tired...that's what they do when they need replacing....leak all over the place no matter what we do.

I've been using these cushions since I started on Feb. 3 so almost 3 months. They don't look any different than they did when I got them... but if it's time to get new ones I can pick some up tomorrow as I have to go downtown anyway. Maybe I should try that before trying a different mask, it would be cheaper that way. The Quattro Air is really comfortable for me, but then I don't have anything to compare it with, and I haven't any idea what mask they used for titrating in the study.

Cushion life for any mask varies a lot between individuals. Most insurance (even Medicare) will allow 1 cushion per month.
You know it wouldn't be impossible for your recent leak issues to be related to the cushion getting tired. They don't really look all that different when they get tired..they just don't seal so great and from what I have read...when they go bad they go bad real fast. If you had a spare you could try the boiling in baking soda trick that a lot of forum members use to put life back into cushions and nasal pillows. I would be afraid to try it without a spare though just in case something bad happened. Even a leaky cushion is better than no cushion.

I don't have a Simplus. So sorry. I just looked through my latest box of donated stuff and no Simplus was in there. Only had a couple of full face masks and those were of an older model (but unused) Respironics FFM.

Baking soda boiling thread here for anyone wondering what I am talking about.
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=74686&st=0&sk=t&sd= ... il+cushion

OK - I will pick up a new cushion for the Air tomorrow - I know that I have had some excellent nights with good leak lines, and until very recently the LCD readout did not report major leaks in the double digits. Thanks to all for the suggestions...

I also have the same machine and I don't think I ever knew about that mask check feature so I'll have to check that out. Thanks Pugsy! Such a wealth of information!

Library lady, do you wipe down your mask cushion every day (or do you clean it every day?). I don't clean my Quattro Air every day but I do wipe it down and I never use face creams at night. I clean the mask every few days. My mask (and cushion) are almost a year old. I have a 2nd Quattro Air that is about 6 months old but for some strange reason it always leaked more than the 1st one, no matter what I do. It's still not large leaks but just enough to be annoying since they do sometimes wake me up. I'll be getting a new mask soon, looking at the new ResMed AirFit F10 possibly. BTW, my pressure is set to 15-20 with most of my time between 15 and 17.

France

@Frapilu, I do wipe the mask down every morning with CitrusII wipes, and once a week I wash with mild dish soap, then soak in vinegar water for a while... amount of time depends on what I'm doing that day, but usually 1/2 hour. I take the elbow connector out and wash/wipe separately, inside and out. Humidifier is washed every day, I let that air dry. It gets soaked in vinegar water too. Hose and head gear I wash once a week with dish soap, hang hose over the shower head to dry, and the head gear hangs to dry as well. I do these things in the morning, and everything is dry before it's time to go to bed. I do dry the mask and cushions with a dish towel.

@Pugsy, I got a new cushion today; last night's leak chart was the ugliest ever, with leak spikes up to 120 - fortunately, only 3& of time in large leak territory! I slept right through them, I think, but that kind of leak is telling. I'm hoping to see a much better leak line for tonight, otherwise I might be looking at getting a different mask.

Wore the mask with the new cushion last night, Large Leak was 0, and sleepyhead leak line was a very good line. Maybe all I needed was a new cushion!