Rain out questions.... again

[lytepole]

Seems like the only issue I have after a couple years is rain out.

I'm stumped about what to do, so coming back to the brain trust here.

I currently have a heated hose set at 62, no water in my humidifier, and I'm still waking up with enough water in my Nasal pillows and in the mask tube that I'm having problems breathing so I wake up.

Hubby w/o apnea needs some humidity too, so we normally have a room humidifier on low, but that wasn't even on last night.

I did have a hose wrap on, but with summer over I took it off.

Where should I start making adjustments?

Today is D-day at work for me (tax day), so I won't be monitoring this all day long, but I will check in.

[Pugsy]

You have 2 choices...
1...increase the hose air temp
2...increase the ambient bedroom temp

You have to keep the air in the hose or mask warm enough to not drop below the temp where condensation happens.

Or a 3rd choice...use the hose wrap now and not just during winter. I don't know if just using a hose wrap on the short hose will be enough...it might.

[lytepole]

Ok.. temp at night in our house is set to 65, so I should start by bumping up to 66 and putting the hose wrap back on.

I'll try for a couple days and report back.

Thanks Pugsy!!

[DreamStalker]

Your options with humidifier settings and hose heat settings are more limited than your options of setting your room's ambient temperature/humidity conditions.

As Pugsy noted, increasing the heat temperature of the room will help as will increased air flow in the room (ie. ceiling fan). You can also cool the air (w/AC) before heating it (gas heater?) but that can get expensive and inefficient.

Determine what the source of the humidity in the bedroom is in the first place and try to come up with a solution to ventilate that air out of the room.

Also, you may need to bump temperature up more than 1 degree ... try 5.

[Pugsy]

Determine what the source of the humidity in the bedroom is in the first place and try come up with a solution to ventilate that air out of the room.

Most likely the humidity that is condensing in the mask and short hose is from the exhale breath that is expelled into the mask. Simplest solution is to just keep the air in the hose warmer.
Remember there is another cpap user in the bedroom who apparently needs a little extra humidity via the room humidifier but that wasn't even on last night when the OP had the problem.

Hubby w/o apnea needs some humidity too, so we normally have a room humidifier on low, but that wasn't even on last night.

[DreamStalker]

Determine what the source of the humidity in the bedroom is in the first place and try come up with a solution to ventilate that air out of the room.

Most likely the humidity that is condensing in the mask and short hose is from the exhale breath that is expelled into the mask. Simplest solution is to just keep the air in the hose warmer.
Remember there is another cpap user in the bedroom who apparently needs a little extra humidity via the room humidifier but that wasn't even on last night when the OP had the problem.

Hubby w/o apnea needs some humidity too, so we normally have a room humidifier on low, but that wasn't even on last night.

But the rainout from exhaled breath is dependent upon the room's ambient temperature AND humidity -- which both determine the room's ambient dew point temperature (temperature at which condensation occurs). The humidity and temperature of the human breath should be about the same for most people all over the world so that variable has limited settings.

So the main factors for rainout are the ambient room temperature, ambient room humidity, and the surface area of the mask that interacts with ambient dew point variable. Otherwise every single CPAP user in the world would have rainout problems ... and they don't.

But whatever! I'll keep my secrets to myself.

[Pugsy]

But whatever! I'll keep my secrets to myself.

Whatever yourself.

When you figure out how to remove moisture from expelled air we breathe...market it.

Me...I go for simple, easy and cheap.....increase the ambient bedroom temp or increase the hose temp...keep the air warm enough so that the cooled air doesn't release the moisture.
No matter where the moisture is coming from...the fix is the same.
Physics 101.
Since no water is being used in the humidifier we can't remove that potential source.

[lytepole]

Determine what the source of the humidity in the bedroom is in the first place and try to come up with a solution to ventilate that air out of the room.

I think I'll try turning the bathroom fan on too to see if that keeps airflow moving.

I am in a catch 22 with room temp. Hubby and I both sleep best when it's cold, we always have a small fan running for white noise and air movement.

Also, I can't breathe in warm air. Makes me feel like I'm suffocating. I'll try bumping the hose up a couple more degrees and maybe the house up 1 degree

Thanks for all the input. I'm willing to try anything.

So weird that I went for almost a year without any rain out issues. I'm sad this is bothering me again

[Pugsy]

A short hose cozy might be enough to keep the air going to the mask warm enough to not release the moisture if warming the air itself creates more of an issue.

As to why now when you didn't have any real problems? Maybe now the ambient humidity in the bedroom is already a bit higher than it usually is...like last night I slept with the windows open and it rained out side and my bedroom humidity is 20% higher than it normally is.

So with the incoming air (which contains moisture) meets the air that you expel the combination of the 2 pushes you over the threshold where the air just can't hold onto the moisture.
Has it been raining lately where you live to maybe affect the ambient humidity a bit?

[DreamStalker]

But whatever! I'll keep my secrets to myself.

Whatever yourself.

When you figure out how to remove moisture from expelled air we breathe...market it.

Me...I go for simple, easy and cheap.....increase the ambient bedroom temp or increase the hose temp...keep the air warm enough so that the cooled air doesn't release the moisture.
No matter where the moisture is coming from...the fix is the same.
Physics 101.
Since no water is being used in the humidifier we can't remove that potential source.

You can't remove moisture from exhaled breath and I never said that ... you made that statement up and then attributed it to me because I actually said ...

The humidity and temperature of the human breath should be about the same for most people all over the world so that variable has limited settings.

Physics 101 ... "dew point" ... look it up whatever yourself.

Hubby w/o apnea needs some humidity too, so we normally have a room humidifier on low, but that wasn't even on last night.

Simple air circulation ... it's what's used in green houses for what? Physics 101 whatever yourself.

[lytepole]

It has been an unusually wet winter and spring. In fact, it's pouring right now again.

[DreamStalker]

Oh! Look ... maybe Google can help?

19 Tips On How To Reduce Home Humidity

[DreamStalker]

It has been an unusually wet winter and spring. In fact, it's pouring right now again.

Indeed. I noticed that you were in Idaho and the western portions of both North and South American continents are having an unusually wet season. The rate of climate change is beginning to have impacts on us all ... but that is for another thread.

I still think that trying to mitigate your indoor humidity is going to be your best option. But you don't have to listen to me.

Best of luck whatever you decide to do.

[Pugsy]

The unusual wet weather outside could very well be the tipping point for why the problem is happening now when it wasn't a problem before.
Maybe just increasing the ambient household humidity just enough to tip the scales when combined with your exhaled breath humidity and with the cool temperatures that you are your husband prefer.
Though I will share this...I know of people living in the high desert using no water in the humidifier and ambient humidity is quite dry...and they still get condensation in the mask from the moisture in their own exhaled breath.

You know the fix though....either reduce the humidity levels in the hose and mask in some fashion or increase the hose/mask air temperature in some fashion.
If you are like me and sleep with the windows open..maybe closing the windows will be enough.
It's going to be a trial and error experimentation process to figure out what keeps the annoying rain out away and doesn't cause different problems.
I do understand the desire for a cooler bedroom. I prefer it myself but fortunately the warmer air from the heated hose doesn't annoy me.

Have you ever used a barrel cozy from Padacheek?
http://www.padacheek.com/PACSwiftII_Barrel_cozy.html
I have one and I just love it. I use it especially in the winter because my bedroom gets down to low 50s and even with the heated hose cranked up to maximum it doesn't always prevent the condensation in the nasal pillow itself. So I put a little coat on the nasal pillow to help keep the air a little warmer.
Besides...the material Karen uses on her barrel cozies is super silky feeling to the skin.