Whistling Noise at Vent in Mask - BUMP

I'm using the F&P 431 FFM which has vent holes near the nose bridge. I'm also using a stand-alone humidifier - F&P HC150.

When I turn the humidifier up to about 2.5 (any higher and I get massive rainout), I get whistling/hissing noises coming from the vent holes. I know it's moisture collecting at that spot, but it's not dripping or running down my face.

It was so bad last night it woke me up. I hit the spot (yes, I hit myself in the face) and wipe the outside of the mask with my covers to try to clear whatever is in there. Sometimes a good smack or two and wipe or two solves it and I go back to sleep. Some nights, it seems like it takes forever to get it to stop.

And it's NOT leaks. It's coming from the vent holes specifically.

I can get it to stop if I turn the humidifier down to about 1.5 or 2 but when I do that, it's almost too dry.

Anybody else dealt with this? Any suggestions on fixing it?

Hi Madalot,

Does the 431 have a diffuser at the vent holes? My 452 Oracle mask does.
If so, you might try removing the diffuser to see if that helps.
With excess humidity, some condenses in the material and this may be the cause of the noise.

JDS74 wrote:Hi Madalot,

Does the 431 have a diffuser at the vent holes? My 452 Oracle mask does.
If so, you might try removing the diffuser to see if that helps.
With excess humidity, some condenses in the material and this may be the cause of the noise.

I don't think so. These are just holes in the mask and there's nothing to remove.

I love the extra moisture, but that whistling/hissing noise makes me crazy.

Do you have some fleece fabric so you could make a cozy around the mask hose? Before I got my heated hose, condensation in the last 8 inches was a real issue.if you need some, send me a PM with a snail mail address and I'll send you enough to do the job.

I use a fleece hose cozy. Have used one for years. I have two that I rotate.

I'm bumping this to see if anyone has any ideas or suggestions.

To refresh -- I am using the F&P HC150 stand alone humidifier with the Trilogy. I've been using it for YEARS, set on 1.5 - 2.5 - with no issues until the last few months.

I was getting a very annoying and disturbing "whistling" sound coming through the vent on the mask. It's definitely moisture, but there wasn't rainout.

I finally decided to use the humidifier in passover mode and while it wasn't as much moisture as I would like, it was okay.

The other morning, I woke up with a dry mouth and throat and decided to turn on the humidifier last night. It's set to 1, as low as it can get.

And same damned thing -- that whistling noise on and off all night long. It wakes me up.

What in the heck could have changed to suddenly cause this??

Madalot:

I looked closely at the user manual for your mask and it has an elbow that connects the mask to the mask hose that looks very similar to the same piece on my mask.
Here is a link to the user manual for my mask. If you look closely, it appears that the elbow marked B in your mask user manual is the same part in my manual.

HC452 User Manual

Look closely at the holes on the elbow device on your mask. There may be a removable clip that is part of the elbow there. If so, that's where the diffuser goes. In the cleaning instructions, this elbow is removable from the mask frame, just like on my mask. On my mask, it is connected to a short tube that then connects to the hose. Leaving out the diffuser pad on my mask does end up with a whistling noise.

If there is no clip, then if you PM me with your snail mail address, I will send you a replacement part from my mask that might fit yours together with a couple of diffuser pads to go in it to try.

This whistling noise isn't coming from that part of the mask. It's coming from the exhaust port near the forehead brace:



When I tap/slap on it, it gets the moisture out of it and it stops, temporarily. Then it somehow builds back up and starts again. If I run the humidifier in passover mode, it doesn't do it. But even if I have it set the lowest possible, I get this.

And I got a new mask out, thinking maybe it was a mask problem. Nope. My husband uses a PRS1 with his humidifier set at 2 or 3 (same mask) and never has these issues.

Sorry I missed that location information.
Do you use a fleece cover for the small hose that connects the mask to the main hose?
At higher humidity levels for me, wrapping three layers of fleece around that part helps.
If your husband uses a PRS1 machine and the internal attached humidifier, the level of humidity being put forth by that heated humidifier at a number 2-3 is less than that of the HC150 at 1.5 to 2.5. The numbering systems are not equivalent at all. That may account for the difference in performance.

Can you reach in inside of the place where the vent holes are? If so, there is a product called RainX that is used to prevent humidity from forming droplets on windshields from interior humidity when the outside is cold. Maybe, putting a really small drop on a Q-Tip and rubbing the inside might prevent the droplets from forming and partially obstructing the outlet holes which may be the source of the noise. The product is meant to be applied, rubbed in, and then rubbed off until completely dry. It forms a dry film on the surface that lowers the surface tension for condensation.

If you have an old mask, that would make a good one to experiment on in case odors.

EDIT: Can you once again modify the subject line to name the FP HC431 mask? I see that it is a common mask and that might get some suggestions from others who use it.

JDS74 wrote:Sorry I missed that location information.
Do you use a fleece cover for the small hose that connects the mask to the main hose?
At higher humidity levels for me, wrapping three layers of fleece around that part helps.
If your husband uses a PRS1 machine and the internal attached humidifier, the level of humidity being put forth by that heated humidifier at a number 2-3 is less than that of the HC150 at 1.5 to 2.5. The numbering systems are not equivalent at all. That may account for the difference in performance.

Can you reach in inside of the place where the vent holes are? If so, there is a product called RainX that is used to prevent humidity from forming droplets on windshields from interior humidity when the outside is cold. Maybe, putting a really small drop on a Q-Tip and rubbing the inside might prevent the droplets from forming and partially obstructing the outlet holes which may be the source of the noise. The product is meant to be applied, rubbed in, and then rubbed off until completely dry. It forms a dry film on the surface that lowers the surface tension for condensation.

If you have an old mask, that would make a good one to experiment on in case odors.

I've had this setup for a long time and never had this issue until the last few months. That's one reason I'm perplexed. And nothing has changed that I'm aware of.

I have a fleece cover on the hose that goes from the Humidifier to the mask. Nothing on the hose from the Trilogy to the humidifier.

The RainX is an idea, but will it block the holes entirely? That wouldn't be a good idea....

RainX is a liquid that dries to an invisible film. Once applied and rubbed dry, I cannot see that it is even there. It should have no effect on the diameters of the vent holes.

Humidity condensation issues are caused by only two things that I know of.
1) Increase in humidity.
2) Decrease in the temperature of the surface involved.

In your case has the room temperature gone down at all when this started to happen?
Has the humidity in the room increased?

The hose part to which I referred, is the little short hose that is attached to the mask itself. On my mask it's about 6 or 7 inches long and has the elbow at the mask end and the anti-asphyxiation valve on the other, I cut a piece of fleece about 6 inches wide and maybe 20 inches long and wrapped it around that little hose. Even for that short distance, the air temp dropped enough to cause condensation inside my mask.

JDS74 wrote:The hose part to which I referred, is the little short hose that is attached to the mask itself.

There isn't a short hose attached to the mask. There is a 2' hose from the Trilogy to one port on the humidifier. Then the long, 6' hose goes from the 2nd port on the humidifier to the mask.

I'm thoroughly confused about what you are talking about....

This is how mine is hooked up:



I am no longer using the cart or oxygen. The Trilogy & humidifier are now on my nightstand. But the hookups are the same, without the oxygen.

Mea culpa. I thought that your mask had the same connection as mine. Here is the part from the elbow to the antiasphyxiation valve on my machine. On yours, they connect directly.
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/Fisher ... Valve.html

So back to RainX applied to the inside of the vent panel to see if that can prevent condensation from forming tiny droplets that restrict the air flow and cause the noise.
I have the same Respironics hose insulator as you do. I added another layer of fleece inside of it when I was using the hose directly from my machine to my mask. I'm now using an HC 150 heated humidifier in series with my PRS1 heated humidifier and can't use the PR heated hose. So, I added a Hybernite heated hose to the mix. I would recommend that but you said earlier that warm air bothers you so that won't work.

Any chance that the room temp has gone down, even a little?

JDS74 wrote:Any chance that the room temp has gone down, even a little?

I suppose it's possible. We have our A/C on, but I don't think we changed the temperature from last year (or previous years). But who knows? Anything is possible.

I'm a little hesitant on the RainX because those holes are EXHAUST ports, so to speak, and I'm concerned about covering them like that.