Airsense 10 Humidifier Tank Running Dry

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MarylandCPAPer
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Airsense 10 Humidifier Tank Running Dry

Post by MarylandCPAPer » Sat Nov 21, 2015 3:35 pm

I am using the Airsense 10 for Her with a slimline hose and humidity set at 5. The humidifier tank is running dry every night after a few hours. When I get up for a bathroom break, I let it cool down, then refill it. Is there any danger to breathing CPAP air coming from a dry humidifier tank? I would think this is not good for the metal bottom of the tank or the air I am breathing before I refill the tank. Is there any danger of the humidifier tank cracking due to heat and no water?

I am using a Slimline hose. Would using the heated hose help any with the tank running dry? I am not used to a heated hose and just want to solve the problem of the humidifier tank water running dry every night. I have forced hot air heat, with the humidifier on the furnace set to 100% humidity in my house. The only thing I can think of to solve this problem is to run a small room humidifier next to my CPAP machine to add humidity to the air.

I am coming down with a sore throat, which I don't blame on CPAP, but I expect a full-fledged cold or flu soon and will want to sleep through it with my CPAP. I have a dry mouth / dry eye condition that pre-existed CPAP, and it is getting severe.

Any suggestions will be appreciated.

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Mask: AirFit™ P10 For Her Nasal Pillow CPAP Mask with Headgear
Additional Comments: Have also used Opus 360, Swift LT for Her, Optilife, and Breeze Nasal Pillows masks.
Last edited by MarylandCPAPer on Sat Nov 21, 2015 7:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Started CPAP 12/18/09 Pressure 13. Changed to APAP 1/18/10, Pressure 10-16. 4/2014:Switched to AirFit P10 mask. PR System One REMstar Auto Series 550 with A-Flex for 5.5 years. 7/2015 to present: AirSense 10 AutoSet FOR HER. Range: 10-20

WindCpap
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Re: Airsense 10 Humidifier Tank Running Dry

Post by WindCpap » Sat Nov 21, 2015 3:41 pm

Other than chapping, and sore throat from the warm dry air, there is no harm. The plate doesn't get that hot.

Are you filling the tank all the way? It sounds like you have very dry air or a relatively big leak somewhere. I would look into fixing the leaks, and consider a room humidifier if the air is that dry to take some of the load off of your cpap humidifier so that you don't have to get up to add more water.

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MarylandCPAPer
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Re: Airsense 10 Humidifier Tank Running Dry

Post by MarylandCPAPer » Sat Nov 21, 2015 3:56 pm

Yes, I am filling the tank a little above the maximum line. I have always had very dry air once the heat comes on and the furnace humidifier doesn't seem to help much.

During the summer, when I turned the house humidification to zero when the central air was on, I didn't have this problem. Winter at my house has never been my friend. I have a room humidifier but it caused mildew on the walls when I ran it pre-CPAP. I never had to use it when I was using a PR System One humidifier set to 5 (maximum setting) for the last 5 years. I just got the A10 in June.

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Mask: AirFit™ P10 For Her Nasal Pillow CPAP Mask with Headgear
Additional Comments: Have also used Opus 360, Swift LT for Her, Optilife, and Breeze Nasal Pillows masks.
Started CPAP 12/18/09 Pressure 13. Changed to APAP 1/18/10, Pressure 10-16. 4/2014:Switched to AirFit P10 mask. PR System One REMstar Auto Series 550 with A-Flex for 5.5 years. 7/2015 to present: AirSense 10 AutoSet FOR HER. Range: 10-20

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Pugsy
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Re: Airsense 10 Humidifier Tank Running Dry

Post by Pugsy » Sat Nov 21, 2015 4:58 pm

How are your leak numbers?

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Julie
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Re: Airsense 10 Humidifier Tank Running Dry

Post by Julie » Sat Nov 21, 2015 5:02 pm

Just wondering if you should rethink meds for ? Sjogren's ('dry' condition), maybe you need a higher dose?

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MarylandCPAPer
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Re: Airsense 10 Humidifier Tank Running Dry

Post by MarylandCPAPer » Sat Nov 21, 2015 7:15 pm

Here is the most recent Sleepyhead data:

Image

I probably refilled or topped off the tank at each point where there was a break. The longest period of sleep was a little over 6 hours. The water runs out before 6 hours routinely since the heat has been on.

APAP pressure is running higher than usual on this graph, but I am coming down with something and am very tired (as in sickly tired), not normal tired.

What medicines are you referring to Julie? I am not taking any medicines for Sjogren's. I tested positive for it only once, about 30 years ago, but never since. I just have very dry eyes and mouth. I use eye drops for my dry eyes. If there are medicines that help with dry mouth, please let me know so I can ask my dr. about them.

_________________
Mask: AirFit™ P10 For Her Nasal Pillow CPAP Mask with Headgear
Additional Comments: Have also used Opus 360, Swift LT for Her, Optilife, and Breeze Nasal Pillows masks.
Started CPAP 12/18/09 Pressure 13. Changed to APAP 1/18/10, Pressure 10-16. 4/2014:Switched to AirFit P10 mask. PR System One REMstar Auto Series 550 with A-Flex for 5.5 years. 7/2015 to present: AirSense 10 AutoSet FOR HER. Range: 10-20

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Re: Airsense 10 Humidifier Tank Running Dry

Post by Pugsy » Sat Nov 21, 2015 7:52 pm

Big leaks will cause an increase in water consumption but your leaks aren't that bad at all.
I don't think we can blame it on leaks.

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Machine: AirCurve™ 10 VAuto BiLevel Machine with HumidAir™ Heated Humidifier
Additional Comments: Mask Bleep Eclipse https://bleepsleep.com/the-eclipse/
I may have to RISE but I refuse to SHINE.

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Julie
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Re: Airsense 10 Humidifier Tank Running Dry

Post by Julie » Sat Nov 21, 2015 8:12 pm

I strongly suggest you see a rheumatologist - the specialist who deals with related conditions (Sjogren's is an autoimmune problem related to arthritis, Lupus, etc. and there are meds such as Prednisone that are taken, though I'm not suggesting it's necessarily given for Sjogren's or that you should take it, but I'd certainly want to inquire further, if only because you a) have this problem now, and b) because you are older and your system has gone through various changes since diagnosis.

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Re: Airsense 10 Humidifier Tank Running Dry

Post by MarylandCPAPer » Sun Nov 22, 2015 12:02 am

My question is about how to keep the humidifier tank from running dry, whether a heated hose would help with that, and whether there is any danger breathing air running over a dry but heated humidifier tank. I think the CPAP machine would use the same amount of moisture no matter what medical conditions I have. It seems that my problem is that I have a house with dry air in the winter despite a humidifier on the furnace. Is the only solution to set an alarm so I get up to fill the humidifier water tank every 4 hours or so? With winter coming, I'm sure I'm not the only one with this problem.

_________________
Mask: AirFit™ P10 For Her Nasal Pillow CPAP Mask with Headgear
Additional Comments: Have also used Opus 360, Swift LT for Her, Optilife, and Breeze Nasal Pillows masks.
Started CPAP 12/18/09 Pressure 13. Changed to APAP 1/18/10, Pressure 10-16. 4/2014:Switched to AirFit P10 mask. PR System One REMstar Auto Series 550 with A-Flex for 5.5 years. 7/2015 to present: AirSense 10 AutoSet FOR HER. Range: 10-20

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Re: Airsense 10 Humidifier Tank Running Dry

Post by Zoopshine » Sun Nov 22, 2015 3:15 am

Try a good room humidifier and close the bedroom door to keep the humidity in during winter. I'm also noticing that my water tank is dipping much lower than before since the heat has been on. If the air the machine is pulling through is drier, it's going to take more moisture to meet the levels you set. You could try lowering the humidification level and see if you can stand it lower. But I like moist air.

A decent room humidifier isn't that expensive, nor is it hard to maintain. If you don't want to have to clean it constantly, use distilled water.

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Re: Airsense 10 Humidifier Tank Running Dry

Post by AlabamaAl » Sun Nov 22, 2015 7:47 am

Running out of water during sleep has been discussed in several threads. This happens more in the dry cold winter, than in the humid summer. There have been a couple of good solutions dealing with the PR system one.

The first used an add on humidifier to increase water capacity.

viewtopic/t109050/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1 ... 9#p1014219

The second used a new gas can to create a larger volume of water reserve.
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=103558&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

To answer the question of the heated hose.. it will not make the water last longer. It just helps to keep rain-out from occurring, ensures more moisture gets to the mask, and provides a warmer air. I just use mine during the winter, because I like a colder room.

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Ricochet
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Re: Airsense 10 Humidifier Tank Running Dry

Post by Ricochet » Sun Nov 22, 2015 5:04 pm

Might I suggest turning your machine humidity and hose to auto. That might give you the correct therpy taking into account your room humidity and temp.

Just my .02
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MarylandCPAPer
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Re: Airsense 10 Humidifier Tank Running Dry

Post by MarylandCPAPer » Sun Nov 22, 2015 5:34 pm

Thank you for the suggestions and any other ideas. I am now down with what appears to be the flu, in bed most of the time connected to CPAP, and am adding water to the tank every time I get up. I still would be interested in knowing if using a heated hose would help the situation any--comfort-wise or better humidification. I have one on hand but have never used it.

At this point, I am quite dissatisfied with the A10 due to this situation. I anticipated it over the summer when I saw how much water the humidifier used then, when the room humidity was high. I never even had to consider a problem of the humidifier tank running out of water on my PR System One, which unfortunately is no longer working,

For the record, I measured the humidifier tank capacity on my System One and A10 humidifier water tanks soon after I got the new machine. Both were at 325 ml of water at the "maximum" line. The A10 tank looks much smaller to me than the PR System One tank, so that was a surprise.

_________________
Mask: AirFit™ P10 For Her Nasal Pillow CPAP Mask with Headgear
Additional Comments: Have also used Opus 360, Swift LT for Her, Optilife, and Breeze Nasal Pillows masks.
Started CPAP 12/18/09 Pressure 13. Changed to APAP 1/18/10, Pressure 10-16. 4/2014:Switched to AirFit P10 mask. PR System One REMstar Auto Series 550 with A-Flex for 5.5 years. 7/2015 to present: AirSense 10 AutoSet FOR HER. Range: 10-20

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Re: Airsense 10 Humidifier Tank Running Dry

Post by Pugsy » Sun Nov 22, 2015 5:44 pm

I don't know if using a heated hose and setting the humidifier to auto will help or not but since you say you have a heated hose available then I would for sure give it a try. You have nothing to lose at this point.
It's unusual for a ResMed to use so much water though. Very unusual unless leaks are really high or pressures are really high.

I would also say that if it still uses all the water within 4 hours that I would likely be wanting it checked out by the supplier because that is so unusual. Even people living in the desert don't use that much water.

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Machine: AirCurve™ 10 VAuto BiLevel Machine with HumidAir™ Heated Humidifier
Additional Comments: Mask Bleep Eclipse https://bleepsleep.com/the-eclipse/
I may have to RISE but I refuse to SHINE.

If you want to try the Eclipse mask and want a special promo code to get a little off the price...send me a private message.

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MarylandCPAPer
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Re: Airsense 10 Humidifier Tank Running Dry

Post by MarylandCPAPer » Sun Nov 22, 2015 6:11 pm

Could hypoallergenic filter use cause more use of the humidifier? I got about 5 months use out of the normal air filter for the A10. Today, I checked the hypoallergenic filter I changed to about a month ago. It is as dirty as the regular filter was at 5 months, so I changed the filter. I also changed the nasal pillows on my Airfit P10 mask today. Now that it may do some good, I can't find the heated hose.

I switched to a Slimline hose from a standard size hose about a week ago. The only options I see on the A10 (clinical and user menus) are Slimline and Standard for hoses-- no option for auto on hose or humidity. Does that change on the A10 when a heated hose is used?

I looked at the thread where someone suggested a F&P added humidifier. Unfortunately, it does not work with CPAP machines that have built in humidifiers, such as the Airsense 10.

Thank you for any further suggestions.

_________________
Mask: AirFit™ P10 For Her Nasal Pillow CPAP Mask with Headgear
Additional Comments: Have also used Opus 360, Swift LT for Her, Optilife, and Breeze Nasal Pillows masks.
Last edited by MarylandCPAPer on Sun Nov 22, 2015 6:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Started CPAP 12/18/09 Pressure 13. Changed to APAP 1/18/10, Pressure 10-16. 4/2014:Switched to AirFit P10 mask. PR System One REMstar Auto Series 550 with A-Flex for 5.5 years. 7/2015 to present: AirSense 10 AutoSet FOR HER. Range: 10-20