CPAPtalk.com

Since starting cpap last April, I have kept my unit (with heated hose) set as follows:
Climate Control: Auto
Tube Temp: 81
I've had no problems with rainout until recently when the weather got much cooler. I love to sleep in a cold room and I don't want to reduce my tube humidity, so it looks as though the best way to address the new rainout issue is to wrap the heated hose.

The heated portion of my hose is 6 ft. long, and there is an additional 1.5 ft. of unheated hose extension. I've found a couple of hose wraps that are 8 ft. in length, but all of the specifications (regardless of hose length) state that the wraps are not intended to be used with a heated hose. They say that insulation is unnecessary with a heated hose. Obviously from my own personal experience, this is not true now that the weather has changed.

Should I simply disregard this statement and see if a hose wrap will address the problem; or, is there some valid reason why I shouldn't go this route?

I use a snuggle hose cover with a heated hose. worked just fine.

I assume that you have already tried increasing the hose air temp more than 81 ? It will go to 86....have you tried that?

Where is the condensation......hose or mask level or both?

And yes, you can use a hose cover with your heated hose and it not hurt a thing. I just recently did it for the same reason. Cold bedroom and rain out in hose, mask and on me. Long story there....some dumb ass turned her heated air temp down and not up and was wondering why it wasn't working.

I use a Padacheek long hose cover.....and she makes short hose covers also. If you are using 86 degrees and getting rain out just in the short hose or mask then a short hose cover might be all you need.

As usual, all great suggestions, Pugsy.

The rainout has been in the mask only. Not heavy, just very noticeable in the morning. As stated, I've been at 81 degrees and didn't think about increasing the temp. Also didn't think about just insulating the unheated extension. I'll try these before getting a cover.

Okay....rain out at mask only. Here's the deal...our exhaled breath contains moisture and sometimes the air in the mask gets cooled down to the point of releasing the moisture. We have the incoming humidified air in the mask and the exhaled moisture laden breath sitting in the mask and when the bedroom temps are cool the air in the mask will cool down and release the moisture. Highly annoying just at the mask level...when it happens to me I usually get a cold shower out the vent holes.

Several ways to try to remedy the situation without changing the amount of humidity being delivered by the humidifier (which BTW doesn't always remedy the problem anyway) for those of us whose nose likes the moisture.
1...simplest thing to try if one can is just increase the hose air temp so that the air going into the mask is a bit warmer. Sometimes this is all that needs to be done.
2...if we are already running the hose air temp at max (86 F degrees) and the air is still cooling too much we can try to keep the air in the mask warmer with some sort of short hose cover or even some sort of mask cover (depends on the mask). For my nasal pillow masks I use the Padacheek barrel cozy...not sure if she has something similar for a nasal cushion mask.

The reason that I say that reducing the humidifier output won't always work is because sometimes it's nothing more than the moisture in our own exhaled breath that is condensing when the rain out is at the mask level. I know people experiencing rain out at the mask level who aren't even using water in the humidifier so the air coming to the mask isn't humidified at all.

Now as to what this dumb ass did the other day....temps have cooled and I keep the bedroom quite cold because of several factors.
So I got rain out everywhere...thought I increased the hose air temp but apparently reduced it.
So it was at 78 degrees and I was getting a cold shower and horrible water noise in the hose. So since I thought I had maxed out the hose air temp I dug out my old Padacheek long hose cozy and put it on...problem solved with the water in the hose but not at the mask level. So dug out the nasal pillow barrel cozy....problem solved finally.
Then I got to thinking that last winter I didn't have this problem requiring the hose cozy or the barrel cozy so why now???
Anyway last night I looked again at the hose temp and it wasn't at 86 degrees...it was at 76 degrees...no wonder I was getting rain out. I had gone down in temp instead of up.
So I took the hose cozy off and the barrel cozy off and increased the hose air temp to 86 degrees...and last night no condensation anywhere.

Some people just like to use a hose cover because they like the way it feels. Some people would prefer to keep the hose air temp a little cooler and not use 86 degrees and a hose cozy will help prevent rain out for those people. It worked for me at 76 degrees but my hose cozy is quite bulky and a bit heavy and I really don't like that much weight so I prefer no hose cozy....hence my choice to just increase the hose air temp.
My bedroom air is so cool that I actually like the warmer air coming into my nose. In the winter I just warm the air up and in the summer I turn the temp way down because that warmer air doesn't feel so good in the summer.

I may play with the 86 degrees a bit and see if 83 keeps the rain out away....but for now I kinda like the warm air so not in any rush to change it.

So it is perfectly safe and fine to use a hose cover if that is what someone wishes to do on a heated hose. Won't hurt a thing. All it does is keep the little heating elements in the hose from having to work so hard.

I suspect the statement that cozying a heated hose is not needed is largely CYA in nature. The ability to say "I told you so" when reacting to a problem is tempting. Many opt for routing the hose under the covers in addition to the cozy - or, in my case - instead of. As long as you don't restrict the exhaust port, you can pull the covers up to your chin and keep you and the hose warm and toasty. Although, the feel of a warm and fuzzy hose cozy is very appealing, indeed.

If you are interested in trying a hose cover, I have one I can send to you. It was made by a forum member that was selling them a year or so ago. I haven't seen him on the forum in quite some time. I replaced it with one from Padacheek, which I like much better. If interested, PM me.