fitlife leak issue please help!

Hi all,
Despite some great suggestions from an earlier post, I'm still having difficulty with my mask. Last night I readjusted the connectors that attach the mask to the hose. Everthing was great until three hours later when I awoke the masked leaking. I cannot tell if its leaking at the connectors or the grey exhaust vent. I was unable to fix it and had to take the mask off Any suggestions?

As a general rule, the more contact with the face the more leaks. Larger masks have more leaks than smaller masks because there is more mask area touching the face. The fit life is the largest mask there is.

LSAT wrote:As a general rule, the more contact with the face the more leaks. Larger masks have more leaks than smaller masks because there is more mask area touching the face. The fit life is the largest mask there is.

Thanks for responding LSAT. The mask seals well. My problem is with the hard plastic elbow or the grey vent piece. I'm thinking teflon tape may help seal the leak if I can figure out where its coming from. But before I play lab rat, I need to decide if I want to keep it or return it to the DME and get a new one. Maybe I got a lemon?

It's a friction fit.
Before you re-attach it, make very, VERY sure it is squeaky clean (free of skin oil, moisturizer, Lansinoh, Astroglide, etc.)
The squeak should help it grip.

Don't use the tape yet.... your mask is suppose to vent at the elbow. The vent will remove the carbon monoxide from the mask. I have used probably a half a dozen fitlife masks. It is very noisy around the elbow. Sometimes I think it is leaking too much also, but my leak rates don't show it. If your hose, mask elbow, etc... were leaking, it would show up on the data as a leak.

Sheriff

Don't forget to check that little inlet on the clear elbow attached to the grey swivel. The cap keeps coming off for me- I either glue it shut or the cap on or stick a toothpick in the hole to seal it off.

Mary Z wrote:Don't forget to check that little inlet on the clear elbow attached to the grey swivel. The cap keeps coming off for me- I either glue it shut or the cap on or stick a toothpick in the hole to seal it off.

Thanks for the response. Do you mean the supplemental oxygen port?

Sheriff Buford wrote:Don't use the tape yet.... your mask is suppose to vent at the elbow. The vent will remove the carbon monoxide from the mask. I have used probably a half a dozen fitlife masks. It is very noisy around the elbow. Sometimes I think it is leaking too much also, but my leak rates don't show it. If your hose, mask elbow, etc... were leaking, it would show up on the data as a leak.

Sheriff

Thanks for the reply. I don't understand why the mask starts off quiet and then gets so loud it wakes me up. Have you noticed an increase in noise with a change in pressure? I'm thinking of setting my machine to straight cpap to see if its the change in pressure causing the noise.

pap: now that you mentioned it.... yes.... it seems to me that it does get louder as time goes on... Sheriff