Machine location?

I grabbed this from another thread.

SleepyToo2 wrote:They will tell you to pull the straps tight to stop the mask leaking, and to make sure you don't put the machine on the floor, but have it lower than your head.

I've had my machine on the floor since I got it about 6 months ago, so was surprised to read that I'm not supposed to. What's the rationale for not putting it on the floor?

I also read that post and assumed it was meaning that we should make sure not to drop it on the floor.
I also wonder as I do put the machine on the floor...

My sleep tech recommended level with my head. I assume it generates a different pressure if it is above or below. Kind of like how a siphon works. I don't have the math/science to figure out how much of a difference it would make.

I am getting curious now. So I did a quick search and found a few sites

http://www.thoracicandsleep.com.au/slee ... -your-cpap
It is written "Place your CPAP unit on the floor and move it slightly under your bed to dampen the sound".

However here http://www.medox.org/cpap2.htm they say "Do not put the CPAP machine on the floor either for treatments or for storage."

And here: http://www.ehow.com/how_7559788_learn-u ... chine.html
"Never place your CPAP unit directly on your floor. This can cause air needed to cool your unit to be drawn away."

And this one http://www.awakeinphilly.org/FAQ/xPAP/index.shtml is compromising: "Once you have a machine in your home, it's ideal the machine be kept low, such as on the bottom shelf of a nightstand or on a small item (such as a phone book) on the floor"



I think the main motivation not to put it on the floor is to avoid dust and possible allergies.

I think that the floor thing is more for the quality of the air at floor level and in corners and under the bed..sort of stuff.
Lots of dust bunnies typically at floor level. I know there sure are in my house.
Depending on mattress height...might generate unwanted tension on the hose (if mattress is high) and limit mobility. Possibly creating a situation where hose tension might turn the machine over.
I can't think of how having the machine lower would change the pressure other than if the air intake got clogged up with dust bunnies. It has often been recommended to lower the machine to allow gravity to direct any condensation in the hose back to the humidifier so as to lessen any chance of the gurgling in the hose (been there done that) that is extremely annoying. It is amazing how much noise such a small amount of water will make in the hose. I poured it out to measure once...less than a 1/4 of a cup.

I wouldn't be afraid to use the floor as long as I kept the dust bunnies cleared away so that the filter stayed reasonably free from debri. I don't use the floor but mainly because I have a rather high mattress and I don't want to lose that added hose length for turning over in bed and stuff. And.... I have pets so I have a lot of dust bunnies and spend more time here at the forum than I do removing the dust bunnies.

I agree - can't think of any reason to not have machine on the floor except to reduce the dust etc. from floors, carpeting clogging up the air filter. Oh, and if you have the machine above your head and you accidentally move it during sleep - might end up with an injury if it falls on you.

Cheers,
xena

this is another one of those questions with no right or wrong answers as long as you use common sense. if the place you put it makes sense to you, put it there. if problems arise, move it.

Most any place is good as long as it is clean, safe, accessible, and rainout can drain back into the tank.
Some have mentioned that a little short footstool or even a big phone book works.
Mine is on a shelf next to the headboard--the top of the machine is about level with the top of the mattress.
I would like it a little lower yet, just so the hose will be more an upside-down "J", rather than an upside-down "U".
(less rain in the face--ugh!)

I started with mine on the floor, but I could not reach it while in bed to turn it off and on again. I have a desk next to my bed, so I opened the lowest drawer and set it on the open drawer. That worked well, but two of the drawers useless, and it also made it impossible to keep my trash can next to my bed. I did not like that.

So, I got a small cabinet on wheels. It has 3 drawers. The top two are more shallow, and the bottom is for hanging file folders. I have the machine in the middle drawer. The cabinet sits in front of my desk, but not up against the bed. I still have room for the trash can. During the night, the middle drawer is open, so that I can reach the machine's buttons, and there is plenty of air flow around the machine. The drawer hangs open over the trash can area. The top drawer is where I keep my extra mask, and other small accessories. Everything else is kept in the bottom drawer.

When I get up, I can push the drawer in a little so that I can get out of bed easily. I then take the mask off the hose. The cushion goes to the bathroom for a rinse. The mask goes into the top drawer, and the hose fits nicely in the middle drawer with the machine. It can stay closed during the day. It looks nice, fits well, and I don't feel like my machine is at risk of falling off the desk drawer.

Wow, I thought that those darn dust bunnies were suppose to hold my cpap machine at just the right height
I have my machine sitting on one of those inexpensive 3 draw plastic storage things you can get at Walmart, Target etc. it holds all the xtra stuff in the draws, along with my Nook, and it raises the machine about 13 inches off the floor.

CatButler wrote:My sleep tech recommended level with my head. I assume it generates a different pressure if it is above or below. Kind of like how a siphon works. I don't have the math/science to figure out how much of a difference it would make.

Hi,

If you keep the machine at head level or above, then condensation is going to stay in the hose and get blown (or run down) into your nose. But if you put the machine below head level, the condensation will mostly drain back into the water tray. If you don't have an issue with rainout, or use a heated hose, then this is much less of a factor.

Personally, I use an upside down milk crate for a CPAP stand. I also keep my Zeo there. That keeps the lights from bothering me, but they are very convenient if I want to make the effort to look at them.

-john-

CatButler wrote:I assume it generates a different pressure if it is above or below.

Not unless you have a really, REALLY, long hose. Water is roughly 1000 times heavier than air, so 1 pressure unit (cmH2O) would require 10 meters (30 feet) difference in elevation.

However, even if you did have a pressure difference in the air in the hose because the machine is higher or lower, the ambient air pressure on your body would drop or rise by the same amount, so the effect on your breathing would be the same.

Lower is better, but more important than that is that you locate it where you can't accidentally pull it off the table or turn it over by pulling on the hose in your sleep or by other accident. If you turn it over, the water from the humidifier can kill the blower unit. In a drawer is an excellent location.