Rain out with my heated hose and Swift

KimberlyinMN · Post by **KimberlyinMN** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 5:21 pm

Holy buckets did I ever have rain out this morning!! I woke up at 3 a.m. and could feel water dripping. I took the mask off to drain it in the sink!) Then I tried to go back to sleep without the machine. No.. I kept wondering why I had rain out.

The good news is that the heated hose is working. I stuck it under my pillow while draining the Swift and when I came back it was warm.

I think the reason for the rain out is that I had the humidifier set on its highest setting (5). That's what the DME had told me to use with the Swift. (This was only my 3rd night using it ever thanks to the nasty cold I had for two weeks.) So tonight I'll turn the humidifier down to 4.

I was just so surprised to have rain out!

Kimberly

yardbird · Post by **yardbird** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 5:51 pm

If you're getting that much water WITH the heated hose, I'd drop that humidifier down 2 notches instead of one. Also... try to get your machine down lower than the mattress. Mine sits on a shelf about even with the bottom of my mattress. Maybe like... the bottom of the machine is at the bottom of the mattress. I don't use a hose hangar for the Swift. Hose management is likely going to be very much subject to individual experiment, but I try to have my hose routed such that water is more likely to flow back into the humidifier tank than into the mask.

Minnesota?... cold? The furnace on at your house? Bedroom temp...do you tend to keep it on the cool side? All of these things contribute to the condensation we lovingly refer to as rainout.

In my own experience here I've found keeping the machine lower than my head has probably done more than any other single thing I've done.

laurie2025 · Post by **laurie2025** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 5:56 pm

I am in Northern Illinois, and it is freezing cold here right now. I had to turn my humidity off and just use the heated hose to heat the air to stop the rainout. I use the heated hose and a comfort sleeve. I also moved my cpap unit down to about 1' above the floor, making sure the water was draining back to the unit if condensation had formed.
I was unable to leave the humidity off though; started getting bloody noses. So, I have it moved up to 1. I usually get rainout about 3 a.m., after I clean it out, I go back to sleep and don't have any other problems. I hope you find a way to get rid of it altogether.

KimberlyinMN · Post by **KimberlyinMN** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 6:06 pm

I'll turn the humidifier down to 3. It's about 62 degrees in the bedroom. I do have the unit at about level with the foundation mattress.

Thanks for all the suggestions!

Kimberly

Snoozin' Bluezzz · Post by **Snoozin' Bluezzz** » Sat Dec 09, 2006 8:53 am

I think at 62 degrees rainout is guaranteed with the Swift and probably almost any other interface. Along with all the other folks I think that using the heated hose, turning the humidifier down to 2 or 3 and lowering the unit to almost on the floor will make it manageable. If I can get my room cold, the way I like it, I always have condensation but most stays in the hose or drains back and what remains does not disturb me. It can be quite a bit when I wake up but I don't ever snort it in the Swift like I did with the Headrest. Occasionally I'll feel a fine mist spray from the exhaust and that is amusing.

David

Bonnie · Post by **Bonnie** » Sat Dec 09, 2006 9:33 am

I use the Swift, machine set almost floor level, HH set at 3, room temp is 63 degrees, have an Aussie heated hose covered with Kathleen's (Offerocker) Comfort Sleeve and never have rainout.

What I do to the hose is to slip an empty paper towel roll on the hose before attaching it to the humidifier to keep the base of the hose upright. Don't know if this makes a rainout difference but it does help in keeping the hose from detaching from the base.

TurboHonda · Post by **TurboHonda** » Sat Dec 09, 2006 11:58 am

Rainout (condensation) will happen at the point that saturated warm air turns to cool air and can no longer hold the moisture.

The water in the humidifier is heated. Compressed air from the machine passes over the heated water. The air picks up warmth and moisture. The warm humid air travels down a heated or insulated hose. As long as the temperature is maintained or increased, all is well. However, when the air moves from the heated or insulated hose and enters the non-insulated mask tubing and mask a temperature drop may occur.

A possible solution is to cover the mask tubing and the mask itself with some kind of insulating material. The goal is to breathe the warm humidified air while it is still warm and the moisture is in a gaseous state.

snoregirl · Post by **snoregirl** » Sat Dec 09, 2006 12:21 pm

Just for reference I will add my settings.

Swift, Remstar Auto, room temp at night 66 - 68 deg F HH setting 3

Hose with homemade polartec cover, machine on floor, and good portion of the hose under the covers with me.

No rainout.

KimberlyinMN · Post by **KimberlyinMN** » Sat Dec 09, 2006 6:49 pm

Last night was great! I turned the humidifier to 3. The unit is about a foot off the floor, and about a foot or two lower than the bed. No rainout! I did feel one drip almost right away, but I think that was left over from my washing it that day because once I removed that, I was okay.

Yay!

Kimberly