Heated Humidifiers All Year

[ericlhyman]

I just started CPAPing and am using a heated humidifier now in the winter (Washington, DC area). Will I need to use this all year long or only when home heating is needed?

[SleepyInIndy]

I think you wil find that how much/if any humidification you need will be a personal issue. Myself, I use a low setting all year around, I believe others here switch between passive and heated humidity.

Basic rule of thumb, if you have rainout, lower the humidity, insulate the hose if needed. Dry mouth, or nose, you probably need more humidity.

Of course, YMMV.

John

[billbolton]

Will I need to use this all year long or only when home heating is needed?

While a heated humidifier is driven by heat, it is not about controlling the temperature of the air flow that you are breathing while asleep, but it is about controlling the amount of moisiture for your needs into the air flow.

In general the need for extra humidification is not strongly dependent on seasons etc, though you may find you need to adjust the specific amount of humidification up or down depending on the general ambient humidity in your locality, if it varies significantly with the seasons.

So, the bottom line is if you need to use a humidifier, you will generally need to use it pretty much all the time.

There is a separate issue called rainout which is about condensation in the hose from the flow-generator/humidifier to your mask. This is something which is significantly impacted by ambient temperatures, and many users do find it more of issue in winter than in summer. You may want to do search on messages here concerning rainout, for a fuller discussion on that topic.

Cheers,

Bill

[jnk]

http://www.resmed.com/en-us/patients/im ... u=patients

[roster]

I just started CPAPing and am using a heated humidifier now in the winter (Washington, DC area). Will I need to use this all year long or only when home heating is needed?

I start mine up when the heating season starts and put it away when the heating season is over. I am in Charlotte which has a very humid climate. From my visits to D.C., it seems you have a pretty humid climate also. But experiment with different humidity settings in the different seasons. Individual needs seem to vary widely.

[rested gal]

While a heated humidifier is driven by heat, it is not about controlling the temperature of the air flow that you are breathing while asleep, but it is about controlling the amount of moisiture for your needs into the air flow.

In general the need for extra humidification is not strongly dependent on seasons etc, though you may find you need to adjust the specific amount of humidification up or down depending on the general ambient humidity in your locality, if it varies significantly with the seasons.

So, the bottom line is if you need to use a humidifier, you will generally need to use it pretty much all the time.

There is a separate issue called rainout which is about condensation in the hose from the flow-generator/humidifier to your mask. This is something which is significantly impacted by ambient temperatures, and many users do find it more of issue in winter than in summer. You may want to do search on messages here concerning rainout, for a fuller discussion on that topic.

Cheers,

Bill

I agree with everything Bill said. He explained it perfectly, imho.

I think you wil find that how much/if any humidification you need will be a personal issue. Myself, I use a low setting all year around

Same here. I also use a low heat setting on my humidifier year round.

[Wulfman]

I just started CPAPing and am using a heated humidifier now in the winter (Washington, DC area). Will I need to use this all year long or only when home heating is needed?

I've always used "pass-over" mode (no heat) all year round.


Den