FFM's and hose routing from above?

[SleeplessInSpokane]

[quote="ozij"]Do you hear the noise and ignore it (got used to it) or has your solution avoided the vent to hose noise problem?[/quote]

Yes, the vents are in the front of the mask at about bridge-of-the-nose level; however, I don't remember it being a problem. I think it is partially because my hose will tend to bend right or left as it comes down over my forehead, so it doesnt lie directly in front of the vents, and partially that the noise didnt bother me.

It has been a while since I use the FFM since I am learning how to keep my mouth shut (while sleeping that is ) I think you can learn to do it subconsiously. BTW, I saw someone mention in one of the forums that he would push his tongue against the roof of his mouth to help keep his mouth shut while asleep... that worked for me. Now it is second-nature.

[BleepingBeauty]

Thank you, BB, Velbor, DoriC, bailachel and Kira. It's very helpful to hear of all those techniques and solutions.
BB, let us know how your tweak works (I'm sure you will...).

The info more the better!
O.

I've taped the hose connector to the hard shell of the mask for two nights now. The first night, I apparently didn't use a piece of tape that was long enough, because I woke up with the hose connector swiveling freely. Last night, the tape kept the connector in place and totally negated the noise issue. But my leak rate was a little high (still within parameters and nothing to worry about, but higher than I'd like to see); I don't know if it was because of the hose position or not, so more experimentation is needed to make a determination on that.

I should mention that, like Dori's hubby, I'm using the "Performance Tubing" from Respironics, which is more flexible than a standard hose. I'm guessing that makes it easier to route the hose this way.

I'll keep you posted.

[ozij]

The heated hose is so much heavier than performance tubing... add a snuggle hose to that, and you know wha I have to contend with...

Waiting to hear the further results!

[BleepingBeauty]

Taping the hose in the downward position results in absolutely NO noise, which is awesome. However, I had some large leak last night (which actually woke me up). The problem occurs when I'm sleeping on my back and the hose is hitting the blankets; that results in pushing the mask up and away from my chin, where the leak was happening.

If you're strictly a side-sleeper, this mod should work well (unless you really tuck your chin when you sleep).

ozij, FYI, I used medical paper tape, but you'd likely need something stronger to hold the heated hose in place on the mask shell, since it's heavier than a regular hose. If it's heavy enough, perhaps you could just leave enough slack in it (from the hose hanger) that the hose would go down and to the side of the mask naturally. HTH