Mask Exhaust Holes Blocked?

[HD RULZ]

A “newbie” here, this was all new to me last July. So much to learn. Thanks to this site for so much good information! I’ve been lurking for awhile and thought I’d share something I haven’t seen discussed. I’m using a Mirage Swift LT mask. All went well, for two or three months. Then I started having trouble getting to sleep, it was even more difficult to get back to sleep after a few hours if I got up to go to the bathroom. Air from the machine seemed too warm and it was difficult to exhale. I tended to open my mouth from time to time, trying to get back to sleep. I had been doing a great job of keeping the nasal pillows and heated humidifier chamber clean but had been neglecting the 53 very small exhaust holes in the mask. An old toothbrush about once a week does a great job. WOW, what a difference! It’s so simple, I can’t believe I didn’t see the problem sooner. It almost eliminated the “rain-out” problem I was having. The gurgling was so bad I had to dump the hose in the middle of the night at least twice a week. I’d read here about covering/heating the hose and thought sure that was where I was headed.

Thanks!

Ride Safe!

HD RULZ

[JohnBFisher]

... A “newbie” here ... but had been neglecting the 53 very small exhaust holes in the mask. An old toothbrush about once a week does a great job. WOW, what a difference! It’s so simple... Ride Safe! ...

Greetings! Welcome to the forum. Glad you found this place. And THANKS for that tip. I never would have thought of it. Most of the masks I have used had larger exhaust holes, so I'ld never seen them clog up before.

And sounds as if you are riding off for a safe night of sleep, now that you've solved that problem. Thanks again for joining and immediately taking on the spirit of the forum and sharing your experience to help others!