Although the RT at my DME acts concerned about it, I use both the patched Resmed Slimline and the 15mm Resprionics Performance hose with my Resprionics System One BiPAP. The manager of the DME, on the other hand, doesn't have a problem with what I'm doing. Noise-wise I cannot tell any difference at all between the two hoses. I do have the hose in use in a hose cozy and that might muffle any differences. The reason I use both hoses is that in spite of my Annie Oakley routine, it seems like it takes forever for the inside of the hose to dry once it's washed. So I swap the hoses out about once every week or two: The current hose gets its bath and the clean, dry hose goes into a (clean) hose cozy. The newly washed hose is hung up to dry for the next week or two until I'm ready to wash the hose again.sleepwellmylove wrote:@robysue: Do you use the 15mm Resperonics Performance hose with your XPAP? If so, do you prefer it to the Slimline because it is sturdier? Any difference in the effectiveness and/or noise level of your XPAP set-up with the Resperonics hose?robysue wrote: However, I do think the hose material on the Slimline might not be quite as tough as my 15mm Resprionics Performance hose. And that could have resulted in it not standing up quite as well to my "Annie Oakley" routine (as my husband refers to it) for drying the hose after its weekly soaking in a vinegar-hot water bath.
It did seem to me that the Slimline was more flexible brand new than the Resprionics Performance hose was brand new. But with use that Performance hose has started to become more flexible and now I really can't tell which hose I'm using based on how bendy it is. (I run the hose under the covers and tend to sleep with it under my arm as if I'm a kid cuddling a rather large, long stuffed toy snake. Hence my BiPAP's name is Kaa, after the snake in the Jungle Book,)
Washing the Slimline seems to be easier because its still a bit more flexible and seems to be less "buoyant" when I'm trying to submerge it fully in the bathroom sink.
Seems to me that except for the heated hoses, a hose is a hose is a hose as functioning goes and it doesn't make much difference as long as the hose is long enough so you don't feel like a dog on a short leash and flexible enough where it bends the way you want it to. I personally don't like the "standard" 22mm hoses simply because they are larger and less "cuddly" and seem less bendy. But then again, the only time I've slept with 22mm hoses have been on my three titration studies and the hoses were bare-naked. But they also were much "firmer" in the since of not being bendy enough for me to get the hose into a comfortable position for me to sleep well.Do other people mix and match hoses? If so, what qualities are desirable?
As I said earlier, I swap my hoses out about once a week or so. When I was a newbie, it was every single week. I'm getting a bit lazier and no longer worry quite so much if two weeks go by without the hose getting a bath.Also, I'd like to hear more about that weekly bath. DH never rinses or cleans any of his components, and I think I may assist in that regard.
The RT at my DME suggested using a 1:10 Vinegar:Water ratio for cleaning my equipment since I am very, very sensitive to most cleaning supplies and the perfumes they contain. And I don't mind the smell of good old-fashioned white distilled vinegar. So here's what I do when I'm cleaning the hose:
I strip the hose cozy off the hose and separate the small hose from the large one. I run hot tap water in the bathroom sink and add enough vinegar to make a vinegar-water solution that is a bit stronger than 1 part vinegar to 10 parts water. I attempt to submerge the hose as best I can and pour the hot water/vinegar into the inside of the hose with small measuring cup. Once the hose is filled up, at least some of it starts to sink towards the bottom of the sink. At this point, I place a clean Pfaltzgraf plate on top of the part of the hose that is close to the bottom of the sink and start stuffing the hose under the plate. I continue to pour more of the vinegar-water into the hose as I'm doing this to keep the inside full. Once the whole hose is under the plate, I repeat the process with the small hose and get it stuffed under the plate. I then submerge the humidifier chamber and the nasal pillows as well. And then I let the whole thing soak for anywhere between 30 minutes (if I'm in a hurry) or several hours (if I'm busy and forget about the bath). [NOTE: The nasal pillows get washed in vinegar-water almost every single day and the humidifier gets a vinegar-water soak/rinse two or three times a week. But on hose-washing day, I just add those pieces to the hose's bath for simplicity.]
When I get back to the equipment, I drain the water. I run as much hot, hot water as I think is necessary through the hose to rinse the inside thoroughly of the vinegar. My hose couplings will actually fit over the bathroom faucet's aerator screen, so I hook the hose up that way and turn the water on at full pressure. I usually attach the small hose to the large hose at this stage to rinse its insides too. By partially putting my thumb over the end of the short hose, I enough pressurized water in the hoses to check for small leaks and tears. When I'm happy enough that the hoses are rinsed, I do a final rinse of their exteriors.
The Annie Oakley routine comes next as an attempt to get as much of the moisture out of the hose as possible: With the long hose I hold one end of the hose in one hand and grab the hose about 1/3 to 1/2 way up with the other and then start whipping that loose end of the hose around my head as if it were part of a lasso. I switch hands and ends of the hose frequently while doing the Annie Oakley thing. If I have the endurance, I like to try to spend a good 5 minutes (or a bit more) doing this. With the small hose, I can just grab one end of the hose and start whipping the hose around my head. The Annie Oakley routine cannot be done in our very small bathroom. So I do it at one end of our very large, oversided "country kitchen". And then I hang the clean hose up to dry in the bedroom---usually for a full week.
As to why I (try to) clean the hose on a weekly basis: Well I'll be honest: I don't always remember to disconnect the hose and hang it every day. And our house is old and dusty. And our basement has a bit of mold or mildew in spots at certain times of the year. And I'm just a wee bit paranoid about mold or mildew deciding to set up housekeeping in my hose. Since vinegar is a decent anti-bacterial and anti-mold agent, I hope and think that I'm making it a bit more difficult for bacteria, mold, or mildew to start growing in my equipment.
