NOISY Liberty mask! Any tips??

[codinqueen]

I just got a Mirage Liberty mask, so I could have the luxury of breathing thru my mouth in case of nasal congestion with a cold or sinusitis that I usually get at least once thru the winter. This mask is the noisiest thing I have ever heard! I adjusted it every which way, but never managed to get the noise to stop. When the leaks were finally plugged, it was STILL noisy! My hubby complained the noise woke him up, and it also kept me from falling asleep. It sounded like a train was coming thru our bedroom! After fussing with it for about 45 minutes, trying, ineffectively, to make the noise stop, I had to give up and take the stupid thing off. I then used my usual Swift FX and fell asleep almost immediately, as did hubby. Does anyone have any tips I could use to make this mask silent or has everyone else using it noticed it is just a noisy mask? If I can't make it quieter, I will have wasted my opportunity for a mask every 6 months that my insurance permits! I got it Oct 10th and don't know if my DME will take it back for an exchange, and if it does, I don't know what other mask I could use. They told me they only stock ResMed, & all others are "special order", and I can't just go to another DME as have I no out-of-network insurance benefits and very little money.I just wanted a hybrid for use when my nose is plugged up. If I can't find one, I will be forced to just not use my CPAP when I get sick with nasal congestion, and I know that is not an option I should entertain.

Can anybody help me please?

[squid13]

Did you change the machine to the full face mask setting? I got a Hybrid (InnoMed) and spent most of an afternoon doing the adjusting so I had it done when I went to bed. It's a great mask.

[OntarioKevin]

There are like 100 possible places that the Liberty can leak.

This will sound silly, but I'd suggest carefully taking it apart completely and re-assembling it several times, so you see where all the potential leaks could arise from.

Every place that the different parts fit together can leak. And there are I think about 8 different parts that are assembled.

You can also check your machine stats to see if the issue is really leakage, or something else, but my guess is that the mask is leaking.

[Sheriff Buford]

Take the mask back to the DME and hook it up to their machine and show the DME what you are talking about. You may have gotten a defective mask. If not, you should consider a full face mask (the liberty is considered as a hibred (spelling?) mask. The manufacturers say a mask that supplies the nose and mouth are considered a full face mask. To me... the Liberty is somewhat different). I started out with the Liberty mask and couldn't get it to work for me. Now that you mentioned it, it is a noisy mask.

Sheriff

[b360155]

Can you tell where the leak is coming from? I just started using a Liberty mask about a week ago (see thread titled "Leak Rates"). The DME fit me with the large face mask and the size medium nasal pillows. I played around with the headgear tensions and mask positions for the first couple of nights and did have some difficulty getting a good quiet seal. My leaks were coming from either the seal around the top of the mask portion between my upper lip and my nose or from my nose itself as I was having a hard time getting the nose pillows to get a good tight seal. I went back a couple of days ago and got a size large nasal pillow and for me that did the trick. It allowed me to loosen the headgear which provided a better seal around the mouth portion of the mask and it sealed around the nasal pillows very easily. My leak rates are extremely low now and the mask is virtually silent.

One other thing that I noticed that can make noise is if you have the short tube assembly to one side or the other where it is in line with the exhale ports. If there is something in line with those ports where the air comes out, you can get some noise. If not, mine is pretty much silent. Good luck! I think it's a great mask!!!

[codinqueen]

Hey there, Squid,
I didn't know I was supposed to change anything on the machine. The DME should have told me that! I will have to see if I can figure out how to do that, I guess it would be in the two buttons somehow to make an adjustment.

The leaks were mostly from the left nasal pillow (that did not seem to be seated properly into the mask but I think I finally got it), but once I got that corrected, then it leaked on either side of my mouth it seemed, by my chin. And I do believe the short tube was directly in line with the vent holes, so I can fix that.

I will try to change the machine setting to "full mask" and recheck the seals on the pillows, and make sure the short hose isn't near the vents, and hopefully it will be quiet tonight. Otherwise back to the drawing board. I tried the mask on at the DME and we used my machine to see if it fit, and she (the DME's resp therapist) didn't say a word about changing the machine settings, and it was nowhere near as noisy there as it was last night!!! Unfortunately, I don't have a clue what size mask she chose for me (she didn't say and she threw away the plastic bag), but the I do know the nasal pillows are medium, so I might change those to small and see if that might be the reason they wouldn't seat right on the left nostril.

Thanks everybody!

[squid13]

Push the silver bar with the check marks and the set up comes up. Move down to where it says mask and make your change to full face mask.

[Pugsy]

Changing the mask setting on the machine may slightly alter the leak data reported. ResMed subtracts a predetermined value for intentional vent rater (based on mask selection) prior to reporting. Full face masks typically have a higher intentional or vent rate than nasal pillows. Not changing the mask selection won't affect treatment though and sure won't make it any less noisy or leaky. That mask selection feature only impacts the leak number being reported.
Having it set for nasal pillows might give a falsely elevated leak number with a FFM but doesn't change actual therapy or have anything to do with fit.

[john_dozer]

I found its the venting holes on the mask itself that cause a lot of the noise. You should be able to cover them for a moment and if the noise goes away, that's it.

I found the exit hole edges are too sharp or have burrs. When I get a new mask and its noisey, in a pinch I just scratch the vent holes with my fingernails (different directions, but quickly and firmly) and that round them over enough to make it quiet. If you really want to go to town, take a drill bit just a bit larger than the holes and twirl it a few times to make a beveled edge on exit. These bevels really don't need to be big. I'm talking 1/64" or less than 0.25mm. I mean your really just trying to take away the sharp edge and not trying to drill throuh or even make a bevel that you can see.

[tmorris]

If you are unable to control the leaks and "noise" from the mask...take it back to the DME and tell them it will not work for you...try something else by Resmed..they can do an exchange. Believe me...I am on my 5th mask in 2.5 months...never paid a dime for anything.

[avi123]

I found its the venting holes on the mask itself that cause a lot of the noise. You should be able to cover them for a moment and if the noise goes away, that's it.

I found the exit hole edges are too sharp or have burrs. When I get a new mask and its noisey, in a pinch I just scratch the vent holes with my fingernails (different directions, but quickly and firmly) and that round them over enough to make it quiet. If you really want to go to town, take a drill bit just a bit larger than the holes and twirl it a few times to make a beveled edge on exit. These bevels really don't need to be big. I'm talking 1/64" or less than 0.25mm. I mean your really just trying to take away the sharp edge and not trying to drill throuh or even make a bevel that you can see.

A drill bit in an electric hand drill might enlarge the holes. How about a 3/8" or 1/2" dia countersink and do it by hand?

[chunkyfrog]

I just use a pointy hobby knife to manually trim off the flash.
Too many items are not completely finished when they leave the factory.
Must be the latest ISO standard. . .

[john_dozer]

I found its the venting holes on the mask itself that cause a lot of the noise. You should be able to cover them for a moment and if the noise goes away, that's it.

I found the exit hole edges are too sharp or have burrs. When I get a new mask and its noisey, in a pinch I just scratch the vent holes with my fingernails (different directions, but quickly and firmly) and that round them over enough to make it quiet. If you really want to go to town, take a drill bit just a bit larger than the holes and twirl it a few times to make a beveled edge on exit. These bevels really don't need to be big. I'm talking 1/64" or less than 0.25mm. I mean your really just trying to take away the sharp edge and not trying to drill throuh or even make a bevel that you can see.

A drill bit in an electric hand drill might enlarge the holes. How about a 3/8" or 1/2" dia countersink and do it by hand?

Sorry, wish I had checked back sooner.

no... no... no...

We're not looking to enlarge the holes, just clean off the sharp edges slightly.

Here's pictures of chamfered holes. This is much more than is necessary. Best picture I could find to express the idea.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... es.svg.png

[nanwilson]

I don't use the Liberty but I use the Hybrid, somewhat similar. If I can hear a leak but can't find it, I will put my two forefingers over the outlet vent to block that sound and then listen for where the other air sound is coming from and fix it (usually the pillows).
Hope that helps.
Nan