Condensation in tube

[klark]

Hi all, I was wondering if any of you have excess condensation build up in the blow air tube. I have a humidifier set at 1. I have nose pillows and it gets a lot of water in it too. I wouldn't live without my CPAP machine. I no longer have headaches in the morning

[Gerryk]

try covering the tube with a tube cover either one you buy or one you have made yourself. Room temp being cold will make the moisture condense in the tube much sooner.

Gerry

[Ms.Snuffleupagus]

I keep mine under the covers. It seems to do the trick. Also make sure you do not have your machine on the floor, as this can cause more moisture since the floor is colder. Either place it on a small stool or in an open drawer in a night table, so that it is slightly lower than your bed but off the floor.

[Gerryk]

putting the machine down where the air is cooler won't make it worst, it is the cool air in the room cooling the hose that causes the condensation. Starting our with cooler air should make the air pick up less moisture and it can hold less moisture when it is cooler. That's what condensing is when the air cools it condenses causing moisture. If anything putting the machine in cooler air coule possibly help. If you put the machine in a drawer remember this is basically an air pump and as a machine it will heat up. So by putting it in the drawer you will reduce the air flow for the machine and for cooling the machine, which will make the condensation more pronounced.

A cover is the best thing to try. Sleeping and trying to keep the hose under the covers with you is hard. I tried and went out the next day and got a hose cover. If you have an old towel that is worn and not real heavy, try some safety pins and wrap the hose with the towel and pic the towel but don't pin the hose or pin anything to the hose. Cut off the excess towel ( it's an old worn towel anyway) and see if that helps. If it does you know what you need.

Gerry

[Ms.Snuffleupagus]

putting the machine down where the air is cooler won't make it worst, it is the cool air in the room cooling the hose that causes the condensation. Starting our with cooler air should make the air pick up less moisture and it can hold less moisture when it is cooler. That's what condensing is when the air cools it condenses causing moisture. If anything putting the machine in cooler air coule possibly help. If you put the machine in a drawer remember this is basically an air pump and as a machine it will heat up. So by putting it in the drawer you will reduce the air flow for the machine and for cooling the machine, which will make the condensation more pronounced. Gerry

Let me clarify what I meant by my suggestion re: "putting it in a drawer" ..I meant to say to leave the drawer well open. It would act as a stand and still leave enough air to circulate, but would be at a lower level and would allow any moisture to hopefully drip back down into the tube. This is better than keeping the machine at face level, but a little stool is better.

I respectfully beg to differ about putting the machine on the floor. Usually the temperature at floor level is slightly lower than the general temperature of the room, as warm air rises. This is especially true right now, if you live up north as I do and have started heating your home. If you have a heated humidifier and place it on the floor, there will be a temperature difference at the lower end of the hose and this can cause condensation. But it definitely does depend on the temperature of the room as you say...

Actually, I myself am surprised that I have managed to sleep with my hose tucked under the covers, as my first choice would have been a cover as well, but it seems to work for me. Best of all it keeps my cats from playing with the hose or getting their claws into it.

[Gerryk]

Ms. Snuffleupagus, warm air will hold more moisture than cool air. Here is a basic explanation.
It's not really accurate to say that warm air can hold more moisture. It would be better to say that warm air provides a more conducive environment for gaseous water to be in than does cold air. The reason that water is found in a vaporous form is that the water molecules have enough energy to be in that form. If the molecules are colder (have less energy) they will be solids and liquids. Warm air transfers its energy to the solid and liquid water molecules, helping them achieve a gaseous state.

So by putting the machine on the floor the air will have less chance to pick up the moisture in turn their will be less moisture at the other end therefore less chance to have condensation which is also called rainout.

If you don't agree with me, please google it. It is basic science.

Gerry

[ajen68510]

my first hose cover was 2 sweat shirt sleeves , held in place with duct tape. (A real man's tool !) It did trick, but was a pain to take on/off for cleaning. Finally ebay'd a hose cover. That cured the tropical rain forest in my face .

[Gerryk]

Now that is a hose cover idea. I am sure most people have an old shirt laying around they can cut the sleeves off of to see if that helps with rainout.

Gerry

[rbtgjns]

I have not tried the hose cover and suggest that you search this forum for results. Some times the cover alone is not enough.

I bought the Aussi hose which is heated and works---no rain out. If you research the Repti heater with the ResMed hose cover you can make one of these as well.

[pmcall57]

Another vote for the Aussie heated hose (aka Sleepzone) if the other suggestions here don't work. Made all the difference for me, worth every penny. There is a U.S. dealer, or you can buy it from Australia (took less than a week to get here to Seattle).

[rested gal]

I hope the simpler fixes will work for you, klark, but if they don't, check out the threads about the Aussie heated hose or Repti cable that pmcall57 and rbtgjns mentioned. I've used the Aussie heated hose (sleepzone.com.au -- heated cpap tube) for years. Love it. When the day comes I have to replace it, I'll probably go with a less expensive Repti heat cable.

LINKS to discussions about the Aussie heated hose - to prevent rainout
viewtopic.php?t=5305

Welcome to the board, klark. As you can see, you'll get lots of help here!

I was glad to see you say this...good for you!!

I wouldn't live without my CPAP machine.

[Ms.Snuffleupagus]

Ms. Snuffleupagus, warm air will hold more moisture than cool air. Here is a basic explanation.
It's not really accurate to say that warm air can hold more moisture. It would be better to say that warm air provides a more conducive environment for gaseous water to be in than does cold air. The reason that water is found in a vaporous form is that the water molecules have enough energy to be in that form. If the molecules are colder (have less energy) they will be solids and liquids. Warm air transfers its energy to the solid and liquid water molecules, helping them achieve a gaseous state.

So by putting the machine on the floor the air will have less chance to pick up the moisture in turn their will be less moisture at the other end therefore less chance to have condensation which is also called rainout.

If you don't agree with me, please google it. It is basic science.

Gerry

If the air inside the hose is warmer than the air outside the hose, then you get condensation on the inside. Simple science as you say. Or in other words, a heated humidifier heats up the air inside the hose and if it is still warmer than the air outside the hose, condensation occurs. Yes turning down the heat of the humidifier is definitely recommended for rainout, so as to try to equalize temperatures. The other alternative is to raise the temperature of your room. But putting the machine on a cold floor, can also contribute to condensation if the air inside the hose is still warmer than that at floor level.

[Gerryk]

No that is wrong. Just because you have a temperature difference inside and outside the hose does not mean you will have or do have condensation. Their air inside the hose has to cool for for condensation to occur. When you turn your humidifier down, you are not trying to equalize the temperatures. You are trying to reduce the amount of water that is turned from a liquid in your chamber into a vapor. Temperature is involved in that because it heats the water up to turn it into a vapor. Putting a machine on the floor isn't going to cause condensation. In fact it will reduce it. If as you say the temperature on the floor is cooler, that air will not be able to hold as much moisture or a better way to say it is that it will take much longer to absorb the same amount of water as warmer air.

Gerry

[Klark]

Hi all, thanks for all the great info. Waking up drowning is not a pleasant experience. Yes my room is cold, my machine is on a night stand a little lower than my head, my humidifier is set at one, and my angel of a wife is sleeping next to me for over 21 years(well now she is keeping me up with hot flashes,restless,etc) but I still love her. I still wake up 4 or 5 times a night, but thank GOD no more headaches yahhhhh. I have had headaches ever since I was 6 years old and remember taking extra strength excederin my entire life. Sleep Apnea is a terrible thing to have as a child and has caused me to have medical issues my entire life(45 and diagnosed at 41). Thank God for helping me understand what the problem is. If any of you have small children they can have sleep apnea as well. I for one was popping ant acids all my life and developed kidney stones twice. If any of you men want to experience labor("worse than childbirth",according to my nurse and other women I have spoken to about it) then keep taking those ant acids. OUCH!!!!! Do any of you have nose pillows and wear a chin strap like me. I can't find a great chin strap. The one I found was over 90 bucks . DO any of you sleep with a full mask or nose pillows and have changed the mask they wear to something better. It is difficult to get the right one to wear and sleep all night. I was wondering if any of you wake up a lot at night. I love getting 6 straight hours of sleep a night
Thanks for all of your help
Didn't mean to cause a fight over condensation
klark

[Sleeprider]

Wow, what a conversation here.

Klark, I had condensation occurring in the hose, and recently bought a Sleepzone heated CPAP tube http://www.sleepzone.com.au/showitems.a ... %20Tube%27 I highly recommend the tube. Air is warmer and it eliminates condensed moisture in the tube and mask. The tube comes covered in fleece, and is more comfortable to use than having corrugated plastic in bed with you.

If $140 is too steep, other members have made their own heated hose using a fleece cover and 15 amp reptile warming wire from a pet store.
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=46807 viewtopic.php?f=1&t=40597

Condensation occurs when warm moist air contacts a colder surface and condenses (dewpoint). You don't need to know anything more than it makes you uncomfortable and you mask leaks and farts with moisture. Insulating the tube and keeping the exterior warm is the way to avoid condensation, and if all else fails, having the machine lower than your bed helps any condensed water to drain away from your mask.

For a chin-strap and mask suspension system, take a look at the PUR-sleep pap-cap. http://www.pur-sleep.com/content/?id=44
Its a comfortable system that stabilizes the mask interface, and has a built-in chin-strap that is wide and comfortably stretchy. Pursleep also sells an insulated hose cover.