Another rainout question

[beanfruit]

Hi all - I have another rainout question. Last weekend I did a "deep clean" on my 10 foot hose, hoping to get rid of any lingering flu bugs that might be around. While I wait for that thing to dry (I'm still seeing droplets in it), I've switched back to my 6 foot hose that came with the machine. Neither is heated.

So, while I was using the 10 foot hose, I had a snugglehose cover on it, and had it rigged up using a Hose Buddy, so the hose was higher than my head and not pulling on my mask all night. It was great, but I was getting rainout in my nasal pillows with the humidifier on "3". I added a barrel cozy and still got the rainout.

Now that I'm using the 6 foot hose again, there is no rainout. I don't have it on the Hose Buddy, so the hose is at bed-level and goes down to my machine which is near the floor. I don't have the snugglehose cover on it, but I do bring it under the top cover. I am still using the barrel cozy. Here's the interesting thing - I've had my humidifier on both "3" and "4" and neither one is giving me rainout in the pillows.

Do you think the Hose Buddy is contributing to the rainout? Previously it was suggested that what I might be getting is condensation from my breath. But wouldn't I be getting that in my current setup as well, especially on the higher humidity? I'll try an experiment with my 10 foot hose when it dries out - put the snugglehose cover on it but I won't put it up on the hose buddy...just curious if anyone has experienced something similar.

[Pugsy]

Hose buddy... that routes things upward doesn't it?

Condensation in the nasal pillows can't flow uphill....so if hose is routed upward over head the only place for it to run is back into the nose.

Condensation in the nasal pillows in which the hose is routed downward has a chance of flowing down hill into the short hose or even into the long hose and maybe dissipating thus avoiding re-entering the nose.

[robysue]

beanfruit,

The fact that you're running the six foot hose under the top cover may be why you're not getting rainout with it: By being under the cover, your body heat is likely warming the hose up slightly. And that's more effective at fighting condensation than wrapping the 10 foot hose which is still hanging in the much colder ambient air of your bedroom.

And, as pugsy points out, by running the hose at bedlevel, if there is condensation from your exhalations, that moisture can now run downhill away from your nose. When the 10 foot hose is hanging over head, downhill is straight into your nose.