Help with Humidity!

[kimbo]

I've been struggling with trying to get my Humidity right and i am stuck - my problem is that i either wakeup with a bone dry mouth or being rained out ... I'm using a Resmed S9 Auto VPAP machine with a Quattro Air FFM & ClimateLine tubing covered in a house snuggy. I don't want to accept that i have to choose between a dry mouth or being rained out on! I haven't experimented with manual settings, but if anyone has advice please let me know!

Auto Settings:
I've been on therapy for the past 2 years and 90% of the time I have the machine on auto - set at around 82 degrees. I almost always wake up with a bone dry mouth when the machine is set to auto - it's terrible! Is it possible to get good humidity on auto setting? Also is there a way to tell what humidity the machine is running at while in Auto (i.e. is the machine auto setting to a 4, 5, 6 humidity level?)

Manual Setting:
I haven't experimented with manual settings too much but for the past 2 months i've had the machine set to 6 at around 82 degrees. I wake up without any of the dryness symptoms in my mouth, but i almost always have disturbed sleep from whistling noises that the rain out water causes or sometimes from the condensation hitting my face when i shift positions. I'm almost willing to accept this - but there has to be a way to tweak this without spending forever tweaking levels between a 5 and a 6?

Humidity Trays:
Last little observation -- i've found that there is significant differences with the dishwasher safe S9 tray vs the non dishwasher safe. The dishwasher safe producing significantly less humidity. Anyone else noticed this? I think it's from the middle tray element that the dishwasher safe has.

[Pugsy]

is there a way to tell what humidity the machine is running at while in Auto (i.e. is the machine auto setting to a 4, 5, 6 humidity level?)

In auto mode with climateline hose all I saw in the manual was that the machine would try to maintain 80% humidity.
I never saw what number in the manual settings that might correlate with 80 %....maybe I overlooked it though.

With the manual settings for hose temp and humidity delivered your bedroom temp is going to play a very important part in beating the annoying rain out.

What temperature do you keep your bedroom?

[kimbo]

Pugsy - my bedroom temperature is around 67 degrees. I don't use a heater in the bedroom, but that temp is pretty consistent. Know of a good way to gauge humidity off of room temp?

Thanks!!!

[Pugsy]

I was wondering if the bedroom temp was a complicating factor in the rain out/condensation in the mask or hose.
If you have a space heater you might place it near your machine in an effort to keep the air in the hose and mask warmer to lessen condensation.

Is your annoying rain out in the hose or the mask or both?
The hose cozy you use...where did get it/what kind is it...the one that Resmed sold...then piece of fabric????? or the nice fleece one from Padacheek.

Mask liners might help absorb some of the moisture.

[kimbo]

Great ideas here -- didn't think to try mask liners. I tried bringing the machine down to 4.5 last night, still bone dry, 5 seemed to be a decent compromise, going to see what effect 5.5 has tonight.

I'm using the nice thick fleece hose liner, and my primary complaint is around the mask -- i'm not sure if the cold water rainout is waking me up or if it's the whining noise the condensation creates in the exhaust of the mask -- this is when i'm running humidity on a 6.

[Pugsy]

i'm not sure if the cold water rainout is waking me up or if it's the whining noise the condensation creates in the exhaust of the mask -

You are already using the nice heavy fleece hose cozy so can't improve on that.

Which you were using a mask where we could put some insulation like a barrel cozy on the outside...kinda hard to do with your FFMask They really do help.
We need to get the air in the mask warmer...do you have any room to increase the temperature to the air going to the hose?
How much of the long hose going to the mask is left uncovered with a hose cozy? With the nasal pillow masks I use there is always the short hose of about 18 inches that sometimes gets a hose cozy.
Do you have much exposed hose going into the mask? If so, maybe some sort of added insulation on any exposed hose??

I know first hand how annoying a tiny amount of moisture is...either with getting a cold shower or the damn whistling from a minute amount of water on the nasal pillow surface. Not unexpected with my preference for high humidity levels and a much cooler bedroom temp ...upper 50's to low 60s.

So...think the physics of the situation..we either have to get the air going in the mask warmer (so it won't cool and release the moisture) by some method or maybe use the mask liners to help absorb the condensation when it occurs.
The way the full face masks are made sort of prohibits making some sort of external insulating cozy...unfortunately because they do help. If you could figure out some what to put a "coat" on the mask without blocking the vent holes..it would help.

Adding insulation to the hose maybe...if part of the long hose is exposed.
Adding more temperature if at all possible coming from the humidifier...if not using 86 degrees...increase the temp in stages.
Add a liner to help absorb moisture just in case it might help...sure wouldn't hurt.
Increase bedroom temp...last resort sometimes..but maybe just a small space heater on low very near the air intake on the machine???