Water runs out

[higgledy]

I just got a new Dreamstation machine last week. see viewtopic/t174165/New-machine.html I am having a problem with the humidifier tank drying out in the middle of the night. I have been using the machine since last Tuesday night, it has run out of water every night even with the setting at 1.

I have a large whole house humidifier in my bedroom, it is set to 40. I don't have an independent humidifier reader (hydrometer?) to double check the room's humidity. However, I believe my room humidifier is working because I can feel the moisture in the air. I keep my bedroom door closed, you can feel the moisture when you walk in the room. One night, I experimented by turning the room humidifier up to 50, but my CPAP's tank still went empty in the middle of the night.

I don't believe that I am mouth breathing because I haven't experienced the telling drool puddles on my pillow. Plus I am using a brand new mask and the machine reports no mask leaks. I am not sure what to do about this problem and it is a problem because when the tank goes dry I wake up with nostril dryness and pain. I refill and go back to bed.

I never ran out of water with my old machine, a Resprionics System One. I compared the tank sizes. Both are about 11 ounces. I will concede that I think the heating element in my old cpap humidifier was weak because I had to crank it to 5 (Max position). If I turn the new cpap above 3 I choke on the humidity.

I called my medical supply company. They said there are a lot of patients experiencing the same problem. They are sending me a standard tube to replace the heated tube. This will automatically switch the humidifier from adaptive mode into constant mode, which they say uses less water than the heated tube. The woman on the phone actually said they believe this is a design flaw with the Dreamstation.

I think this is a suckie solution. I mean I paid for a machine with a heated tube and I can't use it. WTF?

Should I call Resprionics?

Do other brands have this same problem?

[ChicagoGranny]

What are your pressure settings?

[higgledy]

It’s in auto mode but beginning pressure is 16, ending is 20.

[Pugsy]

You don't need a non heated hose to take it out of adaptive mode...
Change the humidity mode to manual...turn off the heated hose air temp...and you will be in that other mode and can try the setting of 1.

I doubt it will solve your problem though.

And no...other people and other brands of machines don't have this problem.

Your machine should not be using up all the water by the middle of the night....even if it was set to maximum humidity and your relatively high pressures.
Something is wrong with it somewhere.

[higgledy]

Yes, I’ve already switched it from adaptive mode into to constant mode. I didn’t want to tell my medical supply company that I know how to enter the setup mode.

I’ll give a shot tonight; see how it goes and report back.

[Dog Slobber]

Check to make sure your device is not too close to another heat source, space heater or furnace vent.

[ChicagoGranny]

Check to make sure your device is not too close to another heat source, space heater or furnace vent.

Good point. A CPAP should not be placed so that an HVAC vent is blowing on or very near the machine. Although in this case, he probably didn't put the new machine in a different location than the old one.

[dreamingofdreaming]

I have the same machine and found that if my mask leaks, my water runs out. I have my humidity at the highest and if I have no/minimal leaks, I still have water left in the tank in the morning.

[higgledy]

@dreamingofdreaming . Are you using the heated tube and u don’t run out of water?

[Pugsy]

I have the same machine and found that if my mask leaks, my water runs out. I have my humidity at the highest and if I have no/minimal leaks, I still have water left in the tank in the morning.

This is true...leaks will affect water consumption but the OP said

the machine reports no mask leaks.

Which is why I didn't go down that road. If the machine isn't reporting any large leaks...then leaks aren't a factor in the water consumption.

[higgledy]

@Dog Slobber — it is on my nightstand, exactly where the old one was.

Picture this: My bed and two nightstands fit perfectly between two windows. Below the windows are hvac registers in the floor. Therefore, I’d say the cpap machine is two feet off the floor and 3 feet horizontally from the vent. Is that far enough away?

[higgledy]

I downloaded SleepyHead but I could not get my Mac to read the SD card. Then I read where Dreamstation does not store any data SleepyHead can use.

[Pugsy]

I read where Dreamstation does not store any data SleepyHead can use.

Don't know where you read that but SleepyHead does work with the DreamStation models except ASV or the brick DSX200 CPAP that doesn't record any data to anything beyond hours of use.

What model do you have?

[higgledy]

The attached is the report from DreamMapper showing my mask fit and ahi

[Pugsy]

Leaks aren't causing the water consumption issues.