Speed drying for Cpap Hose?

[Pesser]

I got a little afraid when a good friend of mine caught thrust throat. From what I can understand he never saw any sign of mold or anything else from his gear. He has been on APAP since 2009. And rarely cleans.

[ranfurly44]

When you're wetting something and just allowing it to dry, there is always a possibility that some non-beneficial organisms carried in by air stream might begin to grow after some time, and if you don't clean every once in a while, those critters multiply at an exponential (ever increasing ) rate. The hose I have (possibly like all such hose) has alternating light and dark bands but I never really looked to see if there was anything new or different or threatening in there. Thinking about it now, it's probably done that way to allow you to check to see if a python or some other undesirable critter has settled in there just waiting for you to invite it to visit you at night.
I use a 9 ft hose to give myself enough length to turn at night without pulling the machine off the night stand (at least on a less regular basis), and used to just shake out the rainout and hang it inverted to dry.
(I run the humidifier at about 5 to 5.5 and get rainout winter and summer and have always meant to get a cover to reduce that - but most of what I have seen are for the standard 6 foot hoses.)
One day my wife was moving the hose and noticed that there were ugly things growing inside. I cleaned it by swishing a 25/75 mix of white vinegar and water mix that I use to rinse my mask and night guards (I might add several times under her watchful eyes).
Then I found that the hose fits the spigot on our bathroom faucets, so I rinsed it by running the water full bore (first thing in the morning) until it ran hot (probably 30 to 90 seconds)to scrub it and clear the vinegar smell (acidic - good for killing stuff but not for breathing), then shook it and hung it inverted over the tub.
When I was new to this cpap stuff, I looked for cleaners for the silicone mask (some of which I also used for the hose), and bought spray and wipes for absurd amounts of money.
Then common sense kicked in and I remembered that white vinegar is an excellent cleaner that you can buy in 10 liter boxes at Costco for a fraction of the cost of the wipes and solution (which may or may not be anti-bacterial and not welcome in our home). (It's also a good replacement for Roundup if you tend to a garden when you're up and about).
Now I swish the vinegar solution through the hose once a week (or so) and rinse with water every morning and have had no further evidence of any further unwelcome visitors.
FYI this from "1001 Uses for White Distilled Vinegar" - " White distilled vinegar is a popular household cleanser, effective for killing most mold, bacteria, and germs, due to its level of acidity. Cleaning with white distilled vinegar is a smart way to avoid using harsh chemicals. You’ll also be glad to know that it is environmentally friendly and very economical."

[hukman1991]

You repeatedly demonstrate that you don't have a damned clue what you're talking about, haven't done your homework and spew "nonsense".
Den

Well Den

It's less than refreshing to see someone, when they see something they don't like, get insulting.

If you don't agree, simply say so.

But I see so many people on this forum try to manage someone else's risk. "That's not necessary" (because they've never had a problem). "A waste of time" (because they don't do it). But just maybe that other person has a poor immune system and they don't. Error, confidently delivered, is still error.

Is it likely that someone would get Legionnaires disease or Pontiac Fever from a cpap carry-over humidifer? No. The chance is remote. But the CDC asks in their outbreak questionnaires "Did you use a nebulizer, CPAP, BiPAP, or any other respiratory therapy equipment for the treatment of sleep apnea, COPD, asthma, or for any other reason?" The overall point in my original post was -- "Be prudent -- our machines create a high humidity environment that may stay moist day after day, and become mediums for pathogen growth. -- Be aware."

And because some of us may "do our homework", it doesn't settle the issue. Science delivers evidence -- not truth. It's impossible scientifically to prove a negative.

Is it possible that poor humidifier/hose hygiene could make someone sick? I say that it is possible. I've heard others on this forum that claimed to have become sick. Others may suspect otherwise. For me, I think it prudent to take steps to clean my equipment that I'm comfortable with. Why not entertain different opinions and let the readers decide for themselves?

Without geting nasty.

Marty

I DON'T agree.......and that"s was about as "nice" as I could be, under the circumstances.
You just throw out "garbage" and think it will stick somewhere without any push-back.
You mix terminology and "junk" and try to apply it to XPAP therapy........without any verification or documentation.
An XPAP does NOT "aerosolize" water......it converts it into a "vapor". Water vapor is too small to carry viruses or bacteria out of a HH tank. An aerosol is still in a liquid state (and not part of the way the XPAP distributes humidity to the user).

We had a similar (but different) discussion last week, but I guess you missed out on that.

So, (again) to back up my "facts", I'll let the links speak for themselves.

http : // www . cdc .gov/legionella/about/

http : // www .cdc . gov/legionella/about/causes-transmission . html

http : // www . cdc . gov/legionella/about/prevention . html

http : // www . cdc .gov/legionella/fastfacts . html


http : // www . fphcare . com/sleep-apnea/education-support/faqs/

http : // www . talkaboutsleep . com/category/sleep-apnea/page/3/

http : // journal . publications . chestnet . org/pdfaccess . ashx?ResourceID=2117327&PDFSource=13


Den

.

i created this account to reply to this and for various other reasons if i read this correctly they can indeed be transferred by water vapor. though it has to be in the right conditions. it is technically possible to find a virus or bacteria thats infectios that CAN survive in the vapor from a PAP device misinformation is deadly to some people. there may not be someone in this forum thats immunocompromised but there may be someone READING this particular thread thatr could be immunocompromised. unless you know every singlke infectious virus and bacteria on eart, to say that its impossible is flat out wrong. its pentirely possible but the chances are quite low https://www.researchgate.net/publicatio ... _particles
https://www.phcentral.org/can-cpap-make-you-sick/
https://www.sleephealthfoundation.org.a ... eep-apnoea
https://www.thecpapshop.com/blog/can-cp ... pneumonia/

im sure i could find more. the point im trying to make is making an absolute declaration of impossibility gets people hurt. dont let you arrogance of knowledge and pride get people hurt

[Pugsy]

Zombie thread alert folks.