Rainout Reduction for the Aura Headrest Mask

Gerald · Post by **Gerald** » Thu Aug 07, 2008 8:16 pm

For about a week, I've been experimenting with a method to reduce the rainout problem most of us experience with the Aura mask.

I've been using this mask for about a year......and I really love it......except for the nose full of condensation I sometimes get. Not fun!

I'm running my humidifier (M-Series Integrated) on a setting of (1), my overhead hose has a flannel cover (insulated), room temperature never drops below 70 degrees, and the relative humidity stays just under 50%.

The moisture that collects in my mask forms from my exhaled breath....and nearly all of the tiny droplets accumulate in my removable nose-piece.

Like a drop that gets bigger as it runs down a pane of glass, the big drops that enter my nose are formed from the much smaller droplets.

So.......here's the fix:

I inserted a couple of pieces of heavy cotton string in my removable nose-piece. When a drop finally grows big enough to roll into my nose, it touches the cotton string....and is instantly reduced in size by absorption.

So long as I can keep the condensation in tiny droplets, the moisture doesn't bother me. The cotton string does that job for me.

To insert the string, I pull a double length through the nose-piece with a stainless steel fishing "leader". It's about a foot long...with a little loop on each end.....and it does a great job of "fishing" the string pieces through the mask.

When the two pieces of string are in position, I clip the ends flush with the top of the nose-piece (each piece of string ends up being about 7" long).

Every morning, I disconnect my mask and hose from my CPAP machine....and re-connect it to a drier that blows a gentle breeze of filtered air through it....all day long. In this way, the string and the mask is completely dry as I get ready for bed.

If I didn't have a drier (not commercially available....I built it myself), I'd remove the damp string every morning....and replace it with dry string every night.

So far, I'm very pleased with the "string trick"....and I see no reason why it won't be a permanent part of my therapy.

Gerald

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Aug 08, 2008 10:31 am

I think Blarg made a fleece snuggly for his.

Cheers,
B.

goose · Post by **goose** » Fri Aug 08, 2008 6:17 pm

Hey Gerald,
Interesting concept!!!! Pictures if you can.....?????
Thanks -- I still use your velcro strap fixes for the Headrest!!! Work great!!!

cheers
goose

GumbyCT · Post by **GumbyCT** » Fri Aug 08, 2008 6:41 pm

I will have to try this stringy trick. It seems the Headrest is extra sensitive to any moisture. I seem to get just a little even on passover during the warmer weather.

What is this velcro thing. fwiw- even the google search hasn't been working lately.

feeling_better · Post by **feeling_better** » Fri Aug 08, 2008 6:54 pm

Gerald wrote:I inserted a couple of pieces of heavy cotton string in my removable nose-piece. When a drop finally grows big enough to roll into my nose, it touches the cotton string....and is instantly reduced in size by absorption.

So long as I can keep the condensation in tiny droplets, the moisture doesn't bother me. The cotton string does that job for me.

To insert the string, I pull a double length through the nose-piece with a stainless steel fishing "leader". It's about a foot long...with a little loop on each end.....and it does a great job of "fishing" the string pieces through the mask.

When the two pieces of string are in position, I clip the ends flush with the top of the nose-piece (each piece of string ends up being about 7" long).

Gerald, this sounds like a good idea. How thick are the strings? Not clear how/where exactly you place it. Yes, picture will be helpful.

Rainout is #1 problem, and noise the second for me. Otherwise I like this mask too, now that I have figured out how to keep this straps from slipping.

Gerald · Post by **Gerald** » Fri Aug 08, 2008 8:01 pm

Pictures can be taken....but, I never have learned how to post them on this forum. i can forward pictures to someone who knows how..... if someone will volunteer.

To answer some of the questions.....the cotton string is thicker than kite string....but thinner than something we'd bale hay with. It's the old style "twine" we used to secure packages with....before 3M came out with package sealing tape.

The whole idea is to have just enough cotton string inside the nose-piece to absorb the big drops....but not so much that any reduction of air flow is noticed.

Here's how to do it:

Detach the nose piece from the head-gear. Look down inside the nose-piece and notice that there's a LH channel.....and a RH channel...that joins just under the nose bellows.

Take a fishing leader......or some other flexible, but thin material.....and fish it down one channel.....under the nose bellows......and up the other channel....to a point where string can be attached. Pull the fishing tool back out through the nose-piece all the way....then, clip the string.

String is now INSIDE the nose-piece...running past the outlets for the nares.

That's all there is to it.....other than being reasonably careful to dry it all out before next use.

If everyone still wants pictures, please send a PM so that I can send JPEG images to the volunteer who knows how to post them on the forum.

Gerald

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Sat Aug 09, 2008 10:41 pm

Gerald, if you'll email the pics to me, I'll be glad to store them on my website so you can post them. Will give you an url to use in your post.

This sounds like a Lab Rat award fix. Your description is clear, but pics would help.

Gerald · Post by **Gerald** » Sat Aug 09, 2008 11:00 pm

Laura........

A few minutes ago, I transmitted eight pictures to feeling_better who offered to post them for me.

Gerald

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Sat Aug 09, 2008 11:28 pm

Gerald wrote:Laura........

A few minutes ago, I transmitted eight pictures to feeling_better who offered to post them for me.

Gerald

Good. Looking forward to seeing them. Sounds like a good fix.

feeling_better · Post by **feeling_better** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 10:19 am

Here are the how-to pictures for Gerald's wicker string. These are from Gerald, I am just posting them for Gerald.

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 11:04 am

I wouldn't dare to put anything in the nasal seal.

My solution is a heated hose, and a snuggle hose for the short tube. I've discovered that in summer I don't need the snuggle hose on the hose, only on the mask tube.
O.

Gerald · Post by **Gerald** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 11:16 am

It's working just fine for me......

The string just sits there and wicks the big drops away from my nose.

It isn't going anywhere....and it's no different from....and further away from my nose....than a surgical mask in an operating room.

Gerald

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 12:23 pm

I'm glad it works for you, and I know you're sharing it because you want to help others.

However, this is one teak that I will not try.

I'm not afraid of the string itself.

It's those little fibers waving in the pressurised air, and it's the thought of god know what growing on the humid string that make me not want to even try that solution.

O.

feeling_better · Post by **feeling_better** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 1:13 pm

Well, ozij, I wont leave that string in there either all the time. But I think this is a great idea. It is summer here, I still have rainouts in my Headrest. One drop into my nose is all that takes to wake me up and keep me up for half an hour, and it summer it only produces 2 or 3 drops a night.

This is what I would do. First I will boil and dry a whole bunch of strings, probably already cut to the right length, before using it. I will remove the used one every day, and let it air dry but not use it again until a whole batch is boiled and dried again.

Instead of the string, you can probably use any good cloth rolled up too. It is almost impossible for the cloth or even the string to get dislodged from there and get into your nose. Even if it did, you would wake up in time to pull it out before the whole thing can go in there

I think the same idea can be used inside of a nose mask too. I had rain out even in my nose masks, not nasal pillows!! I think this is because of the low air pressure I have, and purposefully reduced out port leak rate.

Gerald · Post by **Gerald** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 3:46 pm

Feeling_better........

Thanks for posting the pictures for me.

I had originally thought about using tightly rolled up paper towell material.....but couldn't figure out how to get it into position....and make it small enough so as not to reduce air flow.

Finally, the work "wick" came to mind....and I realized that something like a "candle wick" was the correct material.

I'd be reluctant to put anything larger than string in my mask.....just because I don't want to change air flow characteristics.

The string is just big enough to get that "one or two aggrivating drops"....the water that wakes me up in the early hours of the morning.

Ozij.....All of us have our different little techniques that make our therapy successful and comfortable.

"To each his own....."

Gerald

Rainout Reduction for the Aura Headrest Mask

Rainout Reduction for the Aura Headrest Mask

Re: Rainout Reduction for the Aura Headrest Mask