S9 Humidity

[bdwalters]

S9 Owners,

I'm thinking of getting an S9, but I'm a little concerned about the humidity system, as I got burned by the limited humidity provided by the PR System One due to its anti-rainout feature. What is the most humidity (percent of the reservoir capacity) that y'all have been able to get out of the system? Has anybody run it on manual mode at level 6, 86 degrees to see how much of the tank can be drained in a single night? Thanks for the info!

-Brian

[no_more_headaches]

Better yet, I would like to see a humidity compensator. Last night we had a storm come in an the humidity was high and then it passed and the humidity dropped to 25%.
The S8 with its manual switch did not adjust and in the morning my sinus were not happy.

I am curious to see how the S9 performs in that scenario since you supposedly can set the humidity percentage.

[jmelby]

With the auto climate control, you cannot set the humidity percentage... it assumes you want 80% relative humidity. You just set the air temperature you want. Supposedly, it checks the temperature at the mask (through the climate line tube) and keeps the temperature at that with a relative humidity of 80%. It seems to work pretty well (based on just 2 nights)... the default of 80 degrees felt a little warm to me, so I set it to 78 degrees last night and was more comfortable. It used maybe about 1/3 of the tank of water with that setting. You could also set the humidifier manually--but again not really a humidity percentage--for that you have a numeric setting like on other machines and also can set the air temperature. But, the manual warns that the rainout prevention may not work in manual mode depending on your settings. Note that to use Climate control, you need to get the ClimateLine hose... the S9 does not come with it--it comes with a standard SlimLine hose.

[Arizona-Willie]

The last two nights I set the temp at 72 which is what my digital thermometer said the room temperature was.
And I have it set to auto. It used quite a bit of water, down to just barely above the bottom black line on the yellow indicator.

It would be interesting to know how many ml the lines represent. I know it holds 380 ml to the Max line but have no idea how many ml the other lines represent.

I would think that if someone sets the temperature higher than the actual room temp the machine would attempt to create a higher humidity than the air can hold. At higher temperatures the air can hold more humidity. Whether that would cause a rainout problem or not, I dunno.

[JStaggie]

The PR1 method for adjusting humidity to reduce rainout is completely different than the method used by the S9.

The PR1 factors in the current room temperature and adjusts the humidifier, lowering the humidity level in cooler temperatures so the rainout is reduced.

The S9, because it uses a heated hose, is able to control for a cool environment and maintain high humidity because the heated hose maintains a sufficient temperature to prevent rainout even at high humidity levels. In a cool room, the S9 controls the hose temperature so that a higher humidity level is still supported, rather than reducing the humidity level due to the lower room temp.

[DreamDiver]

My climateline hose arrived finally yesterday. I have used it for a night and a nap, set to 80. Works for me. I did cover it though.

[bdwalters]

With the heated hose and larger capacity, the S9's humidifier is definitely a vast improvement over the PR System One. What concerns me is that I generally like to use about 300ml of water per night, and I haven't heard of any S9 users that have used that much. I worry that the heater plate may just not run hot enough to push that much humidity into the air.

Arizona-Willie, did you use the tank over a 2-night period, or was that for a single night?

[preemiern]

With the auto climate control, you cannot set the humidity percentage... it assumes you want 80% relative humidity. You just set the air temperature you want. Supposedly, it checks the temperature at the mask (through the climate line tube) and keeps the temperature at that with a relative humidity of 80%. It seems to work pretty well (based on just 2 nights)... the default of 80 degrees felt a little warm to me, so I set it to 78 degrees last night and was more comfortable. It used maybe about 1/3 of the tank of water with that setting. You could also set the humidifier manually--but again not really a humidity percentage--for that you have a numeric setting like on other machines and also can set the air temperature. But, the manual warns that the rainout prevention may not work in manual mode depending on your settings. Note that to use Climate control, you need to get the ClimateLine hose... the S9 does not come with it--it comes with a standard SlimLine hose.

My S9 bundle from CPAP.com came with the ClimateLine hose. It isn't standard with the machine, but if you order the bundle from CPAP.com it is included along with a regular hose.

[Arizona-Willie]

With the heated hose and larger capacity, the S9's humidifier is definitely a vast improvement over the PR System One. What concerns me is that I generally like to use about 300ml of water per night, and I haven't heard of any S9 users that have used that much. I worry that the heater plate may just not run hot enough to push that much humidity into the air.

Arizona-Willie, did you use the tank over a 2-night period, or was that for a single night?

================
That was for a single night. I've used it 2 nights so far and it used approx the same amount both nights.

[bdwalters]

Thanks Arizona-Willie. That's what I needed to hear. I'm going to talk to my DME today as see what I need to do to join the S9 club. Wish me luck.

[CPAP 604 F & P]

I would go for a Fisher & Paykel Machine. I have been a user of their Thermo Smart machine for several years and they are the inventors of the Heated tube. Based off of what I hear about the S9 they in no way are able to deliver the type or amount of humidity like the F & P machines (F & P delivers Absolute humidity not relative like the S9). Also, I never have rainout no matter what setting I have it at.

For example - the F & P machine at 28 degree C can deliver an absolute Humidity of 27 mg/L. In the S9 at the same temp they are only able to deliver 80% relative humidity which is 80% of 27mg/L humidity. This only leaves you with about 21 mg/l of humidity at the same temp that the F & P machine is at.

I love this feature because if high temperatures bother you but you need more humidity the F & P machine can deliver more humidity at lower temperature because its based off of absolute humidity not relative humidity.....

Also, I've heard that F & P is coming out with a new machine this year that is going to be smaller then anything currently out in the market. In addition it will also have their proven Thermo smart technology. I'm due for a new machine and I will definitely be waiting for the new F & P. Just a little advice.

[billbolton]

Just a little advice.

Seems like shameless prommotion to me!

[golfguy]

And a poor one at that! I am not going to get into an arguement with mr F&P sales rep, however he needs to understand the ResMed technology before he tries to do a comparison. The ResMed H5i also produces more humidity output than any other humidifier on the market currently.

[AirBreather]

I agree. I am using the ClimateLine hose with the H5i. The water in the H5i tank is nearly all used each night. The system provides plenty of humidity at the mask and I have never had a trace of rain-out. It is by far the best xPAP humidifier system I have used and I have used a variety of them over the years. If someone was trying to find something wrong with the ResMed S9 or its accessories they would have to look somewhere other than the humidifying system. Some people might complain that water tank is difficult to clean, but a new one that can be cleaned in a dishwasher will be available soon (if it isn't already).

Despite this strong endorsement, I am not a ResMed sales agent or stockholder, nor do I have any other reason to be biased. I simply think they have a fine product.

[dave21]

Just a little advice.

Seems like shameless prommotion to me!

Well if it's someone from F&P and they want some real life comparisons and want to provide us with a couple of machines, I'm happy to do a complete comparison between the S9 and an F&P machine to see which is best