Humidifier mystery

[desert rider]

I've been having trouble with my humidifier for a few months. My mouth and sinus have been bone dry and I can't detect any moisture at all from the humidifier. It seems like it's broken, but it boils off the water. I can't figure out what's wrong.

• I've replaced the hose (thinking there might be a leak in the hose). I actually even replaced it again (for a different reason), so I'm pretty sure I can rule out the hose.
• I fill the reservoir every night and it's empty in the morning, so the water has to be going *somewhere*.
• One interesting point that dawned on me a few weeks ago is that even during the coldest nights this winter, I never had any rainout in my mask or condensation in the hose. Usually I have to keep the hose elevated during the winter so that it doesn't make a p-trap on the floor and collect condensation (and make the awful snorkel sound).

Any ideas?

[Pugsy]

What setting do you use on your humidifier? You are in SoCal...is your area particularly arid area?
How many hours of sleep do you normally get? What pressure due you use?
All the above will affect the quantity of water that is used.

Since you say this has been happening only for the past few months...then something has changed and if your environment or pressure needs hasn't changed...then it may well be the humidifier itself malfunctioning.

[desert rider]

What setting do you use on your humidifier? You are in SoCal...is your area particularly arid area?
How many hours of sleep do you normally get? What pressure due you use?
All the above will affect the quantity of water that is used.

Since you say this has been happening only for the past few months...then something has changed and if your environment or pressure needs hasn't changed...then it may well be the humidifier itself malfunctioning.

Setting = 5 (full)
Pressure = 12

Yes, it's arid. But my mouth has been dry for a couple of months, which included our rainy season and our foggy mornings.

I agree that it seems like the humidifier is malfunctioning, except that it the heating element is definitely working and it's boiling off all the water the way it always has.

I haven't changed any of my settings or anything else in my routine. I usually get 6-8 hours of sleep. On the shorter nights there is some water left in the reservoir as expected.

[BlackSpinner]

You are probably mouth breathing. Since you have a full face mask that doesn't affect your therapy but it does affect your comfort. I would try a chin strap to keep your mouth closed. No amount of humidity will keep your mouth lubricated if you are breathing through it all night.

[Pugsy]

You could be mouth breathing more now for some reason but normally people don't mention sinuses being dry when mouth breathing is the sole cause of dry mouth. That is why I didn't mention that part. The humidifier can't keep up with dry mouth from mouth breathing for some people but it should be okay for the sinuses. You could sure try using a chin strap to see if it helps.

I used a M series machine for 2 years. I live in SW Missouri where it really isn't particularly arid and I would often use all or almost all the water each night with a setting of 3 to 4 with 7 to 8 hours of sleep. My pressure averages were around 12.

If you were a newbie and not a veteran and didn't say that something has changed we might put all the blame on mouth breathing. If you didn't have your usual winter rainout...that also speaks to something else changing.
The humidifier doesn't really "boil" the water instead it heats it so that more water vapor is picked up by the moving air.
If the water is hot enough to really boil then the humidifier is overheating I would think. The temperature of the water warms but it doesn't reach boiling level (or shouldn't).

You could also try adding some Biotene gel to your mouth at bedtime to help with the dry mouth. It won't help with the sinuses though...perhaps some extra use of something like Simple Saline spray to help hydrate the nasal mucosa.

Beyond the normal suggestions..chin strap...extra moisture from Biotene and/or saline sprays....if the problem persists I think I would consider doing something about the humidifier. Perhaps a look at the stand alone F & P 150 which offers more control. Just an idea to keep on the back burner.

Sounds like something has changed..either more mouth breathing or perhaps something within you body has changed requiring more moisture or something in your environment that you aren't aware of.

Tis a mystery for sure.

[Suzjohnson]

I am a desert dweller, and have been for many years. The air gets VERY dry here too and I believe that because of years of dry air, my body finally said enough is enough. I drink a lot of water every day but after being in agony for over a year with sinus and throat issues, I finally discovered that to feel better, I needed to increase the humidity in my home to between 45 and 50%. There was an almost immediate payoff with no more sneezing, running nose, sore throat and dry eyes. It could be that your mucus membranes are needing more moisture over-all and the humidifier in your machine can't make up the debt. Dare I suggest that you try even a partial night without the humidifier and see just how dry you get. Even with my humidifier set at 5.5 I occasionally feel a tad parched.

Suz

[chunkyfrog]

The cheap little humidity gauges they sell by the fans, humidifiers, etc.
have a shaded area in the middle of the dial, labeled 'comfort zone' or words to that effect.
They are absolutely right.
Mouth breathing can occur with full face masks--even if the leak data looks good.

[Gerryk]

Are you sure your humidifier chamber hasn't been cracked or started to leak someplace?

[desert rider]

Are you sure your humidifier chamber hasn't been cracked or started to leak someplace?

I was curious about that too, but I think I'd hear it whistle if it weren't intact. All the air flows through that chamber, so the therapy wouldn't be working and the leak detector "beep" would go off all night (I assume). But yeah, I held one hand over the inlet and blew through the outlet to see if any I could blow through any leaks and/or to see if the seal between the two halves of the shell might be bad: it was airtight though.

I'll try tightening my chin strap. It's a couple of years old and starting to sag. Maybe it's just not doing its job anymore.

Thanks everyone.

[Gerryk]

A couple years old? How old is your mask? When my mask gets more than a couple months old it starts to leak on me. when my headgear gets more than about six months old I begin to wake up tired.

[-tim]

You could be running the tank out of water so you'll be breathing dry air for a while. Try reducing the humidity until there is some water left in the tank in the morning and see if that helps or makes the problem worse.