CPAP rhinitis - cure! I hope...

Finally figured out my occasional bouts of EXTREME rhinitis. Shows up at random times, I couldn't figure it out. Tried different masks. Knew I should tweak humidity but absolutely loathe to use the humidifier on my machine. I just don't want to fool with it, clean the tank every day, grow mold in my hoses and so on. Just doesn't happen often enough to be worth it. I live in a high humidity area, but it's getting cold and dry in the fall and I've had a few bad days.

So I rummaged around in the back of the bathroom closet and found my old vintage Kaz Safeguard 76, just like this one: https://www.ebay.com/p/1317564368?iid=136706859008

Stupid simple. You fill it up with tap water, add a dash of salt, and plug it in. No buttons or switches, no electronic panels, no bells and whistles and programming choices. It just WORKS. Brought my bedroom humidity from 40 to 60 in a couple of hours. Turned it off in the middle of the night when I got up to pee. If I hadn't, it turns itself off automatically when it runs out of water. No smart switches or anything, the minerals in tap water complete the circuit between electrodes. Water gone, circuit breaks. Simple. If you don't want it to run all night and don't get up to pee, just don't fill it all the way.

Today, rhinitis GONE. In the meantime I learned a lot about it. I need to aim for about 50% humidity. 60 and above risks condensation on my windows or whatnot and might even have a reverse effect on the rhinitis, causing a bit of it, but not nearly as much as drying out too much.

Anyhow fingers crossed this is the answer. Just one night so far. That Kaz is 33 years old, I bought it in 1992. I don't think I've used it since then, when I had little kids.

Keep indoor humidity between 30 and 50 percent.

- https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality- ... ir-quality

The ideal household humidity is between 30% and 50% relative humidity (RH) year-round, with specific adjustments needed based on outdoor temperature to prevent condensation. In summer, aim for below 45% RH to prevent mold


The Sterling Chart

You're probably good at 60% during the heating season. Keep HVAC vent grilles checked for mold year-round.

GrandmaA wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 28, 2025 12:33 pm

...grow mold in my hoses...

This misinformation about the high risk of mold from simply using the devices build in humidifier needs to stop.

You are doing the community, especially new CPAP users a disisservice.