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 BACTERIA 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. (Edited to change mold to bacteria. Literature that came with my machine talks about bacteria in the hose.)

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.

Dog Slobber wrote: ↑

Sat Nov 29, 2025 10:52 am

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.

I hope that's the case that it isn't a problem but I assumed it was because the DME seems to think I need to wash it out all the time and replace it frequently.

PS I'm a relatively new user myself so SORRY. I edited my original post after re-reading all the crap that came with my machine.

ChicagoGranny wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 28, 2025 3:22 pm

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.

Good info, thanks!

I suffer from CPAP triggered rhinitis as well. But I'm not especially concerned about the machine. There is an NIH study that showed no correlation between patients with measurable bacterial contamination in their machine and chronic rhinosinusitis. The study is published online, "Association of CPAP Bacterial Colonization with Chronic Rhinosinusitis". They found that even with measurable contamination it didn't trigger rhinitis in most people.

I'm not advocating for dirty equipment, just that the industry has created a lot of unnecessary angst about it. It seems likely that ozone cleaning systems have probably harmed more people than dirty machines. I inspect my gear to make sure. I clean the tub, mask and hose occasionally, like once a month unless I spot something. The only time I've ever found anything significant is in the one place that's never cleaned. If you use a ResMed machine it pays to remove the hose connector outlet and clean it. There is usually black mold inside the fold on the silicone seal that connects to the water tub after a year or two of use.

As far as rhinitis is concerned there are two things that help me. I use the humidifier (ResMed 10 series), but when the humidity is very low in the winter, adding room humidity with a humidifier helps. I'm not sure why.

The other thing is going to sound really odd. I use both pillows and a nasal mask, P30i and N30i, usually switching in the middle of the night. The congestion almost always clears after switching. Neither mask is better than the other, but they are different and the congestion feels different. If its really really bad I keep a full face hybrid mask as well, but only use it a couple times a year. For me masks are a bit like golf clubs....

Personally, I keep the relative humidity in my home lower, usually less than 40%, because of my personal sensitivity to dust mites.

"Optimally, humidity in your home should be below 40 percent. Humidity levels between 40 and 50 percent are marginal in terms of dust mite control. In the 50 to 60 percent range, dust mites can be bothersome, and more than 60 percent is very bad." -- https://www.nationaljewish.org/conditio ... ce-in-home

"When relative humidity is maintained below the 40% to 50% range for a prolonged period, dust mites die." -- https://iaqscience.lbl.gov/humidity-and ... -allergies