Rainout - Activa

Ok, went down to the local Home Depot and picked up a length of the pipe insulation and it fit perfectly. However, just as Georgia mentioned, it DOES make the hose too stiff to be completly confortable. My cpap unit and humidifier are located on my bedside table about a foot below the level of the bed. The hose (with insulation) made a large overhead loop and created problems when I tried to turn over as it pulled the hose off my mask several times during the night while still encountering some condensation rainout with the temp setting on 3.5. I then turned down my F&P HC150 to about 2.5 and only received very little rainout being dumped on me during the rest of the night.

I called my medical supply company that provided my setup and asked if they would be able to purchase the heated hose from sleepzone and have my insurance carrier foot the bill. I think they were a little hesitant to attempt this, but finally got them to give it a shot. So we'll see.

My wonderful wife has volunteered to make me a quilt sleeve in place of the pipe insulation.....hopefully today.

In summary, the insulation allowed me to reduce the heat level on my humidifier and hence, lower the amount of condensation in the hose. However, this gain was at a cost of the hose being too stiff and dificult to keep attached to my mask.

Hope this helps anyone else thinking about doing this.

Ron

Ron, thanks so much for the excellent description of the way your project went. Even if it didn't work out perfectly, it's always good to see creative ideas. You never know when something someone reports trying elicits a, "Hmmm, maybe if I tried this instead of that..." leading to a better mousetrap. I like the way you think!

Ron,

Let us know if you manage to get the aussie heated hose though your supplier and your insurance pays for it. That info would be very valuable for many of us to take to our cpap suppliers as ammunition.

Way to push the envelope to get what you need.