Heated Hose?

I have been experiencing condensation in my mask early in the night after I've started using it for the night, but then it goes away...do I need to get a "heated hose'? How do I know what to buy, if I need one? I have been using the Airfit 10 full face mask for her.I have to admit, I like the cool air circulating in the mask...I am a "hot natured" person (I keep the thermostat at 64 at night-husband freezes). Live on the Gulf Coast where humidity is over 90% most of the time. Not sure in October as it is a dry month. I have lowered the machine to floor and put regular hose under the covers.

Are you still using the M series machine?
If so then the Hybernite 2300 is probably the only heated hose other than the Aussie heated hose that will work with your machine.

You can also try just a hose cozy of some sort. Padacheek.com has some really nice cozies but you may not need all the insulation that hers provides.
Unless the condensation is annoying and waking you up often there is no real urgent need to do anything.
The water in the face is annoying but it won't hurt you.

You can also try the usual tricks.
Put the machine lower than the mattress in an effort to let gravity work for you so that the water drains downhill.
Turn down the humidifier setting.
Turn up the thermostat in the house.
Having the machine lower doesn't help much with the condensation in the mask itself unless you are positioned so that everything goes downhill. I don't know about you but in the position I sleep in the mask/hose junction has an uphill arrangement in most of my sleeping positions.
Condensation that is occurring only at the mask level is usually because of the moisture in our own exhaled breath combining with the incoming air and tipping the balance as it cools because of room air temps.
It's a common problem in the wintertime because we usually have cooler room temps.

Condensation at the mask level....keeping the incoming moisture laden air warmer en route from the humidifier by either a hose cozy or using a heated hose so that it doesn't cool and release the moisture in the mask can sometimes take a bit of trial and error.
Some people like to run the hose under the bed covers. Some don't.

Thanks, Pugsy!

I have a related question...

I'm having some mask condensation now that it's getting cooler.

Is the reason for the condensation that the heated air from the heated hose cools down too fast in a cooler room??

spmccord wrote:Is the reason for the condensation that the heated air from the heated hose cools down too fast in a cooler room??

Yes. It's not so much that it cools fast...it just cools and once the air temp drops to that fine line where the air can no longer hold on to the moisture condensation will occur.
Also the air we exhale contains moisture so it also gets dumped into the mask along with the incoming air which has moisture in it and the air in the mask can't hold onto that extra moisture partly because of the cooling and partly because there's just more moisture in that air in the mask.

So if the mask were covered it might keep out the coolness, and therefore the condensation?

gsbuck wrote:So if the mask were covered it might keep out the coolness, and therefore the condensation?

That might be tricky. The mask has vent holes and anti-asphyxiation valve that definitely should not be covered.
I personally wouldn't advise it.


Den

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Pugsy wrote:

spmccord wrote:Is the reason for the condensation that the heated air from the heated hose cools down too fast in a cooler room??

Yes. It's not so much that it cools fast...it just cools and once the air temp drops to that fine line where the air can no longer hold on to the moisture condensation will occur.
Also the air we exhale contains moisture so it also gets dumped into the mask along with the incoming air which has moisture in it and the air in the mask can't hold onto that extra moisture partly because of the cooling and partly because there's just more moisture in that air in the mask.

Thanks!

I think I'll look into a hose cover.

I think maybe a hose cover and a mask cover might be in my future...
I will, of course, allow the vent holes to work normally! Just have to work around them. Padacheek did not show any mask covers so I'll have to make my own and see if it helps.

gsbuck wrote:I think maybe a hose cover and a mask cover might be in my future...
I will, of course, allow the vent holes to work normally! Just have to work around them. Padacheek did not show any mask covers so I'll have to make my own and see if it helps.

I had trouble with rainout so I got a hose cover. Still did solve the problem. Even put the covered hose under the covers, adjusted humidity and used all the little tricks. Then I got a climate line hose. No more problems during these cold nights.

A good hose cover might do the trick and a mask cover might not even be needed if the hose cover can keep the air going to the mask warm enough. It all depends on the bedroom air temp. I sleep in a cold bedroom in winter and if I wasn't using a heated hose I would have to use a hose cozy and from what I have seen of regular hose cozies (store bought and my own homemade)...the padacheek hose cozy is superior in terms of density without huge weight and for me and my cold bedroom the padacheek cozy does the job. I was using one before I ever got my first heated hose.

Insulating the mask itself is going to be more problematic. Got to insulate it in such a manner that the cover doesn't slide around at all because we don't want any chance of the vent holes getting covered up.
Padacheek does make a nasal pillow barrel cover and it's great but that's the only "cover" that I know of that she makes at the mask level.
Alternately one of her mask liners could be used to sort of soak/wick up what little moisture might happen in the mask. Whatever it takes to prevent awakenings due to rain out in the mask.

I think that the majority of the time a really good hose cozy will eliminate the need for a mask cover.
There's always going to be exceptions but if it were me I would start with the hose cozy if I didn't have the option to use a heated hose with my cpap machine. It is what I used with my M series machines when I was using them and even my PR S1 machines before the heated hose machine was released. By that time I had already had a chance to use a S9 machine with the ClimateLIne heated hose and I was totally sold on the heated hose in general.
In between I did use the Hybernite heated hose and it does a good job and eliminated the need for the hose cozy.
With my preference for "less on my face and head mask gear" the added weight of the hose cozy was a bit annoying...not deal breaker annoying but annoying.

Will order a hose cozy from Padacheek. Thanks!

I did order a hose cover from padacheek today. So will wait and see about the mask cover. BTW on the padacheek website it showed the mask liners on the outside of the mask as tho it was a cover. Will let you know if it works.

Got the hose cover and put it on the hose. Cover is very nice, but makes hose stiff. Still get water in mask during night. Weather turned very cold in the meantime, but didn't make much difference in the mask and water. It is not in the hose.

Unfortunately that's a problem which is caused by the moisture in our own exhaled breath that condenses in the mask itself. It mixes with the incoming moisture laden air from the humidifier and the cooler bedroom temps just cool off the air in the mask too much.
This can happen even to people who don't use a humidifier too, so reducing the incoming humidified air content doesn't always guarantee no condensation in the mask.

Your choices are limited. A hose cozy can help the hose itself but sometimes it just can't keep the air going into the mask warm enough.
The air in the mask has to not cool to the point of releasing the moisture.
Reducing the incoming humidity may or may not help and your nose may or may not like less moisture.
So you are left with maybe increasing the bedroom temperature....I used a space heater set on low near the cpap machine to help before I got the heated hose.
The hose cozy does add bulk and weight to the hose and yes we lose some flexibility it it will help the hose condensation. It sometimes can't keep the air that is incoming to the mask warm enough though to prevent condensation in the mask.
The heated hose let's us keep the air warmer without the added bulk of the hose cozy. It will also help warm up the air that is in the mask or keep it warmer so that it doesn't cool and cause the condensation.

Your machine doesn't support a heated hose other than a stand alone heated hose like the Hybernite 2300 that I used for a winter before I got a machine that does support a heated hose.

So if the air can't be warmed enough...maybe add something at the mask to absorb the moisture so it is less annoying. Like a mask liner or a little bit of something inside the mask to sort of wick up the moisture.