How often do you replace mask and headgear

DreamStalker · Post by **DreamStalker** » Sun Jul 03, 2016 7:42 pm

SewTired wrote:
DreamStalker wrote:My Swift LT headgear lasted about 8 years. I recently replaced the headgear just a couple of months ago.

As for pillows deteriorating rapidly, that's just nonsense or hearsay. My Swift LT pillows are still going strong after almost 8 years with no sign of wear other than coloration from white to off-white. I actually bought 6 pairs way back in 2009 and it now seems I way overdid it with back up pillows.
You're pretty lucky with your pillows. Very few people would get your experience. It is not nonsense or hearsay based on many, many threads in this forum that pillows don't have a long life. I can't get even 2 months with my pillows before they collapse. I boil them (suggested in a thread here somewhere) and get usually get them going another 3 weeks. Cushions, on the other hand, typically last a lot longer than pillows. Using my brother as an example, he used to be able to get 6-8 months per cushion. Since his stroke though, he gets less mileage before leaking. I've extended it a bit by boiling for 5 minutes, but that lasts about another month or so and then on to a new cushion. So, this shows me that face shape (and nose shape in the case of pillows) may have a lot to do with longevity in these things - showing the leaking earlier than on others (younger people?).

Boil them? No wonder you're destroying them.

DreamStalker · Post by **DreamStalker** » Sun Jul 03, 2016 7:44 pm

RogerSC wrote: It's probably Obama's or Obamacare's fault, some kind of conspiracy that has them at the bottom of it, I'll bet. In any case, DreamStalker is the source and holder of all wisdom, so his word is law and must be believed.

...snip .

Uhhh .......... ok.

DreamStalker · Post by **DreamStalker** » Sun Jul 03, 2016 7:46 pm

palerider wrote:
DreamStalker wrote:As for pillows deteriorating rapidly, that's just nonsense or hearsay
I've noticed a loose correlation between people who say that their cushions/pillows need replacement often and people that are vigorous cleaners of same... more than one has admitted to tearing the cushion while scrubbing it.

Perhaps the clean freaks do get a little rough. I use liquid hand soap and a very soft tooth brush to gently clean mine about once every other week. No boiling in acid or anything that drastic.

Wulfman... · Post by **Wulfman...** » Sun Jul 03, 2016 7:47 pm

DreamStalker wrote:
RogerSC wrote: It's probably Obama's or Obamacare's fault, some kind of conspiracy that has them at the bottom of it, I'll bet. In any case, DreamStalker is the source and holder of all wisdom, so his word is law and must be believed.

...snip .
Uhhh .......... ok.

Sounds good to me, too.

Den

.

palerider · Post by **palerider** » Sun Jul 03, 2016 7:58 pm

DreamStalker wrote:
palerider wrote:
DreamStalker wrote:As for pillows deteriorating rapidly, that's just nonsense or hearsay
I've noticed a loose correlation between people who say that their cushions/pillows need replacement often and people that are vigorous cleaners of same... more than one has admitted to tearing the cushion while scrubbing it.
Perhaps the clean freaks do get a little rough. I use liquid hand soap and a very soft tooth brush to gently clean mine about once every other week. No boiling in acid or anything that drastic.

there's a thread or two floating around the forum here about boiling silicone in a baking soda solution, which, according to the thread, clears it up to near like new clarity, instead of the cloudyness it gets over time. perhaps someone can dig it up. I've never tried, myself.

Wulfman... · Post by **Wulfman...** » Sun Jul 03, 2016 8:13 pm

palerider wrote:
DreamStalker wrote:
palerider wrote:
DreamStalker wrote:As for pillows deteriorating rapidly, that's just nonsense or hearsay
I've noticed a loose correlation between people who say that their cushions/pillows need replacement often and people that are vigorous cleaners of same... more than one has admitted to tearing the cushion while scrubbing it.
Perhaps the clean freaks do get a little rough. I use liquid hand soap and a very soft tooth brush to gently clean mine about once every other week. No boiling in acid or anything that drastic.
there's a thread or two floating around the forum here about boiling silicone in a baking soda solution, which, according to the thread, clears it up to near like new clarity, instead of the cloudyness it gets over time. perhaps someone can dig it up. I've never tried, myself.

Rat cheer!

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=86312&p=787139&hili ... an#p787139

I've never tried it either.
Too much work and I can already get my seals/cushions to last many years with just Dawn dish soap and hot water washes and cold water soaking.

Den

.

Wulfman... · Post by **Wulfman...** » Sun Jul 03, 2016 8:18 pm

And, another one:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=74686&p=684870&hili ... ng#p684870

Den

.

chunkyfrog · Post by **chunkyfrog** » Sun Jul 03, 2016 10:03 pm

Boiling with a baking soda solution was effective and safe as long as cushions/pillows were 100% silicone.
Then they started using plastic along with silicone, possibly to discourage boiling.
You may boil if you like, but you do so at your own risk if the interface is of mixed composition.

DreamStalker · Post by **DreamStalker** » Mon Jul 04, 2016 6:53 am

chunkyfrog wrote:Boiling with a baking soda solution was effective and safe as long as cushions/pillows were 100% silicone.
Then they started using plastic along with silicone, possibly to discourage boiling.
You may boil if you like, but you do so at your own risk if the interface is of mixed composition.

The funny thing is that oily skin is generally acidic ... and mixing silicone with sodium bicarbonate and acid is a recipe for silly putty ....
I sure hope these forum chemists know what they're doing and don't end up inhaling toxic fumes in the process.

HoseCrusher · Post by **HoseCrusher** » Mon Jul 04, 2016 10:40 am

My experience is limited to the mask I use. I find that after 2 or 3 months of use the pillows seem to not seal as well and become flimsy. I wash them first, then bring a small pan of water with about a teaspoon of baking soda in it to a boil. I then drop the pillows into the boiling water and shut the heat off.

No fumes, no observable reaction.

I let the pillows soak for a couple of minutes with frequent stirring and rotating then pull them out.

My impression is that the heat treatment firms the pillows a little and brings them back to near original condition and performance.

I generally replace my pillows every year and a half to two years so they really don't get many boiling cycles.

DreamStalker · Post by **DreamStalker** » Mon Jul 04, 2016 11:25 am

I remember when I was kid, like 9 or 10 years old -- I was messing around in my dad's garden/tool shed in the backyard one hot summer day. Had nothing better to do I guess. Anyway, I had this cheap kid's chemistry set and I was mixing up some chemicals he had in the shed (pesticides and herbicides) into a small beaker to see what would happen. In one concoction, the mixture started fizzing and making a cloud of smoke -- and all it took was one short whiff and I was out of that shed like a chicken on a June bug ... rolling around on the ground gagging and gasping for air at the same time. To this day I don't know what it was that I created but I suspect it was chlorine gas.

So y'all be careful out there with boiling your CPAP masks with chemicals and stuff?

palerider · Post by **palerider** » Mon Jul 04, 2016 2:20 pm

DreamStalker wrote:
chunkyfrog wrote:Boiling with a baking soda solution was effective and safe as long as cushions/pillows were 100% silicone.
Then they started using plastic along with silicone, possibly to discourage boiling.
You may boil if you like, but you do so at your own risk if the interface is of mixed composition.
The funny thing is that oily skin is generally acidic ... and mixing silicone with sodium bicarbonate and acid is a recipe for silly putty ....

so, a mild base would help to remove any remnants.

and I believe that's a recipe that involves silicone oil, and boric acid, no bases involved.

and, in case anybody wants science instead of FUD, ColeParmer chemical compatibility page, http://partners.coleparmer.com/techinfo/chemcomp.asp
says the compatibility between silicone and sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) is "excellent".

How often do you replace mask and headgear

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