AirFit20 fit suddenly gone bad

I was diagnosed with apnea earlier this year. Since May I"ve been using an AirSense 10 Auto with the AirFit20 full mask. I was pretty proud of myself for trying to adapt to this new lifestyle and I'm determined to make a go of this.

myAir has been giving my very high scores for usages, fit, leaks, etc. For some reason, the last few days my mask has been rather troublesome and has started leaking in odd ways that it didn't before. At first it was leaks around the nose blowing air into my eyes. I tried adjusting it to have a tighter fit, but it left marks on my nose and I even developed acne on the bridge of my nose. After checking the support site, I tried the opposite tactic of trying to keep it as loose as possible when first putting it on and then adjusting when laying down. Now as soon as my jaw relaxes I start getting leaks on my cheeks near my mouth. Last night I got awoken by a leak that caused the mask to flap against my cheek making a rather loud farting noise . It would have been funny except for the whole interrupted sleep issue.

I've cleaned the mask several times this week to make sure it wasn't an oil or dirt issue. Is it possible the mask liner is wearing out? It's about 2 months old, and I think it's expected to last about 3 months.

I was fine up until this week and now I'm ready to toss the mask in the garbage. Please help!

Resmed has been relatively successful in engineering their cushions/pillows to have a short lifespan,
often not much beyond the stated replacement interval.
(Those dirty skunks!)
Mask liners (like PadACheek) help extend the life of cushions, in addition to enhancing comfort.
Additionally, some clever users have been able to nurse their silicone to record lifespans.

chunkyfrog wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 28, 2018 5:20 pm

Resmed has been relatively successful in engineering their cushions/pillows to have a short lifespan,
often not much beyond the stated replacement interval.
(Those dirty skunks!)
Mask liners (like PadACheek) help extend the life of cushions, in addition to enhancing comfort.
Additionally, some clever users have been able to nurse their silicone to record lifespans.

When I was using my Quattro, cushions last me 9-10 months. Now I am using the Simplus and I am in the 3rd month with my current cushion.

I am a AirFit F20 user. When I have those issues, I replace the pillow. They last me about a month.

I just moved to the airfit F20. I was told that the cushion would only last 30 days. Keep in mind, this was Apria telling me this. If they told me the sun was shining outside, I go to the window to check . Anyway, I plan to boil my cushion when it starts leaking. I may get another 30 days outta a boiled cushion. Do a search about boiling them, if you are interested in doing the same.

Sheriff

When you cleaned the cushion what did you do to clean it? How often? What did you use? Did you mess with the velcro adjustments much once you got it initially dialed in?

Some people get months and months of life out of a cushion...others do good to get 30 days. Not sure why but it seems to work out that way. Maybe more facial oils get accumulated on the cushion and/or maybe someone's cleaning routine causes wear and tear on the cushion.

There is a little trick that can be tried as a last ditch effort to get more life out of a cushion.
DON'T try it unless the cushion is destined for the trash can and you already have a spare in hand.
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=74686&st=0&sk=t&sd= ... il+cushion
One little hint....I used distilled water both for the boiling and rinsing when I tried it. First attempt was with tap water and my tap water has a lot of minerals in it and it left the cushions/pillows cloudy looking...so repeated with distilled water for the boiling and rinsing and they came out crystal clear.

Insurance normally allows a replacement time frame of 1 cushion per month. Most people don't need to replace that frequently but sometimes some people do for whatever reason.

welcome aboard!

something that may help with that jaw dropping is a soft cervical collar.

I recently finished a test for Resmed. I used one F20 mask cushion for 13 weeks. All I did was clean the mask weekly. I washed the cushion in warm water and either Ivory dish soap or baby shampoo, depending on the mood I am in at the time. The cushion was still usable after the test, but I wanted to try the Dreamwear FFM, and have switched to that. The cushion my wife is using is over 4 months old. As with anything concerning sleep apnea, your miles may vary.

I wash mask silicon parts (pillows, oral cushion) daily with Dawn, rinse, spray w white vinegar & let sit for a few mins, then rinse well, air dry. On the rare nights I'm too lazy to wash, I wipe down with Contour CPAP wipes (Amazon) but my leaks might be higher than usual.

I too boil when my silicone parts are losing seal or are cloudy. Distilled water, 4 qt saucepan, 1 tbsp baking powder (bicarbonate of soda outside the USA), immerse for 2-5 mins on simmer, rinse; if still cloudy, back solution into for another 5 mins. I have been using the same silicon parts for at least 12-14 months. My headgear has to be replaced most often.