Mask Liners

I ordered a couple of white cotton mask liners from my supplier. The feel of the mask was nice, but the leak rate went way up so I stopped using the liner. Leak rate went back down.

The maker of the liners claims those leaks are insignificant small leaks that will not affect therapy.

Anyone have experience with the liners and leaks?

Also, the price of a little patch of cotton called a liner is high. I wonder if there are less expensive alternatives to the brand I got that were $15 for two.

Most machines will compensate for leaks up to about 25-30L. If you are below that and you are sleeping well with a low AHI, ignore everything else.
Look at padacheek.com for specific liners for your mask. They are more expensive but can be washed and least a long time.

ejbpesca wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 03, 2022 10:11 am

the price of a little patch of cotton called a liner is high. I wonder if there are less expensive alternatives to the brand I got that were $15 for two.

You can make your own mask liners out of an old TShirt.

Pugsy wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 03, 2022 10:22 am

ejbpesca wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 03, 2022 10:11 am

the price of a little patch of cotton called a liner is high. I wonder if there are less expensive alternatives to the brand I got that were $15 for two.

You can make your own mask liners out of an old TShirt.

Especially now that you have an example to use as a template.

ejbpesca wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 03, 2022 10:11 am

I ordered a couple of white cotton mask liners from my supplier. The feel of the mask was nice, but the leak rate went way up so I stopped using the liner. Leak rate went back down.

As with so many other things in CPAP therapy, there's a tradeoff. And how you are feeling and sleeping is a critical part of the puzzle.

In your case:

How much did the leaks go up? As LSAT points out, our machines can compensate for an increase in unintentional leaking up to about 25-30 L/min without much trouble. If your leak rate didn't increase beyond that, you don't need to worry about the increase in leaks in terms of efficacy of therapy.

Did the increase in leaks wake you up? If you slept through the leaks and they were less than about 25-30 L/min, you don't need to worry about them. If they woke you up and you had trouble getting back to sleep because of the leaks, then that's a problem regardless of their size.

Did the mask liner make the mask more comfortable? If so, it's worth using them and using a week's worth of daily data to figure out whether the increase in leaking is worth worrying about in the long run.

Anything that makes you more comfortable is going to make it easier to get to sleep (and potentially stay asleep) with the mask on your face. So if you slept better with the mask liner, keep using it until and unless you have enough leak data gathered over at least a week that indicates you might actually have a problem with large leaks that are both large enough and long enough to potentially affect the efficacy of your therapy.

It is quite easy to make your own mask liner. I made mine out of an old, well-used tee shirt. I found thee pattern for the mask loner here:
http://montfordhouse.com/cpap/diy-cotton-mask-liner.pdf

This size liner will fit a medium or small sized cushion. It could easily be enlarged for a large cushion. The hole in the center can be enlarges as much as you want, as long as you leave enough material to go under the mask cushion.

I use a Pad A Cheek mask liner with a Phillips Dreamwear full face mask. I wash liner by hand with soap and water about once a week, and it lasts about 6 months. Total cost for the liner for my mask is $27. As I understand it, it wasn't designed to lessen leaks, but it has for me and I believe others.

tbeb wrote: ↑

Wed Oct 05, 2022 9:44 pm

I use a Pad A Cheek mask liner with a Phillips Dreamwear full face mask. I wash liner by hand with soap and water about once a week, and it lasts about 6 months. Total cost for the liner for my mask is $27. As I understand it, it wasn't designed to lessen leaks, but it has for me and I believe others.

Mask liners wick away sweat, and silence the noise caused by leaks.
As long as the final leak rate is within limits, it is acceptable;
especially if the patient is better able to sleep.