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JeffH wrote: Well that explains it then...you didn't say you were a southerner....LOL. Duct tape and baling wire will fix about anything if you are from the South.

No bailing wire required. Bailing wire is for amateurs. All that's needed is Duct tape and WD40. If it moves and it shouldn't, use duct tape. If it doesn't move and it should, use WD40.

Has anyone tried a 25W version? Is that too much for the hose - don't want to melt it. I think there is also 50W too. Or is everyone using a 15W?

fwiw- I have not been able to find this cable available locally, In CT, tho other Repti products are sold. A guy at the store told me he has seen these online but never in the stores.

I ordered on from EBAY last night. I saw several, including the higher wattages. But since the Aussie hose is 15 watts, I didnt want to go any higher than that. I found mine for $16 including shipping.

A couple of years ago some of the kids at school decided to make some of their clothing with duct tape -- we had some pretty creative ideas that they ended up making and modeling!!!

I am in Missouri and rural so does that mean I am part southern?

Hey Bert I like your idea -- duct tape will fix anything!!!

My brother uses duct tape on duct work (where they came up with the name) and duct work gets hotter than what your hose would -- (brother is in heating and air).

rooster wrote:

I know it's probably not "PC" to find that funny... but it is funny never the less.

Snooze's 10-foot hose now sports the ~15-foot long, 25 watt, Repti Heat Cable, controlled with the ReptiTemp 500R thermostat.

Wow, this thing is great! Last night, for the first time in the total 5 weeks of Snooze's CPAP therapy, no rain-out occurred and humidity level was raised from 2 to 2.5.

Thanks to p2pjunkie for sharing his Repti solution.

My first DIY heated hose design [idea] was a "no-go" [(never implemented) with] a water pipe heater at Lowes home improvement ( http://tinyurl.com/yo5yvd ). I don't remember the wattage of that monster, but I do remember thinking "serious over-kill", feeling a sense of doom while reading the docs, and visualized my hose melting like butter.

You can see Snooze's Repti rig by clicking on the "My Setup" link below, in my sig, which also includes its evolution. The Repti solution is the last 9 photos or so if you want to skip the progression.

Snooze_Blues wrote:Snooze's 10-foot hose now sports the ~15-foot long, 25 watt, Repti Heat Cable, controlled with the ReptiTemp 500R thermostat.

Wow, this thing is great! Last night, for the first time in the total 5 weeks of Snooze's CPAP therapy, no rain-out occurred and humidity level was raised from 2 to 2.5.

Thanks to p2pjunkie for sharing his Repti solution.

My first DIY heated hose design was a "no-go" using a water pipe heater at Lowes home improvement ( http://tinyurl.com/yo5yvd ). I don't remember the wattage of that monster, but I do remember thinking "serious over-kill", feeling a sense of doom while reading the docs, and visualized my hose melting like butter.

You can see Snooze's Repti rig by clicking on the "My Setup" link below, in my sig, which also includes its evolution. The Repti solution is the last 9 photos or so if you want to skip the progression.

Thanks for the pics... TossinNTurnin is very impressed. She has been thinking that she might need a longer hose than what she has now and was wondering if she should consider getting a longer ReptiCable as well...

Very encouraging.

Very impressive photos, and a very impressive solution to rain-out issues. I have a question, though, for those of you who've used the Repti heater. My question has to do with cleaning, and I recognize the wide variety of views on PAP equipment cleaning, especially the need (or lack thereof) to clean the main tubing. Arguably, the presence of rain-out might encourage the growth of microorganisms, and eliminating rain-out with the Repti tape would arguably decrease even further the need (if any) for cleaning. So, finally, in view of all the above, to my question: how does the Repti tape solution (or even use of the Aussie Hose, for that matter) impact your ability to clean the tubing, if you do so at all? Did the decision to use one of these heated systems change your views on cleaning? Did your views on cleaning impact your decision to use one of these systems? {The law of unintended consequences: no action has just one result.} Just curious. Thanks.

For me, I think it is more likely to get something inside the hose that I don't want inside the hose by washing it than by just leaving it alone. I have been using the same hose for 18 months without washing.

Just using the hose, nothing goes it but filtered room air and pure water vapor.

I do occasionally swab off the outside of the connectors. They get a little dirty from handling.

BTW, my brother and I were just talking this morning about some sick family members. I remembered that I used to have two or three colds per year but in 26 months of cpap use, I have not had a single cold or respiratory infections. Knock on wood.

Velbor wrote:Very impressive photos, and a very impressive solution to rain-out issues. I have a question, though, for those of you who've used the Repti heater. My question has to do with cleaning...

Velbor,

I'm feeling cleaning is less required with less moisture. My understanding of bacteria and mold is that it takes water for most of them to survive, like most earthly creatures, but I'm sure there are exceptions, and there is probably some small amount of moisture that isn't visible.

I made a homemade hose cleaner from rags, fishing line, and a non-lead weight that I used several times, but it leaves small lint fibers inside the hose and a few more fall into my humidifier reservoir. I probably got some in my lungs before I noticed them. Because of the lint, and since my hose and mask now look dry in the morning, I've stopped my routine of blotting water since it is no longer there. This is what previously passed for hose cleaning.

My routine now is to clean the nose-piece every morning with Dr. Bronner's Hemp and Pepperment castille soap and to rinse the humidifier chamber with distilled water once a week for "cleaning".

Yes, since there's no rainout and I'm using distilled water... I don't feel that I HAVE to clean it once a week... so I'll probably do so once a month.

Sorry PAPers,

Don't mean to worry anyone or start anything, but companies have a much smaller regard for pet saftey than they do for people saftey. Dog food from China killing thousands of pets would have read and been a diffrent story if it had been baby food!

Please be aware that even if these hose heating products are almost exactly the same as the reptile warmers that the people products have more testing or at least insurance. I doubt a jury would fully comprehend exactly why someone wrapped a reptile warmer around their hose, especialy when a lawyer is the one explaining the situation.

So, I suspect that a large part of that price descepatency is for the liablity diffrence in killing a reptile vs electrocuting, burning, or otherwise hurting a person.

I hope that you can trust those products. I had a lot more confidance before the pet food and toys that have been recalled. I am surprised what people risk to save a few dollars; and there really was very little outcry concerning the widespread nature of those assults.

Let the buyer beware.

pjd wrote:Sorry PAPers,
So, I suspect that a large part of that price descepatency is for the liablity diffrence in killing a reptile vs electrocuting, burning, or otherwise hurting a person.

I hope that you can trust those products. I had a lot more confidance before the pet food and toys that have been recalled. I am surprised what people risk to save a few dollars; and there really was very little outcry concerning the widespread nature of those assults.

Let the buyer beware.

The safety issue has nothing to do with pet safety. If the thing causes fires they'd be liable, whether it "kills" a reptile or not. The product has been around for quite a while, if it was regularly "burning" lizards... I'm pretty sure word would've gotten around and the company would be out of business by now.

One should be aware and careful when trying out new things like this... but there's a difference between that and knee jerk reactions.

Given that the thing is only 15 watts, covered in silicone and modern electric blankets and mattress pads use a similar scenario with RARE instances of dangerous results... I'm really not very concerned.

Well, I have gotten my heater and a new hose cover with a zipper on it, and to absolute shock and amazement it works very well without any duct tape at all! The zippered hose cover (made by ResMed) fits over the hose so tightly that I can just put the heating cable in there with it and the pressure holds it all together. This is great because it makes it so easy to clean and disinfect the hoses! Although, honestly, I only clean them once or twice and then just throw them away because my DME gives me one a month for free. Terrible for Mother Nature, I know, but they are my lungs, after all!

LOL )))))))))))))
WBR,
Alex