Cheap heated hose

no_time_for_apnea wrote: So anyway, it turns out using Christmas lights is a bad idea because it's too hard to thread them between the CPAP hose and the hose hugger- those little lights keep getting snagged. Guess I'll have to earn a lab rat award another way.

I'm glad you checked back in. I was thinking about you a couple days ago and meant to follow up.

I researched Xmas light problems and came across what I'd view as a show stopper (for me). I might risk the lead issue (I might clean them before use, though) since the insulation of my extension cord is probably full of it (it makes the colors of plastic and other stuff more opaque), but I also discovered that many cheap Xmas lights have aluminum to copper contacts with some people reporting premature visible corrosion.

Copper to aluminum contact, especially if corroded, is an acknowledged cause of unpredictable or excessive resistance, in turn causing potentially dangerous local over heating and an occasional fire. It can also lead to accelerated deterioration at the point of dissimilar metal contact when exposed to an electrical current (classically in the presence of [an electrolyte], which encourages electrolysis due to dissimilar metal valence, which generates its own minor electricity IIRC, but pushing 110V AC through it may be enough, even with no [electrolyte]. Disclaimer: I am not an electrician and I know all too well how it feels to conduct 110V A/C through my body.

Are you going to try the Repti Heat Cable now? If so, the trick is really the watts per inch, so check back in this thread and calculate based on your hose length. You might be able to get by with a $5 volt/ohm meter to check the wattage and an $11 table lamp dimmer. That's around $30 for the Repti Heat cable, the meter, and the dimmer. I'd recommend adding a timer to limit "on time" to sleepy time hours. I'd be doing that with the Aussie HH too, so that expense wouldn't be unique to the RHC solution in my case.

I'm glad carbonman got the Aussie Heated Hose if that's what suits him best. As for me, using the Respironics CL2, I needed a way to heat the nose piece, as well as the hose. Even after heating the hose, I continued to get condensation in the nose piece. Extending the Repti Heated Cable to loop around the nose piece solved my problem. The Aussie Heated Hose only heats the hose, so I'd still be getting water up the snozzola. A rude awakening.

BTW: I've been using this thing for nearly a year now, and while, I'll repeat,it's not for everyone, it works well for me.

I noticed a display of plumbing pipe heaters the other day and wondered if they might be enlisted for this. You know those little electrical cords they use to keep pipes from freezing? I'm not in great need, but I thought I'd toss the idea out, in case anyone felt like fiddling with it.

Cheers,
Barbara

Babette wrote:I noticed a display of plumbing pipe heaters the other day and wondered if they might be enlisted for this. You know those little electrical cords they use to keep pipes from freezing? I'm not in great need, but I thought I'd toss the idea out, in case anyone felt like fiddling with it.

Cheers,
Barbara

The only pipe heaters I could find in my original search a year ago were MUCH too high wattage! They are essentially intended to heat water inside a pipe to prevent freezing, which is a fairly tall order. Water consumes BTU's like little else. Really cold water is more of a challenge.

Oh good! Thanks for clarifying that for us! Now I can quit stopping and staring at them and contemplating YET ANOTHER PROJECT WHICH I WILL NEVER FINISH!

MANY thanks!
B.

Babette wrote:I noticed a display of plumbing pipe heaters the other day and wondered if they might be enlisted for this. You know those little electrical cords they use to keep pipes from freezing? I'm not in great need, but I thought I'd toss the idea out, in case anyone felt like fiddling with it.
Cheers,
Barbara

Those pipe heat tapes don't come on til about 40 degrees. If your bedroom is 40 you have other problems besides rainout. Guess you could just hardwire it but I decided against all that and went with the Repti Cable. It works great for me too.

If you don't have some electrical understanding this is NOT for you, stay away.

What a good idea. I just started CPAP and tend to keep the bedroom cold in the winter. I was a bit concerned about having rainout then. Was considering the Aussie Heated hose. But this solution sounds as good, and is way cheaper?

Would someone please PM me in November and remind me of this thread?

I looked at the pipe heaters, too, but also determine the wattage was too high. The ReptiCable is 15w. I don't think you want to go much higher than that.

I just read the entire thread and have a few additional thoughts.

The worst part about the reptile heat cable is that it is out of sight inside the hose cover. You can't see if anything (like the cable starting to overheat) is going wrong without taking the cover off for inspection.

And for anyone still thinking about Christmas lights: The reptile heater heats evenly along the entire heated part of the cable whereas the lights have the heat concentrated at each bulb. While the watts may be the same, the concentration makes the light string more likely to melt the hose (or worse!)

LED lights would be safe, but LEDs create light with very little heat. So they are not likely to have any real effect at all.

At least I have 4 months to mull all this over.

Update, July 2009: Repti-Cable heated hose still working well after 1.5 years.
I'll update again if I encounter any issues.

How are other Repti-Heated hose users doing?
Have you encountered any issues?
Are you still using your Repti-Heated hose?

Good to hear that all is well.

Snooze_Blues wrote:Update, July 2009: Repti-Cable heated hose still working well after 1.5 years.
I'll update again if I encounter any issues.

How are other Repti-Heated hose users doing?
Have you encountered any issues?
Are you still using your Repti-Heated hose?

1-1/2 years as well. Still using it every night without any problems. In fact in the summer, even though I don't get rainout, if I forget to turn it on I get just enough moisture in the mask to cause leaks. So it's on every night, year round.

Just remember: don't wrap it around the hose, run it straight down one side inside of a cover. Keep it away from metal, including the zipper on the cover. Don't cross it over itself and don't put your hose under the covers or pillow with the cable turned on. Lastly, turn it off during the day.

A great, inexpensive solution.

Mine has worked fine all winter. Not using it now, but didn't take it "down" for the summer either. Just left everything in place for the coming winter.

BTW, you can't see anything in the Aussie hose either, FWIW.

JeffH

JeffH --

You don't happen to be from northern NJ, do you?

Interesting thread and idea! What health benefits have you experienced using a heated hose?

I've turned back my humidifier settings; perhaps I'm missing out on a real benefit.

Thanks all for your contributions here.

Regards,
DaveL
Toronto

DaveL wrote:Interesting thread and idea! What health benefits have you experienced using a heated hose?

I've turned back my humidifier settings; perhaps I'm missing out on a real benefit.

Thanks all for your contributions here.

Regards,
DaveL
Toronto

I sleep better because I'm not awakened by water going into my nose. My Respironics ComfortLite2 condenses water into the nose-piece no matter how low I set the humidifier and with no condensation in the hose. Without the Repti heater wrapped around the nose piece (see: pics in sig link) I'd have to find another mask. Not something I look forward to.