Drying the hose

kopoloff · Post by **kopoloff** » Sat Feb 21, 2009 1:46 pm

It's warm here in Southern Australia (as you may well have heard in the aftermath of our bushfire disaster) so my hose dries during the day as long as it's hung up straight. I'm not sure about what will happen in the winter, and since I'm concerned about bacterial growth in any moisture in the hose, I figure I should get it dry.

So I've made a hose dryer. It consists of a 250mm length of 100mm PVC pipe, and end caps for each end and a light globe mounted inside. There are vent holes in the bottom cap and a 22mm hose connector in the top. The CPAP hose is mounted on the hose connector on the top of the device. When turned on, the globe warms the air, which rises, and passes through the hose. I reckon the beauty of this system is that the heat generates convection, so no forced air movement is required.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/46294424@N00/3297032128/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/46294424@N00/3297033548/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/46294424@N00/3296202709/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/46294424@N00/3297035000/

I experimented with different globes. A 40 watt incandescent is too powerful. The internal temperature got to 70 deg C, which I think is a bit high. Ultimately I ended up using an 8 watt compact fluorescent. With this setup I was able to leave it all day and the maximum internal temperature reached 38 deg C, which I reckon is just right. I'm just running the system at the moment with the hose hooked up, and the temperature at the top end of the hose is just 25 deg C. Total cost was about $10.

Seems to dry the hose in about an hour, so I'll stick it on a plug in timer so i can leave it unattended for the day and not waste energy.

K

JoyD. · Post by **JoyD.** » Sat Feb 21, 2009 2:13 pm

Kopoloff,

Excuse me for peeking . . . but your photography on Flickr is GORGEOUS! I saved Botanical Gardens in Melbourne and Pelicans on Noosa River for computer wallpaper on my 20 inch Apple iMac!

You are very talented . . . not only with creating neat CPAP hose inventions, but also are an artist with the camera!

Thanks,
Joy

grandmma · Post by **grandmma** » Sat Feb 21, 2009 3:58 pm

JoyD, i agree, Kopoloff, your photos are stunning. Seems you are handy as well as artistic/inventive. Seems to be a great little contraption (if that's the right word).

I love photography, and don't take a bad photo with my SLR, but I've not much of the artist in me at all, so the composition can be fairly pedestrian. I've some great night shots when I was in Miami, but I think they miss that.....pizzaz. Really appreciate those of you who have it.

kopoloff · Post by **kopoloff** » Sat Feb 21, 2009 6:27 pm

Well thankyou, thankyou, thankyou.

The Noosa River shot was taken with my mobile phone! It may not have the resolution for a 20 inch monitor.

I love photography. Used to do a lot of portraiture, but that seemed to disappear with OSA, hopefully it'll come back. I can't draw, and I have no real sensitivity about colour (I work in the graphic arts industry!) or music, so my only real creativity comes with a camera. And also, making gadgets!

I haven't posted to flickr for quite a while - maybe I'll upload some more. If you like, keep looking.

By the way, the hose dryer works a treat. but I've got plans for a new model that will dry the hose in much less time, so no need for a timer.

K

kopoloff · Post by **kopoloff** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 12:52 am

hey grandmma and JoyD

Have another look - I did some more uploads

K

Jason S. · Post by **Jason S.** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 7:10 am

I rarely clean the hose because I figure it only blowing air through distilled water so why should it get that dirty? On weekends I sometimes run hot water through it and then hang it to dry, which it usually doesn't completely but so what. I didn't clean it this weekend because I had to go to awards ceremony on Sunday evening.

kopoloff · Post by **kopoloff** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 5:24 pm

the nasties are in the air, not the water.

Debjax · Post by **Debjax** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 6:35 pm

Jason S. wrote:I rarely clean the hose because I figure it only blowing air through distilled water so why should it get that dirty? On weekends I sometimes run hot water through it and then hang it to dry, which it usually doesn't completely but so what. I didn't clean it this weekend because I had to go to awards ceremony on Sunday evening.

We didn't watch, so didn't see you walk the carpet...was it a good time?

tattooyu · Post by **tattooyu** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 6:42 pm

I vote for a Lab Rat award on this if you haven't gotten one already! Awesome!

gasp · Post by **gasp** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 10:52 pm

OK, this is funny. I kept wondering what everyone was talking about great photography. I viewed your inventive hose dryer photos and did think they had a nice resolution and well done, but nothing that would lead me to comment about the photos being great photography. Since it didn't make sense I went scouting around and found your photos. I really enjoyed them too. My husband has a Canon Rebel XT digital SLR something or other, all I know he takes amazing pictures and so do you. My favorite was the boots.

kopoloff · Post by **kopoloff** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 1:43 pm

Thanks for your kind words.

The faithful old boots were just waiting on the front step to go to work. What a cliche!

Cheers

K

dieselgal · Post by **dieselgal** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 1:54 pm

I am inventive mentally but not handy enough to create what I visualize so I would never have been able to make the hose dryer! As for the picture I love pics with people,pets and trees.

Gale Hawkins · Post by **Gale Hawkins** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 3:42 pm

After a year or two I solved the hose drying problem by stopping the use of the humidifier and all has been well since. When we are new with CPAP we tend to tilt with windmills.

araminta · Post by **araminta** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 8:21 pm

so you don't need the moist air?

larryjay · Post by **larryjay** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 10:18 pm

I have not used the machine for very long. I think that moisture left in the morning can be blown out by simply looking at up for a short while. I've been hanging the hose over shower rod. It is dry by the time I go to bed. My test for its dryness is to simply flick the ends toward my hands. For now, It works for me.

Larry Jay

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Mask	Humidifier

Additional Comments: Pursleep, Padacheek, Regenesis™ Pillow, Neti Pot, Travel Buddy hose hanger