Are CPAP masks are supposed to vent pressurized air?

I you have a new F20 mask, it probably has the new quiet elbow on it. The vent holes have a cover on them, and you cannot feel the air exiting from the mask. If you take the elbow off of the mask and look at the end that goes into the mask, you can see the holes. They are not visible from the front.

My new F30 is the same, there's a deflector over the holes, so instead of exhaling/blowing straight out away from my face, the exit air blows radially in an expanding sheet that sort of follows the exterior contour of the mask, and by extension, the face itself. It feels a bit drafty at times, but it's worth it not to be blowing at my wife unless I happen to turn just so. It helps with spooning. (To tie in another thread.)

Pugsy wrote: ↑

Tue May 14, 2019 7:22 pm

BCMiles75 wrote: ↑

Tue May 14, 2019 7:14 pm

I'm new too so please forgive me if I'm posting in the wrong place. I have a question about CPAP masks venting also. I have a ResMed F20 mask and I can't find vent holes anywhere. Since I have COPD in addition to OSA, I'm very worried about more carbon monoxide in my body. This is the only mask available for my machine, which is a ResMed Airsense 10. Does anyone have a F20 mask who can help me with this?

Welcome to the forum.

Who told you the F20 was the only mask available for your machine?....that's not correct. Just about any mask, brand or type can be used with your machine.

The F20 does have vent holes...it's up by the little elbow thing...hard to see if you don't know what you are looking at and where to look. The little holes in the white ring thing that I circled...those are the vent holes.

f20vent.JPG

Thank you so much for your answer. You'll never know how much you put my mind at ease. At the store where I bought my CPAP, they didn't give me a choice of masks, just gave me the F20. Again, thank you for the answer (and the picture)!

Thank you so much for your answer. You'll never know how much you put my mind at ease. At the store where I bought my CPAP, they didn't give me a choice of masks, just gave me the F20. Again, thank you for the answer (and the picture)!

So the "store where you bought your CPAP" is called a DME or Durable Medical Equipment provider. Lesson Number One: NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, EVER, EVER, EVER EVER believe a single thing a DME tells you. Illustrated exactly by lying to you that the F20 was the only mask that works with your machine. It sounds like you are doing well with it and that's fine, but if you are not, there are dozens of other masks to try AND they are supposed to accept your return of that mask to give you another if that mask is not working out (they will try to claim this isn't true).

BTW, if you are on Medicare you did not "buy" your machine. Medicare (including Advantage plans) requires a 13 month "capped" rental. That means you rent it for 13 months, only then is it yours. You will have co-payments every month (20% of what Medicare determines is the allowable amount, while Medicare pays 80%) and in January another deductible to meet. Did they explain all that???