Swift FX in mask rainout: Solutions?

Has anyone had any problems with rainout in the Swift FX mask? The mask hose and cpap hose are bone dry, but I'm getting a little puddle in the mask. Short of buying the climateline hose is there a way to stop this?

I saw water inside my FX today morning. I have the ClimateLine hose with the H5i, default/auto settings (80), so the ClimateLine isn't really guaranteed to solve the issue. See Nord's thread on the H5i.

My hose was dry, just my FX that had drops of water.

I have the same problem with the Swift LT. It is NOT a problem with the hose or the humidifier. If the air in your room is cold, when that air hits your warm nose in the nasal pillows there's condensation right around the pillows. I didn't like the way this felt--it felt like a runny nose I couldn't wipe.

On cold nights now, I set up a heating pad just a few inches in front of the air intake on my machine (where the filter is) for JUST A FEW MINUTES so that when I turn on my CPAP the air coming in is very warm. It is very important for safety that you turn off the heating pad (and I unplug it) after a few minutes--don't leave it on there very long or you could be creating a fire hazard.

The warm air coming into the CPAP does not condense when it reaches my nose, and the problem is solved. I still have a few drops of moisture in the pillows in the morning, but not so much that it bugs me. On warmer nights, I have little or no "rainout" immediately when turning on the machine.

manas wrote:I saw water inside my FX today morning. I have the ClimateLine hose with the H5i, default/auto settings (80), so the ClimateLine isn't really guaranteed to solve the issue. See Nord's thread on the H5i.

My hose was dry, just my FX that had drops of water.

Hmmm, that stinks. I was thinking if I could get through the couple of cool nights we were having that I would be ok until fall at which time I would grab the climate hose to solve the problem. Sounds like that idea won't float.

I saw a post in the lab rat section about making a wick to put inside a nasal pillow mask for the rainout in the mask but the FX is significantly smaller then the one used in that post so I'm not sure it would work without interfering.

Janknitz, it definitely seems to be related to room temp because it's only happening on cold nights. However, I'm not seeing it immediately like you are. It's happening about 3 to 4 hours into the night. What bother's me is that it puddles in the bottom of the mask and then sprays a mist out my vent when I exhale. If I'm on my side when this happens the cold water is spraying out onto my hand and waking me up. If I'm on my back it just stays in the mask and I don't notice it until I roll over.

So far the water is staying in the bottom of the mask and not causing a wet nose issue but when trying to adjust to the mask and therapy it sure would be nice to eliminate that one extra thing waking me up.

I don't know if the moisture comes out of my exhaust. I find that air so cold to begin with that I always have my arm wrapped up in a sheet or blanket so the cold air isn't blowing on my arm (I sleep on my right side, so my left arm is in the "line of fire"). I haven't noticed any dampness on the sheets or pillows in the morning.

I tried the wick idea in the lab rat fixes, and I was suprised by how damp it was in the morning. It was a particularly cold night, I guess. I don't think it helped all that much, though. There were still droplets in the pillows touching my nose. Most mornings, there is one big drop in the fat part of the pillows and some smaller drops in the pillows.

The wick might work for you, to keep moisture from coming out of the exhaust.

Let me rephrase. I meant that the ClaimateLine in default settings isn't guaranteed to solve the problem. Maybe there are some better ClimateLine settings out there. I see that Big Daddy (Michigan) uses 78 deg, humidity 5.0 (mine is default ... no idea what it is), and since you are in Illinois, you may benefit from a ClimateLine. I am just one data point who hasn't experimented enough.

Hopefully after tonight this will be our last burst of cold for a while. I will try the wick idea since it seemed to work without interfering and if the problem continues on cold nights then I'll have to break down and buy the climateline.

I had rhe same problem last night - it was a cold night here - no rainout in the hose but it accumulated during the night and then formed a small drip puddle on ny upper lip - I may have to use my Aussie heated hose on nights like these. I hadnakt been using it because it ran too hot for mw on the 12 volt power supply it came with but then a suggestion came out on the forum to run it with a 9 volt supply instead, which I finally picked up from Radioshack.

Regards,

Jersey Girl

Would you like me to try my hand at a cozy for the area around the nasal pillows? I have made them for the Swift and the Swift II as well as the Swift LT.


Karen

PADACHEEK wrote:Would you like me to try my hand at a cozy for the area around the nasal pillows? I have made them for the Swift and the Swift II as well as the Swift LT.


Karen

Karen,
If that has worked for past masks then I would definitely be interested in something like that.

If you decide to give it a go please keep me posted.