AEIOMed Twilight NP - the rubber band trick

bosqueman wrote:

steven wrote:Thank you for the rubber band fix.

The mask now seals perfectly with no other modifications. I don't even have to bend the wires!

Unfortunately, my significant other complains that the exhaust noise is too loud for her to sleep. She prefers that I use the ComfortLite which is much quieter.

Any suggestions?

My pressure is 10 -14.

Actually I have a question, I am having a lot of trouble getting used to the CPAP. I currently use a ResMed pillow. The noise is what I think prevents me from going to sleep. It sounds like the Aura is comfortable but noisy. Is the ComfortLite comfortable? What is the sound level? Do both exhaust by the nose or is it at the top of the head?

Thanks!

The noise is what was the hardest for me to get accustomed to with PAP. I don't know about the ComfortLite. But, the Breeze is quieter than the Swift or Aura, which are about the same.

Jerry

For those with the older Aura setup, here is another thing that really works well. Since you can't attach the rubber band to that notch as on the newer version, take any type of thin ribbon (I used a self-made one made of paper medical tape and halved it by folding it down the middle, sticky sides facing each other) and slide it through that gray adjustment bar and then tie it as tight as you can get it by looping one end through the back strap tab and then making a knot. Repeat for the other side. It can take the place of using pantyhose to pull the pillows in for a tighter, more leak-free fit. Plus, you do it once and leave it alone, unlike tying the pantyhose every night you put on the headgear. Not to mention, we know some of the macho men on the site are very anti anything pantyhose, even if it works.

Hope I was clear enough in explaining it and it helps someone with the older version who can't do the rubber band fix (which was a great idea, by the way). Please see below. I drew in red where the ribbon goes.

Jcarn, I must say...even though I don't use any nasal interface that is a pretty clever idea you came up with. And all you using scrunchies for your hose, maybe I will try that once I get set up the right way. I guess sometimes those who have toiled with cpap and masks really do have the answers to make things a lot easier.

God bless
Chelle

Jerry69 wrote:The new Aura is different on top. The anchor points are gone. Here is a suggestion:



Just use one rubber band about 2-1/2" to 3"long when flattened and sort of stretchy.

I'll try it tonight.

Oh, so you get more rainout with the Aura than the Swift. I experienced rainout last night with my new Aura and the HH on 1. First time ever. I don't usually heat the humidifier, just use it as a passover, but the times I have heated it, I used the Swift and didn't get any rainout.

I think the reason it occurs with the Aura and not the Swift is that the supply tube for the Swift is bigger in cross section than the small tubes of the Aura. If I remember correctly, smaller tubes mean higher velocity flow and correspondingly, lower pressure. The lower pressure causes the water vapor to condense. I wondered without really considering this when I got water in the nasal seal piece of the Aura during the night. And, I had some accumulation in the nasal seal this morning.

I don't know if this is going to be a problem, however. If it is, I'll just not heat the humidifier. I don't really need additional humidification here in Florida.

Jerry

After reading Lori's post on how to use a ribbon to fix the 'older Aura setup', I realized that my 'new' Aura (received 12-27-20050 was the older version.

Sleepless on LI wrote:For those with the older Aura setup, here is another thing that really works well. Since you can't attach the rubber band to that notch as on the newer version, take any type of thin ribbon (I used a self-made one made of paper medical tape and halved it by folding it down the middle, sticky sides facing each other) and slide it through that gray adjustment bar and then tie it as tight as you can get it by looping one end through the back strap tab and then making a knot. Repeat for the other side. It can take the place of using pantyhose to pull the pillows in for a tighter, more leak-free fit. Plus, you do it once and leave it alone, unlike tying the pantyhose every night you put on the headgear. Not to mention, we know some of the macho men on the site are very anti anything pantyhose, even if it works.

Hope I was clear enough in explaining it and it helps someone with the older version who can't do the rubber band fix (which was a great idea, by the way). Please see below. I drew in red where the ribbon goes.

When I saw Lori's fix,



I realized that jcarn's version was the new Aura/Everest and mine was the old.

Here's the story: Rested Gal had told me to be sure to get the Aura with the clear box on top, not the grey. So, when I received mine from cpap.com, I could see through the clear plastic bag that it is packaged in that it had the grey box. So, I called cpap.com. I spoke to Becky. She said she would check. She called me back and said she had talked to Aeiomed and that they told her that their were no design changes between the grey and clear box versions, that when Aeiomed had re-named the Aura the Everest, they had changed from a grey to clear box but made no design changes.

Well, obviously, from jcarn's picture and mine and Lori's, there have been design changes in the box. For one thing, you can't attach the rubber bands to the same point with mine as jcarn's. The fix that I and Lori came up with should work as well. Mine worked fine last night, in fact. But, I don't like being told that 'there were no design changes' when there were.

I'm calling cpap.com later to tell them what I've discovered. I will request the latest model. I will return the one I have, if they want it.

Disappointed,

Jerry

PS: the model I have works fine, especially with the rubber band fix. No leaks at all last night. Very stable. I like the Aura/Everest.

I just hope that the old one will work just as fine. Would not have cause a issue with me.

Jerry,

I don't think you'll find nicer customer service than on this site. I'm sure they will take care of you...well, maybe not "sure," but if they can, they will. That's why it's always nicer to buy from this site if it's feasible.

Jerry,

I received the old model from cpap.com at the beginning of December. It may seem like the new clear model is different, however, the top part is the same. I was able to do jcarn's fix with no problem looping the rubber band around the first section just as she had done. I was however very disappointed I received the old model and not the new one, but as long as it works I'm happy.

Melinda

sleepylady wrote:Jerry,

I received the old model from cpap.com at the beginning of December. It may seem like the new clear model is different, however, the top part is the same. I was able to do jcarn's fix with no problem looping the rubber band around the first section just as she had done. I was however very disappointed I received the old model and not the new one, but as long as it works I'm happy.

Melinda

Melinda, does it look to you like the top part is the same in these pictures? Do you have a different 'old model than I'?

New:



Another view or new:



Now, I ask you, does that look at all like 'old'?



They are obviously different!

Leslie, at cpap.com told me today that Aeiomed told her that there had been 'no design changes'. I am a design engineer. If the configuration changes, there is a 'design change'. I mean, if there are no lugs on the old configuration to attach the rubber bands, then, there are certainly 'design changes'. Grrrrrrr!

I even sent Leslie a link to this topic. She couldn't seem to comprehend that there was a design change. All she wanted to say is "We would never recommend using the rubber bands." I said, "Forget the rubber bands. That's not the issue. Can't you see that there is no place on the old grey-box Aura to attach the rubber bands like there is on the new clear-box Everest? They are different!"

She gave me a phone number at Aeiomed to discuss whether there was a 'design chnange'.

GRRRRRRR!

Jerry

I've been looking at the pictures I posted in the last post. You know, it is just possible that the configuration is the same in the old grey box and the new clear box.

I'm ready to admit that it is, darnit. But, the pictures of the clear box sure looked different.

PURRRR!

Jerry

Hey Jerry,

Both newer beige and clear models do look pretty similar .. I think there is another "original" model with the blue exhaust that may have a different design.
Maybe the two top are the same design, but different plastic color. The "original" looks like a slightly different plastic molding.

btw, your rubber band mod is pretty slick .. one strong rubber band looks like it works nicely. well done!

I am considering a switch from Swift to Aura. But all this talk about rubber band fixes is making me reconsider. Why does it need this fix and how effective overall is the Aura?

Thanks!

I recently got an "old" (beige box) Aura from someone who couldn't use it. I compared it with the "new" (clear box) Aura I have. The box is exactly the same design. Exactly. No changes at all.

What makes them look different is being able to see through the clear plastic. Makes it look like there are ridges at certain areas on top. But when you run your finger over the "ridges", that area is perfectly smooth on the clear box, just like on the beige one. We're just seeing things inside and through the clear plastic.

Jerry, my apologies for my initial advice to you about how I thought there had been some subtle design changes. I didn't mean there had been a design change to the box itself, other than using clear instead of beige plastic. I had thought there might have been changes to the configuration or length of the straps because even with the straps taken up all the way and all the adjustments shoved in as far as they'd go, my original Aura's headgear had been way too large. The new one I got felt like it fit a little better, although still too big.

I'd use jcarn's very cool rubber band trick, but for me it's that the headgear straps themselves are too long, allowing sideways shifting of the entire headgear itself on my head. When I use the intact Aura, I still use a homemade "you-know-what" strap across the front of the nasal part to keep everything steady. My deconstructed Aura with two "you-know-whats" is still my alltime favorite for light, steady comfort and no hair pulling.

Anyway, the infamous lockbox is exactly the same. I'd still go for the clear plastic one though. "Clear" just looks nicer and lighter, even though exactly the same weight (and design) as the old beige one.

Deconstructed Aura with two "you-know-whats":


The way I wear it, it wouldn't matter if the lockbox was purple polka dots and had rubberband friendly hooks all over it, since the box and its assortment of rubber straps are gone, gone, gone. I colored it invisible!

For people that the headgear fits ok, jcarn came up with an elegant solution, as are the Lori and Jerry permutations.

Boxes are the same configuration-yes, yes, yes!

jcarn, your latest post pictures make it clear (no pun) that the clear box and beige/grey box are the same configuration.

And, RG, your statement,

rested gal wrote:I recently got an "old" (beige box) Aura from someone who couldn't use it. I compared it with the "new" (clear box) Aura I have. The box is exactly the same design. Exactly. No changes at all.

satisfies me completely. Who would know better than you?

Sometimes a picture is NOT worth a thousand words, especially if the pictures is of a clear Aura lock box.

My apologies to Becky and Leslie at cpap.com for being so stubborn, despite their best efforts, including calls to Aeiomed, to sort this out. Throughout it all they were courteous, never lost patience with me, even though I was insistent that they were different. (I didn't get ugly, either.)

RIP,

Jerry (Johnny restored the avatar capability, but how do you like me and my Breeze?) UGH.

bosqueman wrote:I am considering a switch from Swift to Aura. But all this talk about rubber band fixes is making me reconsider. Why does it need this fix and how effective overall is the Aura?

Thanks!

I found the Swift to work best out of the box, and it is a very good interface.

The Aura headgear seems to be excessively large for most of the posters on this forum. I'm bald and wear a 7-1/4 hat. I was able to get a good fit, but I had to close both sliding adjustments as far as they would go and bend the wires to shorten the nasal seal. I also use the rubber band trick on this post. (I use the single band.) But, the interface is my 'current' favorite. I've ordered the x-large nasal seal that Lori (sleepless on LI) told us about in her recent post. Ill try using the x-large seal to see if it will work without the wire bending and rubber band. But, if I have to use wire bending and a rubber band, I will. Even so, the x-large may seal better on my large nares.

Mine feels good on my head and there are no cheek straps as on the Swift, nor is there a 'mustache' feeling, as with the Swift. And, it is more stable and comfortable than my Breeze. (I've ordered x-large pillows for the Breeze, however. Not ready to retire it.)

Jerry

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): breeze, swift, Aura, seal

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): breeze, swift, Aura, seal

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): breeze, swift, Aura, seal

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): breeze, swift, Aura, seal

Looking at the Aura Mask pictures, I can't tell if the nasal system has "prongs" like the Infiniti HC481A or "prongs" like the PB Breeze SleepGear or a "pillow" like the Respironics ComfortCurve. For those who use the system, can somebody post a JPEG picture? Thanks!!!