There will be bad data...

So, it's time for the weekly cleaning o' the gear!

No issues there, nice mild soapy water, clean everything well. Humidifier tank, hose, mask, done!

Now I hook up the hose and put the (empty) tank into the unit, crank up the humidity rating and let it run for a couple of hours to dry out every last bit of water. Easy.

However, the unit things I just took a two hour nap, with a horrific leak rate.

Anyone have this issue? Do I need to really do anything, or just advise my sleep doc that I used it to dry the unit? My doc uses the new ResMed online thing, so he can check up on my compliance.

You're putting water back into it........
WHY dry it out???


Den

Short story, I live in a basement apartment and don't like to leave things to air dry - because they never will LOL
Also, since it's so often exposed to humidity, completely drying it out once a week will help keep down on mildew build-up, another problem caused by basement apartment living.

Sunlight is overrated... sometimes =)

TalonNYC wrote:Short story, I live in a basement apartment and don't like to leave things to air dry - because they never will LOL
Also, since it's so often exposed to humidity, completely drying it out once a week will help keep down on mildew build-up, another problem caused by basement apartment living.

Sunlight is overrated... sometimes =)

That still makes absolutely no sense. You're pulling in room air (presumably with humidity) to try to dry out a water tank that will get filled up with (I presume) distilled water. If there's no airflow over the distilled water, it's just sitting there......like it is the rest of the week.


Den

Honestly, it's to get rid of the excess water that's left on the mask and in the tube after washing it. When I first got it and rinsed it, I let it air dry, and it took about 18 hours. You're right on the tub and the hose, but I do like the mask to be non-drippy when I put it on tonight =)

Yup, it will have humid air going through it tonight, but that's just the air, not water in the mask lining itself.

TalonNYC wrote:Honestly, it's to get rid of the excess water that's left on the mask and in the tube after washing it. When I first got it and rinsed it, I let it air dry, and it took about 18 hours. You're right on the tub and the hose, but I do like the mask to be non-drippy when I put it on tonight =)

Yup, it will have humid air going through it tonight, but that's just the air, not water in the mask lining itself.

I never wash my tubing, either. When I do wash my mask, I use a "flour sack" dish towel to dry it (after shaking most of the water out of it). With the headgear, in the Winter time, I hang it in front of a furnace vent and in the nicer weather, I try to hang it outside to dry.


Den

I suppose I could hang it outside, that might work.

Even if there IS a little bit of moisture left in the mask, that's not a big deal......it just adds a little to the humidity in the mask as the air blowing in picks it up. I mean, how many people have "rainout" in their hoses and masks? That's "moisture" (condensed water vapor).......and would essentially be from distilled water anyway......it's just a little more than they bargained for.

My point is that reading all these posts over the years about "cleaning" this stuff.......people seem to do things that are contradictory to what they're actually trying to accomplish. Every time they hang up a hose to dry (especially in the bathroom) they're potentially introducing their equipment to far more germs than if they would have just left it hooked together at the machine.

Please read this link:

http://www.talkaboutsleep.com/sleep-dis ... humid9.htm


Den

Oh yeah, I would NEVER hang it up to dry in the bathroom. Not when I know what I have to clean out of the shower in there every week! No, I let it dry in the bedroom, I suppose I can just let it air dry after giving it a wash, wouldn't hurt anything.

Thanks!

I wash the mask every week or two with Dawn or Ivory(just use wipes every other day) and if I forget to wash it until late in the day, I just use a clean cotton non-fuzzy dish towel to pat it dry.

Mike, I think it is good to clean things out frequently. I am not aware of anyone swabbing a hose to see what is growing in it, but that would be an interesting test.

People report slime forming in their humidifier tank, even when using distilled water, so speculation that whatever caused the slime to form in the humidifier tank may also be trying to form inside the tube is not totally off base. If you did a culture you would most likely find the same "stuff" in your tube that you would find in the air in your bedroom.

Back to your original question, I would suggest that it would be obvious that you weren't attached to the machine, so I don't think you need to do anything.

If someone can't figure it out and does ask, just tell them that the cat must have stepped on the button...