Drowning in my Aura

About 7 to 10 days from Australia.

Rain in the hose is caused by the cold air outside of the hose causing the moisture to condense on the inside of the hose.

To see this is action, put a lot of ice in a cold glass of water and place it in a warm room and watch the moisture collect on the outside of the glass. The science that causes the water to appear on the outside of the glass is the same as what causes the moisture to form on the inside wall of the hose. This is also what causes the mirrors to fog after a hot shower. In the shower case the air is warm and humid and the mirror is cooler than the air so it fogs.

If you insulate the hose from the outside air so the hose wall doesn't get cold, you can keep the wall of the hose from getting cold enough to force the water out of the air in the hose. So, insulating the hose wall if the secret to keeping the condensation or rain away.

In simple terms the cold wall of the hose drops the air temperature below the dew point. What that temperature drop needs to be is determined by how much moisture in the air in the hose. This is why low humidifier settings don't cause as much moisture/rain as higher settings. What makes the heated hose work so well is that is raises the wall temperature to match or exceed the air temperature in the hose. So, if there is no cold hose wall to act as a condenser, then there is no cold surface to dehumidify the air in the hose.

In my installation, I find a low humidifier setting and a woolen scarf is all that is needed to keep the rain away. Others might need more, but I like to use simple things if they will work, but if they don't, complicated is okay.

I got my heated hose in about 10 days.

Had some rainout again last night with the Aura, heated hose, and a humidifier setting of 2. I also insulated the loose portion of the Aura hose with fleece. I may try to insulate the portion that runs through the "cage" area of the mask.

Possibly using the humidifier as a bypass in combo with the HH may be enough...

Has anyone also insulated the silicone portion right up to the nasal pillows?

I do like the warm air that the HH provides, despite the fact that I have not yet completely eliminated the rainout. It was pretty cold in Michigan last night and I believe my bedroom got below 60 degrees.

I still can't get more then 4 hours per night tolerance, although that is an improvement.

I experienced significant rainout with my swift, a well insulated tube, and no heated hose. May need to try the swift with the heated hose. However, I am enjoying the side sleeping with the new Aura thus far.

SaltyDog. It sounds like we have the same conditions. I had to bump my humidifier back down to 1 (and can still see droplets in the morning - but they don't drip into my nose).

If you get the cage insulated and it works, please let us know. I might try that too - perhaps with a sock with the nose area cut out.

Yes, I "Love that Aura of Mine" for side sleeping.

Thanks folks,

Yes, I understand what causes the condensation, but I'm curious as to what it is about the Aura specifically that seems to be more of a problem than most others. It seems that the nasal pillows and the short tube are very thin, and allow heat to escape easier than a material that is thicker. I've never used any other mask, so I don't know how it compares; it does seem that more people on this forum have more rainout problems with the Aura than other masks.

As a side note, I would suggest that you Aura users check the bottom seam of the nasal pillow section carefully. Mine came with a tiny hole that is hardly visible without very close inspection. Also the weld along the seam was inferior. I couldn't see it until I grasped the seam at each end, then pushed in toward the middle. The way I discovered this is that I kept getting droplets of water on my chin at night when I slept on my back. Sure enough, it was dripping from the seam.

Bob

No rainout last night...

I double insulated my heated hose with a layer of fleece about 2/3 of the way up from the machine. I keep the cpap about 6" off the floor and run the tube up to a cuphook mounted in the wall above my head. The hose passes through a mini-bungee cord and connects to my mask. I found that if I used the fleece to insulate the entire hose it became rather bulky, heavy, and tugged on my mask. The heated hose comes with a light covering for insulation.

I insulated the "loose" portion of the Aura tube with fleece. Finally, I cut a rectangular piece of thin fleece to cover the tube contained within the "cage" structure of the Aura. I manipulated the fleece until it completely surrounded the tube from the vents through the clear tube holder at the rear of the mask (had to use tweezers to get the fleece around the tube inside the tube holder). I taped the upper seam together.

I also found that it is crucial to remove the fleece covering the the upper portion of the tube near the exhaust vents. Just unblocking the vents to prevent CO2 build-up is not enough. The turbulence caused by any material anywhere near the venting air resulted in noise that is very similar or maybe worse than my Swift. I plan to kick up the humidity to 2 tonight as higher humidity really helps with my sinus issues.

It's working great, even at the humidity setting of 2. No rainout- coldest nights of the year in my bedroom.

Using the rubber band trick, but plan to use a weaker band as it feels too tight right now.

I do not get strap marks on my face with the Aura, however, I do wakeup with significant waffle marks on my bald head...

I am really trying hard to increase my compliance time for this. I seem to wake up at three hours like clockwork and it is getting frustrating. It has been about a month since I started cpap.

This is great news. I have never tried to insulate the top of hose under the cage. Will work on that. Thanks for the tip.

Using the rubber band trick, but plan to use a weaker band as it feels too tight right now.

This is what I did wrong. Woke up in pain, I had it so tight. On a better note, definitely did not leak!

Then, the heated hose must be of some value. I don't have the heated hose yet, but I insulated everything with fleece. I made a fleece tube for the large hose, the small hose, and a "bootie" for the nasal piece.

The only things exposed are the nasal pillows and the vent holes. I set the heated humidifier to "2". This morning I woke up with water dripping from the vent holes and had some water in the nasal section. Not as bad as the uninsulated version, but still more than I would like. Room temp last nite was in the mid 60's

Bob

Yes, I am am now a heated hose believer. It does really work well. I did get some rainout when I turned up the humidity to 3 last night.

I also kept the mask on for 6 hours last night, by far my longest time. I am working on one more slight tweak to the nose section of the Aura. The rubber band helps greatly but just need a little something more.

Saltydog wrote: I am working on one more slight tweak to the nose section of the Aura. The rubber band helps greatly but just need a little something more.

(emphasis mine)

I'll resist! I swear I will!

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Nah, I can't resist...

Rested Gal,

How does that stay on your head? I have long hair, and I am sure that the red part would pop off or slide off my head. Of course, I think the entire thing would pop off the top.

Snoosalot, please define the bootie...how did you make it and does it let the air vent?

Thank You
Madre

OK rested, that got a good laugh from me...

I have been thinking along the lines of making some sort of small insert that would fit between the nose piece and the cage frame at the nose. Something that would provide just enough backward pressure that would result in the perfect seal.

However, I struggled last night in a major way and I might just get myself some panyhose until I devise something else....