The T-shirt trick

0n Monday, I went for a yearly check up with my sleep doc. While there I decided to get a full face mask, the Mirage Quattro.
I am a mouth breather and usually wear a nasal mask with a homemade chin strap but the strap wears out and is uncomfortable but tolerable. The first night I ore the mask I got the Frown y Face and the leak rate read over 50. The second night I had to wrench the mask down, the leak rate was better at 8. Last night I loosened the mask a bit and this morning the leak rate was over 15. I thought that tonight I would try to make a mask liner out of an old T-shirt but I am wondering if I have to tape it to the mask after making it?

I'm not to sure about the t-shirt adhering to the mask, as a salvation. I think some more tinkering with the mask straps might work better.

That seems to be a good idea and you have been thinking very hard about this matter.

take your cushion out of your mask and trace it on a piece of paper/ light weight cardboard if you have it

cut about a half inch bigger all the way around your tracing - this is your trial pattern

cut your old tshirt into a square slightly bigger than the pattern then cut around the pattern

I make an upside down T in the center for the nose / mouth (forgot to check what your mask was) - I don't make it too big - then cut out the triangle in the center - test it under the mask cushion (in the mask strapped on but no air flow) - see if the size is right - adjust it as needed

make another trial mask liner if you need to - at first I needed to make about 3 to get the right size - now I have patterns for the 2 masks I use with liners and I use old flannel PJ pants usually

jabman wrote:I thought that tonight I would try to make a mask liner out of an old T-shirt but I am wondering if I have to tape it to the mask after making it?

I don't think you'd have to tape it to the mask after you make it. The simple fact that the mask will be pressing against the homemade liner should keep the liner in place fine.

Those are good instructions for making a mask liner, Jules!

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jules wrote:take your cushion out of your mask and trace it on a piece of paper/ light weight cardboard if you have it

cut about a half inch bigger all the way around your tracing - this is your trial pattern

cut your old tshirt into a square slightly bigger than the pattern then cut around the pattern

I make an upside down T in the center for the nose / mouth (forgot to check what your mask was) - I don't make it too big - then cut out the triangle in the center - test it under the mask cushion (in the mask strapped on but no air flow) - see if the size is right - adjust it as needed

make another trial mask liner if you need to - at first I needed to make about 3 to get the right size - now I have patterns for the 2 masks I use with liners and I use old flannel PJ pants usually

Thanks jules for the instructions, I was not able to make the mask liner last night but will try tonight. my leak rate for last night was 18 l/h, this is not good and i feel it this morning, i want this mask to work for me.

Hi Jabman,
I use a Quattro with T shirt gaskets too. I tend to cut them a little larger so that during the night they don't work there way out of place. But that's just me.

What I do is to lay down, position the T shirt gasket on my face. Then place the mask on my face and sit up while holding mask in place. Afix straps and lay down again. But I also wear a bandana over my head which complicates things a bit. Keeps the headgear clean. Easier to wash a bandana then mask straps...and adds a little cushion to the straps.

The combination of a Quatrro adjusted correctly and a T shirt gasket is the best sealing and most comfortable combo I've tried in the 4 months of doing this.
Jamis