advice on stopping leaks with a sleepweaver elan mask

Just got it yesterday and it comes with two masks - a medium and a large - it's hard to tell which one fits better as both seem to leak about the same amount and seem equally comfortable. It also comes with a strip of rigid nylon about 1 inch by 5 inches that contains velcro but no instructions about where it goes or how it attaches to the mask/headgear and what its purpose is. I couldn't use it overnight as the leaks into my eyes was too extreme. Any advice on reducing the leaks?

Never used it so no help but giving you a bump to keep you in the limelight.

Leaks into the eyes is a common complaint but some how some people work it out and love the mask.
Hopefully someone who has success with this mask will be along in a bit to help.

Better late than never ... that strap is called the tether strap. The intent is to route the lightweight tube up and keep it from dragging down on the device. I think the video shows its use...

I think I need to give that part a try myself!

johnthomasmacdonald wrote:Just got it yesterday and it comes with two masks - a medium and a large - it's hard to tell which one fits better as both seem to leak about the same amount and seem equally comfortable. It also comes with a strip of rigid nylon about 1 inch by 5 inches that contains velcro but no instructions about where it goes or how it attaches to the mask/headgear and what its purpose is. I couldn't use it overnight as the leaks into my eyes was too extreme. Any advice on reducing the leaks?

Be careful about not getting the straps too tight. If they are too tight it won't inflate enough to get a good seal. Most of the time mine is just perfect but some nights when I am extra tired and frustrated, I will just put an eye mask on to keep air out of my eyes. This is a rare thing though. I don't use the tether strap but I have a nice hose hanger. I love the Elan. I have less leaks with it than any other mask I have used.

Here is the video about the Elan, maybe this will help you.

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/sleepw ... center#tab

Hope this works,
Jen

Hello johnthomasmacdonald,

I sincerely hope Jen's post helps. I can honestly say in all the years I've been working with people and masks, I have yet to see one patient who claimed that type of mask worked. And it wasn't from lack of trying to use it. We put that mask on a multitude of folks as we had a very very, I'll add another very for emphasis, pushy company rep who kept pitching that product. It failed again and again and after a while we stopped trying to use it.

I know this isn't the most positive post in the world. Sorry about that. If it works for you, great, if you don't see benefit, the Mirage Fx by ResMed seems to be doing very well.

Jim

SleepWellCPAP wrote:Hello johnthomasmacdonald,

I sincerely hope Jen's post helps. I can honestly say in all the years I've been working with people and masks, I have yet to see one patient who claimed that type of mask worked. And it wasn't from lack of trying to use it. We put that mask on a multitude of folks as we had a very very, I'll add another very for emphasis, pushy company rep who kept pitching that product. It failed again and again and after a while we stopped trying to use it.

I know this isn't the most positive post in the world. Sorry about that. If it works for you, great, if you don't see benefit, the Mirage Fx by ResMed seems to be doing very well.

Jim

It is a fairly new mask. It has worked well for me. I know I am not the only one that uses it. Like all masks it takes a little getting used to. Not all masks work for everyone but this one does work for me and some others. The Mirage Fx didn't work for me but that doesn't make it a bad mask in my opinion. We just don't have the same opinion.

SleepWellCPAP wrote:Hello johnthomasmacdonald,

I sincerely hope Jen's post helps. I can honestly say in all the years I've been working with people and masks, I have yet to see one patient who claimed that type of mask worked. And it wasn't from lack of trying to use it. We put that mask on a multitude of folks as we had a very very, I'll add another very for emphasis, pushy company rep who kept pitching that product. It failed again and again and after a while we stopped trying to use it.

I know this isn't the most positive post in the world. Sorry about that. If it works for you, great, if you don't see benefit, the Mirage Fx by ResMed seems to be doing very well.

Jim

Jim:
I love the Elan, the only reason I'm not using it for my primary mask is visibility when reading in bed. I do better with the small, but it still kind of poofs up so that I have to hold my Kindle as opposed to resting it on my chest. I haven't had any trouble with leaks, esp since I got the size small, the regular leaked a little, but I just repositioned it and the leak stopped. I think ChunkyFrog uses this mask & could probably give you some tips & tricks. I'm sorry to hear that the mask doesn't work for so many people. I loved the mask itself, had very few leaks, but I am 'read in bed' person & have to have a certain amount of visibility, that is a big factor for me in choosing a mask. I know that means I don't use the best 'sleep hygine' but reading in bed puts me to sleep.

Johnthomasmcdonald:
I'd check with ChunkyFrog, I think she uses this as her primary mask (or did?), she may have some 'tips & tricks" that might help you. As I said above, I love the mask, had few leaks, esp after getting the right size. If visibility was better, I'd probably have stopped my recent 'mask hunt' there, but continued since I was looking for best visibility. My search led me to the Swift LT, if the Elan doesn't work out for you, maybe you could try the Swift LT - it has better stability for me than the Swift FX. Just a thought.
Good luck,
Jen

I use it occasionally and glad I have it, especially since the small cushion is available. It's my go-to mask for travelling because it's more compact and a lot harder to damage than my silicone-based masks. I also give it a lot of points for ease of cleaning and maintenance.

I love my élan and have great results with it. My AHI is always 1 or lower and leaks are not too bad. My results keeping leaks in check improved when I switched to the small cushion. I only use the cushion once or twice, then I wash it. My straps are just loose enough I can slip it over my head to take it on and off. Too tight seems to collapse the cushion. Yes, I ave a little air blowing towards my eyes. But I don't read in bed and I much prefer that to the venting on the Swift FX that rustled my bed sheets all night!

johnthomasmacdonald wrote:Just got it yesterday and it comes with two masks - a medium and a large - it's hard to tell which one fits better as both seem to leak about the same amount and seem equally comfortable. It also comes with a strip of rigid nylon about 1 inch by 5 inches that contains velcro but no instructions about where it goes or how it attaches to the mask/headgear and what its purpose is. I couldn't use it overnight as the leaks into my eyes was too extreme. Any advice on reducing the leaks?

Sorry about following the track of the replies instead of answering your question about stopping leaks.

Make sure you have the right size cushion. The medium and large that's shipped with the mask are too big for me. The medium is usable but I have to accept a leak rate that is more than I'd like but is well within the acceptable limits of theraphy. The small cushion (separately purchased) is a signifficant improvement in leak reduction but not perfect.

Leaking from the top into the eyes appears to be more prevelant than bottom leaks. Very light pressure with fingers or tape eliminates those top or eye leaks.

There's no way I would consider using tape to hold a mask down where leaks are happening nor can I expect my finger to stay in position while I sleep. Howevever, I notice that the mask seems to better adhere to my skin after being asleep for a short period. It's as though it adjusts to me after a couple hours or so. I wake up, my ears don't hear the hiss I heard when I put it on and adjusted it and my eyes aren't feeling as much air as they were when I originally adjusted it for a compromise between comfort and minimal leak.