Tubing Trouble

RE: How to clean your tubing

How do you get the tubing to completely dry out? I clean it, then hang it to dry. I also swing the tubing around to try to force out the water droplets inside.
The tubing can hang for days, and the water droplets still stay inside the tube. Any suggestions?

Because evaporation requires either very low humidity or some air flow, where you are hanging the tube lacks one or both.
So, one way to get it dry is to have a second one and wait longer or set up air flow through the CPAP tube.
It has been suggested that just turning on the CPAP and letting it run should get it dry in a few minutes, you might try that to see if it helps.

JDS74 wrote:Because evaporation requires either very low humidity or some air flow, where you are hanging the tube lacks one or both.
So, one way to get it dry is to have a second one and wait longer or set up air flow through the CPAP tube.
It has been suggested that just turning on the CPAP and letting it run should get it dry in a few minutes, you might try that to see if it helps.

Here in Buffalo it's typically cold and humid---even in the winter time with our forced air heat because we do have a whole house humidifier and the ambient outside air, though cold, is humid and cold not dry and cold.

I can hang the hose for days and there are still water droplets inside. (I keep two hoses for this reason.) I can also put the hose on my BiPAP and run it for 30 minutes + and guess what? There are still water droplets in it. Since I can't stand the sound of the BiPAP running with a hose attached and me not at the other end for 30+ minutes, I just hang the hose for a week or more before using it when I can. (And if I have to use a hose with a few water droplets in it? It no longer bothers me that much.)

I've decided to live with the problem of "water droplets in the hose" by not getting overly worried about it because of the following:

1) The tap water here is relatively safe from really nasty germ-bugs ...
2) I use a vinegar-tap water mix to clean the hose and vinegar is not overly friendly to the germs ...
3) I use distilled water in the humidifier tank and I don't seem to have signs of biofilm in the tank ...
4) I clean my hoses about once every couple of weeks (when I'm thinking about it) or once a month (when I forget) ...
5) My insurance company will pay for a new hose every three months, and I typically do take them up on their offer due to the fact that as a college professor I'm exposed to a lot of upper respiratory infections in the fall, winter, and spring.

helloagain wrote:RE: How to clean your tubing

How do you get the tubing to completely dry out? I clean it, then hang it to dry. I also swing the tubing around to try to force out the water droplets inside.
The tubing can hang for days, and the water droplets still stay inside the tube. Any suggestions?

Waste of time to try drying out the tube. As soon as you turn on your machine you add moisture again.
I suppose you hang it in the germ ridden bathroom......

Make an adaptor out of cardboard and duct tape that will connect your hair dryer to your hose. Run it on low heat for a few minutes until dry. Repeat as neccessary.

LSAT wrote:

helloagain wrote:RE: How to clean your tubing

How do you get the tubing to completely dry out? I clean it, then hang it to dry. I also swing the tubing around to try to force out the water droplets inside.
The tubing can hang for days, and the water droplets still stay inside the tube. Any suggestions?

Waste of time to try drying out the tube. As soon as you turn on your machine you add moisture again.

LSAT---Thanks for reminding me: This should have been number 6 on my list of why I no longer worry about this issue ...

helloagain wrote:RE: How to clean your tubing

How do you get the tubing to completely dry out? I clean it, then hang it to dry. I also swing the tubing around to try to force out the water droplets inside.
The tubing can hang for days, and the water droplets still stay inside the tube. Any suggestions?

Everything you've mentioned that you're doing is actually contributing to possible "contamination" of your hose. If you're going to expose it to "the elements" when it's disconnected, what's the purpose of cleaning it?

I agree with LSAT.......and I believe it's a waste of time to actually "clean" it in the first place and more so to THINK it has to be dried.

BUT.......if you REALLY feel you MUST clean it, do it in the evening before bedtime and the residual moisture that's in it will be mixed with the humidity coming from the humidifier. After all, the "idea" is to add moisture to the air you're breathing, right?

Far too often "COMMON SENSE" gets thrown out the window with this therapy.


Den

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