(06-10-2015, 07:00 AM)JimPap Wrote: Add me to the list of users who are experiencing vent blocking on my P10.
For comparison purposes, I have three P10s. After the first two had reduced air flow through the mesh exhaust, I thought that maybe that was caused by using too hot water (not scalding but hot to the touch) while cleaning them and that the mesh may have melted together. So I bought a third one. I paid particular attention to the airflow through the vent when it arrived and was very careful not to run hot water when cleaning but to only use very tempid water. It also became blocked up.
Hi JimPap. Welcome to the board!
Thank you for posting information about your experience with blockages of P10 vents, which has been a hot topic on this board as indicated by the large number of posts.
You have not told us how long you have been using the P10, and so it might be that the blockages you have experienced were the results of gradual build-up of contaminants in the micro-mesh filters. However, a while ago I personally experienced what seemed to be a normally functioning P10 one night becoming seriously blocked by the next night, and so I would guess you are not describing a gradual reduction in air flow over periods of several weeks but rather a quick deterioration in performance.
Post #38 in this thread is a detailed investigative report of the vent blockage phenomenon. It describes various evidence that the micro-mesh vents of the P10 do not dry out as easily as one might assume and that the reported air blockages are being caused by water temporarily trapped in the micro-mesh fabric. Attempts to blow the water out of the vents are futile because the water is securely held in the tiny spaces between the fabric fibers by surface tension. The only way that the water can escape from the micro-mesh is by evaporation.
The post includes the following recommendations, which you might want to try:
1. Clean your mask components well in advance of going to bed, so that water has plenty of time to evaporate from the filter before you use it.
2. Try not to run the CPAP warm-up function and then delay going to bed, so as to avoid condensation in the hose and/or mask, which may get into the mask vent.
3. If, in spite of your best efforts, you find that your P10 vents are blocked, consider it almost certain that you have moisture trapped in the micro-mesh fabric. Remove the pillows from the frame. Don’t let your naked eyes fool you into believing that there is are plastic films over the vents. Remember that there is no way to blow the moisture out of the vent, you must rely on evaporation. Gentle heat may help. If you have a hair dryer, gently blow warm air onto the vent and remember that you are only trying to accelerate the evaporation, you are not attempting to blow the water out of the vent, because you can’t.
JimPap, in your case, since now you have three P10s, if you experience another blockage I would suggest switching your current pillows to another frame which has had plenty of time to dry out since it was last cleaned.
If you have another vent blockage incident that you can't immediately solve, please post again.