Condensation such a pain

[SuperSleeper]

OK, it sounds like we are narrowing it down. If I understand correctly, you are getting condensation in the little extension hose that is part of your mask. Is that correct? Are you not getting any in the Thermosmart line?

If that is the case, there is some hope. Since you are getting the condensation even without water in the chamber, it is clearly coming from your exhaled breath. Here's a couple things that may help:

1. Consider a cozy for JUST the little extension hose. Make sure it does not cover any part of the heated hose. Warmer air can hold more moisture, so keeping the air warm will help.

2. Consider a mask that connects directly to your mask, without an extension hose. My nasal pillows has about a 1 one foot hose, which sometime gets some condensation in cold rooms. My nasal mask has no extension, and I never get hose condensation with it (since the only hose is heated). I do sometime get a little "wet nose" with the nasal mask if the room is really cold.

3. Make sure nothing is blocking your exhalation port, like a blanker or pillow. The port should allow most of your exhaled air to exit the mask rather than travel down the tube. You can actually see this when you exhale- you'll see a little white area of fog extend down the extension tube when you exhale, then see it vanish as the positive pressure "pushes' your exhaled air out of the port.

[SuperSleeper]

Thanks heaps, I am pretty sure your right and its my breath because everything else failed to help. Ill have a good look tonight when it happens if there is any wetness in the hose or if its at the mask end only. I put water in the chambor last night with no heat and it was really bad. Is it safe to run the heat on the machine (plate and heated hose) without water in the chambor?

[SuperSleeper]

This info from ResMed but i think it should apply to your machine just change climate line to heated hose :

Water in my hose

I can't use my humidifier some nights because my hose fills up with water condensation. What is it and what can I do about it?
This condensation is called "rainout."

If your room is cold, the warmed, humidified air hits the colder room temperature and cools. When air cools, the amount of humidity (water vapour) that it can hold is reduced, which causes the humidity to "rain out."

The amount of water air can carry varies with temperature: warmer air can carry more water while cold air can carry less. As warm air becomes cooler (eg, overnight), it has less capacity to carry water, so water condenses and forms droplets.

There are several ways to deal with this situation.

Use the S9 Climate Control system.
Try turning your humidity level down.
Raise the temperature of your bedroom at night to lessen the difference between the room temperature and the humidifier—make sure that your bedroom window is closed.
Run the air tubing beneath your blankets to keep it warm. Alternatively, you can cover the tube with a ResMed Tubing Wrap or a tube sock. The goal is to keep the tube and its air warm.

General

How do I know what temperature setting to use with my humidifier?

The setting on your humidifier will set how much moisture you receive to alleviate your symptoms. The higher the setting, the more moisture. This is best checked first with your Clinician and User Guide.

If you start your setting for example at a midway point, and if your symptoms are not resolved, you may need to turn it to a higher setting. Continue in this manner until your symptoms are resolved. If you start to experience moisture in the tube, you need to turn it down, heat the room, use a ResMed Tubing Wrap or use the S9 Climate Control system.

http://www.resmed.com/au/service_and_sup...c=patients

[SuperSleeper]

Hi again.

Well I took note of where the condensation in my mask actually is and it is just in the mask and bit that conencts to the hose. I cant cover this as it has the escape holes for the ehaled air. So the condensation has to be coming from my breath! Is there anyway to stop build up of moisture in my nasal mask?

[SuperSleeper]

correct, You cannot cover the escape holes, but you can cover the section of hose beyond that (if your mask has a section of hose), which should help. It sounds, however, like you mask does not have that short section of hose.

This is a tough problem. Condensation in or near the mask can cause the exhaust vent to make a lot of noise, and it is obviously disturbing because the water reaches you. Some people get water pooling up in their mask.

The only other thing I can think of is to experiment with other masks. You might try nasal pillows, which have less "air space" near you than a nasal cushion mask. I can warn you that I have occasionally gotten water accumulation in the nasal pillows themselves when I'm in a REALLY cold room, so that might not be the perfect answer, but its about all I can think of at this point.

Since you are getting it without any humidification, you've done what can be done on the machine setting side.

Just curious- what pressure are you at?

[SuperSleeper]

What mask are you using, Polly?

Its a nasal mask with a little grey cushion thing in it. There was no water at all in the hose last night just in the mask so maybe it has just been in the mask the whole time. I pulled it apart in the middle of the night last night a dried it off then it was wet in there again by morning and still only just wet in the mask. There is no extension past the air holes only a connection to the hose.

Im on pressure 7.5

[SuperSleeper]

If the condensation is mainly in the mask than would think that in your case (no water and no heat) the excess condensation is coming from your exhaled air which is warmer than the inhaled air coming from the tube .
Make sure that the mask exhaust holes are not blocked to allow the CO2 and the exhaled water vapor in the mask to escape and also a mask liner might help to absorb some of the moisture and make it more comfortable .

For mask liners Check " pad-a-cheek" in " For Sale / Commercial Posts Forum "
Padding for Sleep Apnea Interfaces makes it all more comfortable

Just a thought if you sleep in a cold room , the chance of condensation increases.
Try increasing the ambient temp of your bedroom .
As you don,t use humidifier it might help if you use the standard hose and keep it under the bed covers as much as you can .
You can insulate the hose with a hose cozy .

[SuperSleeper]

Thank you everyone for your comments and your help , I really really appreciate it!

For the last two nights we have had the heat pump on and I have had no condensation in my mask at all :-D My partner isnt too happy that we are going to have a high power bill but at the end of the day my health is more important than money and we can afford it. We have a multi burner down the other end of the house and we usually just bank that over night which has been fine all other years except this one for some reason I just get condensation between about 3 and 7am.

Thanks again everyone :-D

[SuperSleeper]

For just one room, for part of the night, you might want to try some kind of portable heater. It might be possible to somehow wrap the mask with cloth or something to keep it warm. Be sure not to block the exhaust vents, though.

Or put a bag over your head.

Interesting that the board has an icon for that.

LOL thats helarious!!! :-P

[SuperSleeper]

As the firefighter in the group, I just feel compelled to advise extreme caution if you are considering a space heater! Lots of fires are caused every year by space heaters. If you are going to use one in your bedroom (which I advise against), at least do this:

1. Make sure you have working smoke detectors, including in you bedroom. That's true for everyone, not just those with space heaters. And change those batteries twice a year!!!!

2. Make sure that any space heater you use has an auto shutoff for both high temperature and if it gets knocked over. Any space heater that keeps working while it is not upright is deadly and should be thrown in the trash.

3. Keep the heater away from flammable stuff- carpet, bedding, clothing, curtains, ect. Seems like a big duh, but you'd be surprised...