[Equipment] odorless CPAP hose/material/brands

[runcyclexcski]

Hello everyone,

I have found this group by googling "CPAP forum", and this group appeared to be the most active. I do not use a CPAP for apnea, but I use CPAP machine parts (hoses, adapters, humidifiers etc) to build powered respirators and positive-pressure chambers that keep me out of the hospital (most of the time). I have asthma that is triggered by allergens and by odors, including the notorious "new plastic smell". 

I am currently looking for a batch of short 22mm CPAP hoses for a new powered respirator build. May I ask on the recent intel on which CPAP hoses are the least odorous?  Is any CPAP manufacturer known to make their hoses of inherently odor-free materials, like PTFE (aka Teflon), HDPE, Kapton, or with an aluminium foil liner, or at least not to cut corners (e.g. cheap plastics like HDPE and PE are mostly odor-free if FDA-approved)

I have read on this forum on folks' experience with odorous CPAP hoses. It sounds quite daunting what folks have to go through, and what manufacturers can get away with.  Last time I ordered a batch of CPAP hoses for a breathing chamber was 10 years ago (ResMed), and they were mostly "OK", but I have seen manufacturers switch suppliers to make more money. It also appears from what I have read here that heated hoses often make the odor worse -- are there any that do not? I guess I can always custom-made a spiral PTFE hose which is inherently heat-resistant. There are plenty of very good VOC-free materials out there; too bad they are not used to make CPAPs. I could use a vacuum 316L hose, but this would be too heavy.

Cheers!

[runcyclexcski]

replying to my own post from 2 weeks ago. I have since failed to identify a CPAP manufacturer who would provide hoses made from inherently low-odor materials. So I instead contacted ~5 manufacturers who make custom hoses for the pharmaceutical and oil industry. One company out of five has responded (typical for small orders), and they've made custom PTFE (aka Teflon) corrugated hoses for me. The cost was about $100 for 3 feet of hose, the hose came with SS316L-fitted Tri-link fittings and also could be made with cuffs (I make my own Trilink to CPAP adapters by 3D printing). I also had another batch made with a SS316 braided sheath to integrate with a heater. 

Manufacturer's web site: https://flextechhose.co.uk/