Hello Guest, Welcome to Apnea Board !
As a guest, you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use.
To post a message, you must create a free account using a valid email address.

or Create an Account


New Posts   Today's Posts

Self generated moisture blocking mask
#1
Self generated moisture blocking mask
At home I have been using the P10, my first mask, the only one I've tried. I like it, it suits me quite well.  

However this past weekend I've been away camping under canvas in our camper trailer & problems arose, so much so that in almost 6 weeks of using a mask every night, the weekend has been the first time I discarded the mask & reverted to sleeping without a machine.

The weather was fairly cold at night with a light frost in the early mornings & the problem was condensation in the mask blocking the fine mesh of the exhalation ports. At home I use humidification on setting 1 & at camp tried both this & no humidification. Higher levels of humidification at home have resulted in similar rainout issues, & are not sustainable on the battery when camping.

I should add that in the not too distant future my wife & I plan to commence a long term adventure lifestyle travelling with our camper trailer for a few years, & although we intend to follow the warm weather, there are going to be times when we are camped out in the cold. I am thus keen to resolve this problem in a manner that we can sustain on a day to day basis utilising the solar battery set up we have at our disposal.

Using the mask with no humidification turned on & no water in the humidifier chamber, it became clear that it was my breath condensing inside the mask, & it took very little of this to sufficiently block the fine mesh - which significantly is on the lower side of the mask - making exhalation increasingly difficult & within a short space of time resulting in insufficient oxygen, as I was rebreathing my exhaled breath.

On several occasions I pulled off the mask & dabbed the surfaces of the mesh dry with a tissue & the immediate result was 'back to normal' breathing until the mesh blocked again.

I also experienced cold water running down my face & wetting my pillow several times.

Among my friends with whom I was camping there were several other CPAP users. Those in heated motorhomes of course had no problem, those without heating reported that they too had experienced condensation problems each night. Of the latter group none had been using a P10 & none had had the difficulty in breathing. For them the condensation had been a minor irritant which had not prevented mask use. Having examined their masks (both Phillips Respironics, one a Nuance & one a Dreamwear) & I was interested to see that neither of these masks use mesh for the exhalation ports (until then I wrongly assumed that all masks used mesh), but instead had a pattern of small holes, & importantly I suspect, the holes were positioned so that when the condensation occurred they were unlikely to become covered by it, let alone blocked.

I don't know if this is a known issue with the P10's or any other mask with mesh exhalation ports but I now think I'll need to purchase a different mask for cold weather use, & if that fails may have to consider the not inexpensive option of fitting a diesel heater into our camper.

Has anyone else grappled with this issue & found a particular nasal pillow mask better for use in similar circumstances?

Camper Trailer (Aussie style)
Post Reply Post Reply
#2
RE: Self generated moisture blocking mask
You are not alone. Check this link out.

http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread-...nt-blocked

Hope it helps, car54
Post Reply Post Reply
#3
RE: Self generated moisture blocking mask
Cuppa,

My wife liked the Brevida nasal pillow mask best, as it was the quietest. It has a removable fabric cover over the exhaust port holes, which according to her make me much quieter.

In your case, the cover might need to be removed, and that might open up a different issue (stream of air out the exhaust holes).

I found the P10 an OK mask, but the Brevida was superior in comfort for me. I like the adjustable Head straps and the fit style of the Brevida better, and the wife liked the quiet.

Enjoy your camping.
Post Reply Post Reply
#4
RE: Self generated moisture blocking mask
Thanks Car & Snoopy.
I should have read more before I posted, it is clear that the P10 has issues in dealing with moisture. However unlike some other's reports where it is suggested that the *only* way to remove the moisture blockage is time/evaporation, I found that dabbing both sides of the mesh with a tissue was effective, albeit short lived due to the high rate of breath condensation in the cold.

I purchased another mask from the US via ebay yesterday, a Respironics Nuance. Missed your recommendation by a day Snoopy, but will bear it in mind if the Nuance doesn't suit for some reason. Whilst under no illusion that a different mask will change the condensation from occurring in similar cold circumstances I am hopeful that the different venting arrangement will not block & prevent me from breathing.  

I looked at the data from the two nights I struggled with the blocked vents which unsurprisingly showed a tidal volume double my normal rate until I woke & removed the mask. 

It will be interesting to try a different mask to make a comparison in regard to noise level & air flow out of the mask's ports. I expect both will be higher than the P10.  In my opinion the P10 could be improved with a repositioning of the vents toward the upper side of the mask as this would make it less likely for moisture to block the vents. Might create an issue of air directed toward the eyes though?
Post Reply Post Reply
#5
RE: Self generated moisture blocking mask
Cuppa,

You might also want to look at the Resmed Swift FX mask. The pillows themselves are very similar to those of the P10, but the exhaust vent is a traditional vent rather than a mesh one.
Questions about SleepyHead?  
See my Guide to SleepyHead
Post Reply Post Reply
#6
RE: Self generated moisture blocking mask
Thanks robysue,
I did consider the Swift FX, but reading here I gained the impression that it might be a bit noisier as some referred to the exhaust port as a 'jet stream'.  I won't discount it as a future possibility if the Nuance doesn't work for me though.

I did wonder if I might have trouble with the Swift FX headgear. Pictures show a 'plastic' strap with adjustment which looks similar to a cable tie & potentially a 'hair trap'..... I have long/fine hair.
Post Reply Post Reply
#7
RE: Self generated moisture blocking mask
Hi Cuppa, did you find improvement with the new mask?  I have just recently run into the same issue as you with the airfit p10's.
Post Reply Post Reply
#8
RE: Self generated moisture blocking mask
(02-27-2018, 04:24 PM)HighlandRay Wrote: Hi Cuppa, did you find improvement with the new mask?  I have just recently run into the same issue as you with the airfit p10's.
Hi Ray, apologies for the slow response. My wife & I are travelling & have been out of range for a phone/internet signal for a week or so.  

To answer your question ..... yes using the Nuance with it's conventional vents solved the problem completely. However as the weather has been warmer (in Australia) the P10 condensation problem has not been a problem very often over the past few months, & overall I prefer the ease & simplicity of the P10. BUT I do keep the Nuance in our camper trailer for the occasional cold night when the P10 cannot cope. As was mentioned earlier in the thread any mask with conventional 'holes' for vents rather than the micromesh should work when the P10 doesn't.
Post Reply Post Reply
#9
RE: Self generated moisture blocking mask
If it were me I would have just made a small hole in the mesh vent and carried on using it, then I suppose there is the cost of replacing it when you get home. But then I can be rough and ready when I want to be, but I couldn't sleep without my machine and mask!
I am NOT a doctor.  I try to help, but do not take what I say as medical advice.


Every journey, however large or small starts with the first step.

Sleep-well
Post Reply Post Reply
#10
RE: Self generated moisture blocking mask
(03-01-2018, 04:52 PM)Sleep2Snore Wrote: If it were me I would have just made a small hole in the mesh vent and carried on using it, then I suppose there is the cost of replacing it when you get home.  But then I can be rough and ready when I want to be, but I couldn't sleep without my machine and mask!

I'm sorry, but modifying the exhaust vent is really terrible advise.  These things have an engineered design, and to recommend punching holes in the venting mechanism has no place on this forum. Change maintenance practices, or change masks, is fine, but this has the potential to completely undermine therapy, and destroy an expensive piece of equipment.
Sleeprider
Apnea Board Moderator
www.ApneaBoard.com

____________________________________________
Download OSCAR Software
Soft Cervical Collar
Optimizing Therapy
Organize your OSCAR Charts
Attaching Files
Mask Primer
How To Deal With Equipment Supplier


INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
Post Reply Post Reply


Possibly Related Threads...
Thread Author Replies Views Last Post
  Moisture with Brevida Nasal Pillows Columbiabill 2 357 12-26-2023, 02:04 PM
Last Post: Deborah K.
  Travel PAP machines - heat/moisture exchange units - do they work? Bostonsnow 1 752 06-10-2023, 06:34 AM
Last Post: cate1898
  CPAP mask straps are loose and no longer keep the mask on my face WWu777 8 2,525 03-29-2023, 08:12 AM
Last Post: DaveL
  Moisture feel on nose Nick123 8 1,081 11-28-2022, 03:31 PM
Last Post: fishfinderG
  Resmed P30i pillow mask user unable to get beyond 1.5 hr on mask Roy289 28 3,210 09-27-2022, 10:47 AM
Last Post: Roy289
  Advice for f and p vitera mask leaks full face mask accetableplaintain 2 3,757 03-23-2022, 09:37 AM
Last Post: SarcasticDave94
  Chin strap blocking mouth Chalkie 6 805 05-04-2021, 04:13 AM
Last Post: Chalkie


New Posts   Today's Posts


About Apnea Board

Apnea Board is an educational web site designed to empower Sleep Apnea patients.