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+--- Thread: Masks, leakage (/Thread-Masks-leakage)
Masks, leakage - stillaliveca - 12-23-2022
Hi everyone,
Best of the season to all.
I am on my third mask in the last while and still not getting the results that I would like. I wore the F20 for many years with mouth taping, until it began leaking badly and my apnea numbers went up. I then tried the n20, with excellent results and quite a bit of leaking. Now I am trying the Quatro - the first night was bad, leakage over 100 and readings over 10. All the masks were professionally fitted including the tightness. I do have facial hair.
In more detail, with the F20, I got readings of 3 to 5 events many nights, and 10 or so occasionally. The leakage rate came in at 40, 60 or more most nights and the red face showed up often. With the N20 I was getting leakage of 30-40, no red face and readings less than one. I tried taping and tried a chin strap.
I have had the machine and parts thoroughly tested and all is well.
I can attach some Oscar charts if people really want to see them.
I will give the Quatro a decent chance, but if it doesn't improve significantly over the first night, I am stymied.
I enjoyed the nasal mask and got excellent numbers. Can I trust those numbers with leakages of 30 or 40 and no red face? If so, that is where I am inclined to go.
Thanks in advance
RE: Masks, leakage - Brazen - 12-23-2022
I personally want to see my Large Leak rate (on OSCAR) under 1%, more than that and my sleep is affected.
But, there is a certain amount of leak the machine can compensate for before your treatment is affected.
Too much leak and you aren't getting effective cpap treatment.
I can't remember what that figure is, hopefully one of the experts chime in.
I just went through a three week stretch where masks that had worked just fine were leaking terribly every night.
Nothing had changed, it didn't make any sense to me.
I was directed to the mask primer article on the forum wiki.
Here:
http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.php?title=Mask_Primer#Mask_Primer
I eventually had to switch to a different mask.
Still don't know why I couldn't get the other two to work any longer.
I will say, I do have to adjust the straps of every mask I use. Professional fit testing is great to know you have the right size/shape for your face but the headgear stretches and requires adjustments.
RE: Masks, leakage - pholynyk - 12-23-2022
If the N20 is comfortable but not quite right, you might try the P-R Wisp, which is similar but fits me better than the N20 did. The Wisp is available with or without the magnetic clips.
RE: Masks, leakage - villarst - 12-25-2022
I recently just switched from the Amara View Mask to the ResMed F20 mask. It worked for me since I have a relatively large nose and the partial half full face mask was not cutting it for me. I heard online somewhere that there are some liners you can buy that will help stop the leakage but all I can say is maybe try a different mask? If the F20 worked for you all this time why switch away from it and not just get a brand new one?
RE: Masks, leakage - Lucid - 12-26-2022
Hi, stillaliveca Have you tried a nasal pillow mask, such as the ResMed P30i? I'd think pillows would work very well with facial hair. Also least likely to leak, unless the leaks are mouth leaks.
RE: Masks, leakage - DaveL - 12-29-2022
I've had real issues finding a full face mask that works for me.
Have you looked at the F&P Evora Full?
I really like how it's made. It's very comfortable. However, I had issues with leaks, but persevered.
I find that masks today don't last forever like old masks did. And I find that the headgear stretches. I read that washing the headgear in extremely hot water, then drying it restored it so it was usable again.
I use a nasal mask (ResMed N20) with either a soft cervical collar, or tape on my lips. I've had a collection of chinstraps too. (ones that never worked; ones that used to work but stretched badly; and Knightsbridge Dual Band cap which I don't know whether to recommend or not.) And I currently have two masks set aside...in case....P30i and N30i. Both are easy to put on in the middle of the night when I'm impatient and need to sleep.
DaveL
RE: Masks, leakage - DaveL - 01-06-2023
I hope you've had answers that help you.
RE: Masks, leakage - mesenteria - 01-07-2023
I would be cautious about exposing materials that need to have some 'give', or stretch, to very hot water. Women (most of them) know that washing their brassieres in hot water will quickly render them useless. Socks and underwear with stretchy band will suffer for the same reason, and that is that between soaps and too-hot water, the polymers are destroyed.
I hand-wash my headgear in warm water using just a few dabs of dish detergent. I rinse it very well under cool water, squeeze it in a towel to get rid of most of the water, and then drape it over something suitable to air dry. Even so, as everyone else knows, the material stretches and you're running out of Velcro inside of a year or so. But, I have managed to hang on to my RESMED N20 headgear for four years before I had to gash it.
My original N20 mask lasted nearly as long, and I didn't wash it often.