Humidity Questions

[Brazen]

Background:
I just started using my AS11 with the ClimateLine hose this Spring. I fought with rainout for a bit, then it quickly became a really humid summer, I set the hose temp to 60° and turned off the humidity. All was good.

 The humidity disappeared from my world this week. Terrible sinus pain and dry mouth appeared.

I know humidity settings are incredibly personalized but I don't know where to start.

I bet it's too wishful to think there's some sort of graph that says House temp X, ambient humidity Y, turn machine settings to Z, N?

My main goal is avoiding rainout but I need to do something about sinuses and dry mouth as well.

Last night:
Climate Control: Auto
Hose Temp: 72°
(Ambient temp 68°, ambient humidity 35%)
Dry mouth improved from zero humidity in machine but sinuses hurt. No rainout.


Do I need to use manual settings for the humidity or turn up hose temp? What settings should I start with?

The temperature in my bedroom will stay around 65-70° all winter but the humidity will keep trending down to around 15% with the help of a room humidifier. 

Thank you for your expert help, I appreciate it!

[mesenteria]

I seem to recall that the RESMED scale for humidity numbers eight (8) setting steps?  I would count each of the indexed steps as about a 10% change, up or down, in humidification.  It sounds as if your humidity has changed by at least 20%, maybe more.  I can't speak for all places, but I have lived in the Andes at 15K', on the Canadian prairies, in the eastern Maritimes, and now on Vancouver Island in the PNW.  Winters on the prairies are almost bone dry.  On either coast, it is as seasonal, but the extremes are not as pronounced.  Same applies for sea-level changes; the higher you go, the drier, and colder, it gets.

If you don't already have one that is reliable (meaning consistently gives veridical information), get a humidistat or even one of those $25 weather stations with the LED panel that you can read from 15' away.  The more expensive ones will also have a sensor gizmo to mount somewhere in bluetooth or radio range and will tell you outdoor temps and humidity.  The inner display shows expected weather, date/time, humidity, and interior temperature.  Even if they're not terribly accurate, they will show how much of a drop or rise there has been, and you can use that to click an eighth of the round yellow graphic as is appropriate.

[Brazen]

Thank you

Yes, I have a humidistat or whatever it's called. Last week humidity was 70% in my home, today 35%.
35% should be comfortable but I think the quick decrease is bothering me along with the cpap air flow.

The manual humidity adjustment on the AS11 are Off or 1-8.

Am I right in assuming 1 would be little water and 8 would be the most? What's a decent starting point for 35% humidity in the home air?
What do you do with tube temp to prevent rainout? 
Should it be same temp as your room, warmer, or cooler?

Rainout is miserable and makes me throw my mask off for the rest of the night.

[KeepSmiling]

Brazen,

I do not know if you seen this table (2 pages).

https://document.resmed.com/documents/pr...sa_eng.pdf

I wish you the best. Hopefully not an infection.

[KeepSmiling]

An old fashioned way of keeping humidity from getting to low is hanging up laundry.

[Brazen]

@keepsmiling

I've seen that chart but it doesn't really make sense to me.
How do you find your absolute humidity target?

I don't think it's an infection... it just feels like dryness.
I've started saline spray too, because that makes my sinuses feel better.

[mesenteria]

Yes, about dialing in humidity, the more the yellow arc grows, the more humidity the machine should provide.  I don't honestly know, 'cuz I've never looked to see, if the machine manipulates tube temperature concomitantly as you raise humidity, probably not.  But the metal bottom of the pan gets warm, or should, at least on some machines, and that raises the 'vapour-pressure' of water.  Higher vapour-pressure = more water vapourizes into the flowing air above its surface.

The problem with rain-out can be related to too much humidity, and too high a setting, but it is associated with the tube temperature as well.  An uncovered tube set to only 22 deg C with high humidity will have condensation happening somewhere along the inner surfaces of the cool tube....too cool.  If you think you could settle on a range of set humidity between three and six 'clicks' of the growing yellow arc, I would start the Climate line out at least near 75 def F, and maybe higher the next night until you have a tolerable amount of moisture in your mask.

I don't understand when you say a humidifier (running, I presume) will lower the humidity to 15%.  Did you mean a de-humidifier, or that the humidity rises by 15%?

The higher your humidity setting that you need to sleep well, rain-out notwithstanding, the higher the tube temperature in a cool room.  That's the bottom line.

To set tube temperature, you must get into the manual, or simply google 'how to set Climateline temperature on an X machine', and that's how I get a quick refresher if I need one.

One final caveat: it generally is not advised to raise humidity in a cold winter climate due to condensation, the same problem, and later mold. I mean in a room, on the walls, in carpets that stay cool, that kind of thing. Windows, as well, especially if not double or triple-glazed will have water running down them and into the sills and framework. Not good. So, if you must 'improve' the humidity, let your machine and tube do it for you in a confined space. Remember, it's not just you humidifying the air with your breath....the machine constantly blows excess out the vent that is also humidified. A double-whammy for the space.

I hasten to add that I am not an expert, just someone with a bit of personal experience, some of which overlaps with what others share here.  We're a pretty solid community, with many individuals quite willing to offer their experiences, tips, and fine-tuning suggestions to improve therapy and/or comfort.

I hope we can help you.

[Brazen]

@mesenteria
Thank you for the assistance!

I meant that even with the humidifier in my home, mid-winter I'm lucky to hold 15% ambient humidity in the home. (I'm moving soon so haven't bothered getting another humidifier until I get to the new place)
I try to aim for 30-40% ambient as that feels most comfortable to me.

I don't know for sure what you mean by clicks of the glowing yellow arc?

On the AS11 it gives me number "buttons" on the touchscreen and you just choose Auto (which I think defaults to 4), Off or 1-8 for the humidity level.

Tube temp is the same process... buttons for Off, Auto, and two degree increments 60-86°F
(I don't know what temp "Auto" is)


To prevent rainout did you mean if my room is cool the tube temp needs to be higher?
Would a hose cover help prevent rainout?

[Big Guy]

Thank you

Yes, I have a humidistat or whatever it's called. Last week humidity was 70% in my home, today 35%.
35% should be comfortable but I think the quick decrease is bothering me along with the cpap air flow.

The manual humidity adjustment on the AS11 are Off or 1-8.

Am I right in assuming 1 would be little water and 8 would be the most? What's a decent starting point for 35% humidity in the home air?
What do you do with tube temp to prevent rainout? 
Should it be same temp as your room, warmer, or cooler?

Rainout is miserable and makes me throw my mask off for the rest of the night.

Try using a hose hanger / holder. That was one of the best improvements for my therapy. It will completely eliminate rain-out possibilities. I also use a hose cover (fleece) on mine to insulate it. 

It (hose hanger) also makes hose management much, much better. 

[Brazen]

I hear you about not raising humidity in the whole home too much but it's my understanding that the 30-40% range is healthy for the space and the humans in it. 
Since I'm moving I'm interested to see what the humidity range is in my new place. My sinuses seem to be quite sensitive to humidity changes. (Leading to headaches)