[CPAP] Hello everyone:

[djjwilly]

This is my very first post. I hope it shows up correctly. I'm newly diagnosed with severe sleep apnea. I have a problem with my machine not using the water in the chamber. My house is very old and there's no way there's adequate moisture coming up through the hose, even though I bought climate control tubing. I had the slimline and assumed I was getting no humidity because of it. My room is downright cold at night. We have a woodstove downstairs and this place is ancient. I had water stuck in the slim line not getting to me. It gurgled really loud when I set the control on #6. So, I bought the $50 climate control and the unit still does not use water. It goes down about a fraction of an inch. The nurse at the doc's office that supplied me with the machine also uses it and told me her water tank is empty in the morning and she could really fill it twice. I'm stuck on this issue so badly because I'm waking up with a terribly sore throat. It hurts all day now. This is my first month on a cpap machine and I'm totally new at trying to use it. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can get this machine to use the water? I'm at the end of my cpap rope! Thanks, all. Love, DJ

[Bompa]

Hi Dj and welcome to the forum. It sounds to me like you need to do some settings adjustments. First of all do not overfill your water tank, fill only to Max Line. I'm not much good at explaining things so here is a link to some pages that explain it better and with pictures.
There will be others here shortly who will also offer help.

http://www.apneaboard.com/resmed-s9-cpap-setup

Good Luck

[cbramsey]

Welcome to the forum!!! We are glad you joined us!!!

Not sure why you are experiencing the issue you laid out. I too am living in a old home (70 years old in my case) so I know how you are feeling.

[Ugly]

[font=Arial][size=medium]This is my very first post. I hope it shows up correctly.

Yes it has! Welcome!

I'm newly diagnosed with severe sleep apnea. I have a problem with my machine not using the water in the chamber.

Let's see now. You mentioned in your profile that you're using a ResMed S9 Elite.

I had water stuck in the slim line not getting to me. It gurgled really loud when I set the control on #6.

That caught me off guard when it happened to me. They call that "rainout" and it happens when you try to set the humidity too high.

So, I bought the $50 climate control and the unit still does not use water. It goes down about a fraction of an inch. The nurse at the doc's office that supplied me with the machine also uses it and told me her water tank is empty in the morning and she could really fill it twice. I'm stuck on this issue so badly because I'm waking up with a terribly sore throat. It hurts all day now. This is my first month on a cpap machine and I'm totally new at trying to use it. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can get this machine to use the water? I'm at the end of my cpap rope! Thanks, all. Love, DJ

OKAY! Let's take this in steps.
First off, when you connect the ClimateLine hose (some call it a tube, but it's really one in the same) there should be a message on the screen that says something like "Climate control enabled"
If it doesn't then your hose isn't working. Take it back.

Next....
To the right of the screen are two buttons. One with the letter "I" and one with two check marks. Push both at the same time and hold them until the display changes. The background should turn a different colour. For me it's green but I have a different machine (which works similar.)
Turn the knob (they call it a "push dial") counter clockwise until the top of the screen reads "View Settings"

Push the "push dial" once and turn it counter clockwise, it should highlight a different line each time and start to scroll when it reaches the bottom.
You're looking for a line that says "Climate Ctrl"
It can say either:
Auto
Manual
Patient

If it says "Auto" it should recognize the "ClimateLine" hose when you attach it.
If it says "Patient" or "Manual" you'd have to try to set the humidity yourself. Not usually recommended. Press the "push dial" again and turn it (I forget which way) until it says "auto" and push it again.
Hopefully that will work if I explained it right.

If none of this works then your DME has tried to lock you out of the menus and we'll have to cheat - Get back to us.
-Sean

[djjwilly]

Thank you very much for the welcomes. Yes, I understand about the water level and have watched alot of videos. I still can't get the thing to work right. Does the machine have to be on the same level as your mattress to work properly? Is it affected by working in a cold room? I'm wondering if I need to either make a covering for the hose or buy one. It did use a tad more water when I didn't use my room humidifier, but not much. Usually it uses enough to feed two mice who aren't thirsty! I'm watching for responses and am looking forward to the time when I can help newbies here. That will be a very long time from now! Love,DJ

[trish6hundred]

Hi djjwilly, WELCOME! to the forum.!
Hang in there for more answers to your question.
Best of luck.

[Ugly]

Thank you very much for the welcomes. Yes, I understand about the water level and have watched alot of videos. I still can't get the thing to work right. Does the machine have to be on the same level as your mattress to work properly? Is it affected by working in a cold room?

From what I gather, it should be at your head level OR LOWER.
For me it about head level but unless I read something wrong it shouldn't be any higher.
As for a cold room, if you can live in it, then it should be OK.
The recommended operating environment is 5°C/41°F to a maximum of 35°C/95°F.

[JJJ]

This is my very first post. I hope it shows up correctly. I'm newly diagnosed with severe sleep apnea. I have a problem with my machine not using the water in the chamber. My house is very old and there's no way there's adequate moisture coming up through the hose, even though I bought climate control tubing. I had the slimline and assumed I was getting no humidity because of it. My room is downright cold at night. We have a woodstove downstairs and this place is ancient. [/size][/font]I had water stuck in the slim line not getting to me. It gurgled really loud when I set the control on #6. So, I bought the $50 climate control and the unit still does not use water. It goes down about a fraction of an inch. The nurse at the doc's office that supplied me with the machine also uses it and told me her water tank is empty in the morning and she could really fill it twice. I'm stuck on this issue so badly because I'm waking up with a terribly sore throat. It hurts all day now. This is my first month on a cpap machine and I'm totally new at trying to use it. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can get this machine to use the water? I'm at the end of my cpap rope!

First, the gurgling in the hose is called rainout. It happens because the air inside the hose is humid and warmer than the room air. The room air cools the outside of the hose which makes the humidity condense on the inside of the hose. The classic cure is to place the machine below the mattress level so that the water will run back into the humidifier tank. An alternative is the ClimateLine hose, which heats the exterior of the hose so the humidity inside the hose will not condense. Rather than spend the money on the ClimateLine hose some people just sew a sock-like tube and run the hose inside it.

You didn't say where you are located, but I'm going to guess that you are somewhere between the Rockies and the Alleghenies in North America. In those areas the air is still going below freezing every day, at least at night. This causes all the natural humidity in the air to precipitate as frost, leaving the air dry as a bone. Many people in the midwest use room humidifiers to increase the humidity inside their homes, else they have cracked noses, sore throats, and miscellaneous problems with mucous surfaces.

It sounds to me as though your humidifier is not working right. If your room air is bone dry and you have the humidifier on 6 the tank should be empty in the morning, perhaps even before morning. Try this experiment: Make sure the humidifier is set on 6 and turn the machine on. Let it run for ten or twenty minutes, then turn it off. Open the humidifier, remove the tank, and feel the sides of the tank. It should be pretty warm. The metal plate that the tank sits on should be even warmer, perhaps too hot to touch comfortably. If your tank and metal plate are still cool, then the heating element is kaput. Take the humidifier back and ask for a replacement.

If for some reason your machine and humidifier are not under warranty you can buy a humidifier alone for a pretty reasonable price. I recommend Supplier #2. (The supplier list link is at the top of every page on Apnea Board.)

[cbramsey]

If for some reason your machine and humidifier are not under warranty you can buy a humidifier alone for a pretty reasonable price. I recommend Supplier #2. (The supplier list link is at the top of every page on Apnea Board.)

The link to the CPAP Supplier List is HERE.

[PaulaO2]

Check the block in the cord. Make sure the wattage on it says 90w and not 30w.

If the room humidity is high, then the humidifier won't use any water. This is why it used a little when you turned the room humidifier off. If you left it off for several days, the humidity would drop and your machine would probably use more water.

If your throat is sore and not your nose, then it is quite possible you are breathing through your mouth at night. Are you using software to view the data? What is your leak rate? You should be able to see it on the screen. If you have large leaks, that's what is happening. The first step (and the cheapest) is to take an ace bandage and wrap it from chin to top of head several times, like those old pictures of kids with mumps. You want it tight enough that when you sit up and relax your jaw, it stays closed. Yet, not so tight you cannot chew. It's a tight line between the two, yes. If the sore throat improves, there's your culprit. They make chin straps that work better (and stay on better) than an ace bandage.