Help I'm drowning!

[Ockrocket]

The purpose of the heated tube is to prevent condensation, the "heat" comes from a metal plate on the bottom of the water chambers.

The metal plate in the bottom of the water chamber is to protect the plastic where the chamber sits on top of the heating element in the base of the machine .
The heating element is used for both heating and pre-heating the water in the chamber.. pre-heat mode is a setting you can turn on before actually using the machine if you don't want to start off with cold air blowing through the tube.

The tube has a separate copper heating element that is connected electrically to the machine where the hose attaches to it.

You can run the heated tube alone without running the heater in the water chamber (this is how I have mine set).
The tube temperature can be set separately to the chamber temperature, and you can have either or both turned on/off individually or together with whatever temperature settings you prefer.

Well that is how my Philips Dreamstation works at least.

[Infinity2902]

HI

I moved my machine down to the floor next to my bed last night. It went much better.

[Ockrocket]

A step forward, that is good.

It may not be the total answer as weather/room temperature and other factors can contribute to condensation.

There may be a combination of "adjustments" to your overall setup to get it right, but you are on the way now.

[OMyMyOHellYes]

The heated tube is not supposed to heat the air.

It is simply not possible. Not to any material degree. It is not hot enough nor is the air dwelling in it long enough to accomplish much in the way of heating. The only purpose of the heating element in the tube is to keep the walls of the tube very slightly above the dew point of the humidified air coming out of the unit. That humid air hits a cold tube and it starts to condense causing what is often referred to as "rainout". If you're getting rainout, the air your breathing is probably way above what is needed for comfort. It is certainly past the 100% RH point for the ambient air in the room.

Heck, even the heat in the humidifier is not to heat up the air. It is to raise the temperature of the water in the tank to raise its vapor pressure. Again, the air is not there long enough to appreciably "heat up". It gets more humid.

Humid air, however, is harder to breathe. Go to Houston, or New Orleans, in August and try to go out and run. Or any hot, muggy coastal place when it is the hot season in that upside down part of the world.) Go to Montana in January (or any really cold place when it is cold season there) and see if it is not easier to breathe. Colder air is more dense and carries more oxygen in the same volume, at the same pressure, than will heated air. At least that's how it works for me. And some old dude named "Boyle" or something like that.

Now, the metal plate in the base of the water chamber... It's sole purpose is to transmit the heat to the water. Metal is usually a fantastic conductor of heat. Some metals like Cu or Al are better than others, say stainless steel. Plastics are not usually good thermal conductors. The metal is there to move heat from the electrical heating source and transfer it to the water. Pots and pans to be used on the stovetop are usually metal - Cu, Al, or Fe - because they conduct heat really well. It has nothing to do with "protecting" the plastic of the water chamber.

OMMOHY

[Ockrocket]

Thanks for the explanation OMMOHY.

[PaytonA]

OMYMY,

Thanks for jumping in. This thread was making me very itchy.

Best REgards,

PaytonA

[jeisenberg]

First post, but wasn't going to make a new thread for a similar issue. Condensation in my mask, but I have the humidifier off, with no water in it. At first it was just an issue that I would wake up in the morning, when I normally get up, with water in my mask. This was only really a problem if i wanted to go back to bed as I would typically take the mask off because of discomfort from the water and just "sleep" for another hour or two without the cpap, which is generally a terrible thing to do. Now, however, I can feel the water before i even fall asleep, within a minute or two, around my nose. Last couple of nights I can even feel it seeping under the mask and onto my upper lip. It definitely has a negative effect on my seal and comfort at the very least.

[Luvmyzzz]

Thank you. The heated tube has a spiral of copper that heat up to keep the air heated to the mask. However there is condensation in the mask.

(whispers to Infinity) if you can't warm up the room, since you sleep with a mask why not try to just pull the covers up over your head? your own body heat (one would think) should keep the the mask dry... I curl up completely under the covers when it gets too chilly... can't hurt to try!

[Luvmyzzz]

First post, but wasn't going to make a new thread for a similar issue. Condensation in my mask, but I have the humidifier off, with no water in it. At first it was just an issue that I would wake up in the morning, when I normally get up, with water in my mask. This was only really a problem if i wanted to go back to bed as I would typically take the mask off because of discomfort from the water and just "sleep" for another hour or two without the cpap, which is generally a terrible thing to do. Now, however, I can feel the water before i even fall asleep, within a minute or two, around my nose. Last couple of nights I can even feel it seeping under the mask and onto my upper lip. It definitely has a negative effect on my seal and comfort at the very least.

Hi Jeisenberg, Welcome! you picked the right place to get all sorts of answers to your dilemma! It sounds like you may have a leaky mask(?) but hold tight... the true experts on the forum will give you ideas to correcting the problem...Much Luck
sweet dreams

[Luvmyzzz]

The heated tube is not supposed to heat the air.
And some old dude named "Boyle" or something like that.

OMMOHY

:big wink: @ OMMOHY Do you know "Boyle" well?? maybe it's "Doyle"