Leaks, liters per minute

[KEN]

New to forum I know very little about my Resmed s9 Elite operation. Since my pressure was reset to 11 in January air leaks started at 22 and are up to 27 last night. People who sold me the machine don't know or arn't saying anything. All the want to do is sell new masks. Is this the only possible reason for my problem. Don't know what other information you may need. Thanks Ken

[Bompa]

New to forum I know very little about my Resmed s9 Elite operation. Since my pressure was reset to 11 in January air leaks started at 22 and are up to 27 last night. People who sold me the machine don't know or arn't saying anything. All the want to do is sell new masks. Is this the only possible reason for my problem. Don't know what other information you may need. Thanks Ken

Hi Ken:
One of the main cause of leaks is a poor mask fit. It is very important to keep your mask clean, removing old facial oil buildup.

What I do is I wash my mask and other gear weekly in warm water and a bit of baby Shampoo and let it thoroughly air dry.

Every night I wipe the mask surface that touches skin with a baby Wipe that are alcohol and fragrance free to remove old facial oil.
Also I wash my face also with a bit of baby shampoo to get rid of oil.

I will admit the masks don't last very long but if you keep them clean they will last a lot longer. If you're like me you hate having to put money out all the time. LOL

I'm sure others will give you more tips.

[trish6hundred]

Hi KEN,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
Hang in there for more suggestions and best of luck to you.

[PaulaO2]

Leaks are definitely mask issues. Unless the hose has a hole.

22 to 27 isn't horrible but it is right on the line. How much different is your pressure than before? And I assume you have the same mask you had before the pressure was raised? Was your last machine data capable?

Have you ever tried the mask fit option? What it does is put out the treatment pressure immediately so you can fit the mask. You don't want it overly tight as that can cause more leaks than it fixes.

[KEN]

Thanks to all replies have done very thing suggested also have ordered new maskes from USA on sale prices are almost 2 for one from Canadian store were i got machine. Mask is only 3 month old have ordered 2 different style masks. No insurance to pay for this . Thanks Ken

[PaulaO2]

Ken, I deleted your two duplicate posts.

[zonk]

S9 report unintentional leak (mask leak plus mouth leaks) which means 95% percentile leak was at and below that number for 95% of the time using the machine

I suppose you,re seeing Mr Smiley on "Sleep Quality" which indicate good mask fit, means 70% percentile leak is less than 24 L/min

Next step to download the software, the software detailed graphs would shows if leak is such issue or not. On ResScan leak graph, there is red line drawn at 24 L/min, leak below the red line is not an issue also above the red line for short period is not big deal either, might be just when you,re adjusting the mask, rolling over or a bit of mouth breathing, in that case a chinstrap might help keep mouth closed and minimize mouth leaks

The main thing is not over-tighten the mask to get better mask fit, will make uncomfortable and causes more leaks, also would helps washing the mask on daily basis to remove any facial oil stuck on the cushion

What Resmed Mirage nasal mask are you using also note your S9 is either AutoSet or Elite (not as shown on your profile)
Next to stop/start button shows the model name

This Resmed mask fitting videos guides might be of some help
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLA23652FAF5627F3F

[Ugly]

New to forum I know very little about my Resmed s9 Elite operation. Since my pressure was reset to 11 in January air leaks started at 22 and are up to 27 last night. People who sold me the machine don't know or arn't saying anything. All the want to do is sell new masks. Is this the only possible reason for my problem. Don't know what other information you may need. Thanks Ken

Indeed my leaks are under 10 - I never cared before about them but that was ignorant of me. The examples I found are:

Description leak l/s leak l/m

Excellent 0.00 - 0.18 0.0 - 10.8
Very good 0.19 - 0.26 10.9 - 15.9
Good 0.27 - 0.34 15.7 - 20.4
Adjust mask 0.35 - 0.41 20.5 - 24.6
Adjust mask 0.42 - 0.49 24.7 - 29.9
Adjust mask ≥ 0.50 ≥ 30


Sorry the formatting is so screwed. But the thoughts from what I gathered is, a few leaks are OK but if they're 20 or over, you probably need to adjust and/or replace your mask. Currently my leak patterns are 8 or less.

Oh, and we'll have to get together this week. Call me.

[KEN]

Leaks are definitely mask issues. Unless the hose has a hole.

22 to 27 isn't horrible but it is right on the line. How much different is your pressure than before? And I assume you have the same mask you had before the pressure was raised? Was your last machine data capable?

Have you ever tried the mask fit option? What it does is put out the treatment pressure immediately so you can fit the mask. You don't want it overly tight as that can cause more leaks than it fixes.

paulao2 first pressure was 6 after second sleep study increased to 11 leaks were 21 all the time when pressure was 6. Started out at 21 at pressure 11 has been up and ever since. I clean equipment everyday. I'm using a cotton mask liner now because of runny eyes problen not related to cpap but causes other problems. Mask liners don't help with leaks . This is my first machine, don't understand all the data readings the machine has on it. Thanks Ken

[Sleepster]

Ken, if you are using a nasal mask the leaks could be coming from your mouth. Have you tried a chin strap?