Repair a broken CPAP tube.
Hi.
Got a hole at each side of a CPAP tube, near the connectors, and believed it should be easy to fix.
I browsed the internet but it appeared that nobody developed a reasonable solution (at least I could not find it), such I developed one:
Procedure to repair small holes in a CPAP tube (or even a ripped of tube):
Required material:
1. Methylated spirit
2. Paper towel
3. Silicon paste
4. Few toothpicks
5. Old news paper
6. Dish detergent
7. Plastic shrinking tube, having a starting diameter slightly larger than the smallest connector of your CPAP tube.
Shrinking tubes are often used for battery packs and to wrap/protect electrical cabling.
I bought a 50cm piece, 30 mm diameter for less than 1 dollar.
8. Scissors
9. Pan with water and stove or a watercooker.
1. Spot the holes in the tube to be repaired.
2. Clean the area around the hole and part of the connectors using methylated spirit and paper towel.
3. Protect your working bench using an old newspaper or similar.
4. Put some of the silicon paste (your preferred colour) on a corner of your newspaper.
Assure you have sufficient silicon paste available (you want more you need and certainly not to less).
In case you like, you may use medical grade silicon paste (in my case I decided to use normal silicon paste).
5. Put some silicon paste at a sufficient large area around the holes, such that (after drying) pressure on the silicon paste will remain the hole sealed.
6. Tip your finger with dish detergent, Next, gently smoothen the silicon surface using your finger.
Start from a top side of the silicon paste,
slide your finger such no dish detergent will be captured within the silicone layer or between the silicone layer and the surfaces of the tube/connectors.
In case unexperienced,
do some trials for this step (e,g, using something comparable to the part you want to repair). Take your time and be patient to complete this step.
7. Wait for the silicon paste to dry (at least few hours).
8. Cut the required parts/lengths of the shrinking tube.
9. Pull your first part of the shrinking over the smallest connector of your CPAP tube towards the repair area at the most other end of that smallest connector
10. Pull the shrinking tube over the part of the CPAP tube (including the silicone material to keep the hole closed),
such the silicon material is in the centre of the shrinking tube
(or the shrinking tube is covering part of the connector in case the hole to be repaired is near the connector).
11. Boil the water.
Turn of the stove (or water cooker) and dip the part with the shrinking tube one or 2 seconds in the hot water (or pour the hot water over the shrinking tube.
The shrinking tube will shrink immediate and capture the silicon between the shrinking tube and the hole.
12. Repeat step 11 for each hole to be repaired.
13. In case of a large hole (or even almost cut tube) you may shrink a larger piece of the shrinking tube over the CPAP tube.
In case you like, you may put some silicon at each side of the cut part before you encapsulate the CPAP tube within the shrinking tube,
but it will even close without the silicon.
14. Your CPAP tube is ready to continue its service and you might be happy that your tube will still servive for a long time.
Got a hole at each side of a CPAP tube, near the connectors, and believed it should be easy to fix.
I browsed the internet but it appeared that nobody developed a reasonable solution (at least I could not find it), such I developed one:
Procedure to repair small holes in a CPAP tube (or even a ripped of tube):
Required material:
1. Methylated spirit
2. Paper towel
3. Silicon paste
4. Few toothpicks
5. Old news paper
6. Dish detergent
7. Plastic shrinking tube, having a starting diameter slightly larger than the smallest connector of your CPAP tube.
Shrinking tubes are often used for battery packs and to wrap/protect electrical cabling.
I bought a 50cm piece, 30 mm diameter for less than 1 dollar.
8. Scissors
9. Pan with water and stove or a watercooker.
1. Spot the holes in the tube to be repaired.
2. Clean the area around the hole and part of the connectors using methylated spirit and paper towel.
3. Protect your working bench using an old newspaper or similar.
4. Put some of the silicon paste (your preferred colour) on a corner of your newspaper.
Assure you have sufficient silicon paste available (you want more you need and certainly not to less).
In case you like, you may use medical grade silicon paste (in my case I decided to use normal silicon paste).
5. Put some silicon paste at a sufficient large area around the holes, such that (after drying) pressure on the silicon paste will remain the hole sealed.
6. Tip your finger with dish detergent, Next, gently smoothen the silicon surface using your finger.
Start from a top side of the silicon paste,
slide your finger such no dish detergent will be captured within the silicone layer or between the silicone layer and the surfaces of the tube/connectors.
In case unexperienced,
do some trials for this step (e,g, using something comparable to the part you want to repair). Take your time and be patient to complete this step.
7. Wait for the silicon paste to dry (at least few hours).
8. Cut the required parts/lengths of the shrinking tube.
9. Pull your first part of the shrinking over the smallest connector of your CPAP tube towards the repair area at the most other end of that smallest connector
10. Pull the shrinking tube over the part of the CPAP tube (including the silicone material to keep the hole closed),
such the silicon material is in the centre of the shrinking tube
(or the shrinking tube is covering part of the connector in case the hole to be repaired is near the connector).
11. Boil the water.
Turn of the stove (or water cooker) and dip the part with the shrinking tube one or 2 seconds in the hot water (or pour the hot water over the shrinking tube.
The shrinking tube will shrink immediate and capture the silicon between the shrinking tube and the hole.
12. Repeat step 11 for each hole to be repaired.
13. In case of a large hole (or even almost cut tube) you may shrink a larger piece of the shrinking tube over the CPAP tube.
In case you like, you may put some silicon at each side of the cut part before you encapsulate the CPAP tube within the shrinking tube,
but it will even close without the silicon.
14. Your CPAP tube is ready to continue its service and you might be happy that your tube will still servive for a long time.
