Tube temp to avoid rainout

[corgan115]

Hey folks,

So I know this topic has been talked about to death but I am seeing conflicting information on this. Or I am just not understanding...

I sleep in a cold room, a room that's even colder in the winter. I've started experiencing rainout in my mask. Specifically the mask and mask tubing, not the climate line tube. I've been lowering the humidity but I am just not sure what to do with the tube temp. Some literature I've read states to raise the tube temp so that the air I am exhaling into the mask is closer to the temperature of the air coming into the mask. Other literature I've read says to lower the tube temp so that the temperature difference between the air inside the mask is closer to the ambient room temperature.

Can someone please help me understand this?

Thanks!

[Deborah K.]

My bedroom is pretty cool too.  I like to keep my heated hose at about 84 degrees.  I don't like cold air blowing up my nose, and I have never had rainout, so I think the warmer temperature is a good choice.

[CorruptAlligator]

Anybody know how to heat up the air in the tubes? I have climateline, but the air feels too cool even at 80 degrees set on the tubes. Does the climateline heat the air inside the tubes?

[corgan115]

My bedroom is pretty cool too.  I like to keep my heated hose at about 84 degrees.  I don't like cold air blowing up my nose, and I have never had rainout, so I think the warmer temperature is a good choice.

Thanks Deborah!  I am going to try to mimic your settings.  Can you tell me what your humidity level is set to?  With 4 I get water in the mask.  With 3 I do not but the air is kind of dry for my preference.  However those settings are with the hose temp in the 70's.  I am hoping that with a warmer tube temp either the humidity level of 3 will help the air not feel so dry or allow me to up the humidity back up to 4 without rainout.

[pholynyk]

>>>Other literature I've read says to lower the tube temp so that the temperature difference between the air inside the mask is closer to the ambient room temperature.<<<

I believe this is incorrect. Your exhaled breath is both warm -- body temperature -- and moist. If your mask parts are room temperature (especially in a cool room) that moisture will condense into water in the mask. As far as I can tell, the only way to heat the mask parts is with the incoming air, hence Deborah's choice of 84 degrees. (I think 86 degrees is the maximum.)

[Sleepster]

You want the temperature of your climateline tube high to prevent rain out. That is the purpose of heated tubing.

[CorruptAlligator]

There's the heating plate on the water container, that creates the vapor, but as a result of heating, correct? Thus, you'd get heated vapor through the tubing. In addition, the tubing insulation has coils that radiates heat, and radiates to the inside and outside the tubing, in which in return heats the air inside the tubing. I guess this heating of the inside and outside is cause of no rainout? Like, there is no differential of temperature due to this heating at the tubing. IF there was no heating at the tubing, there is a differential due to the water container heating causing higher temperature vapor? Is this how it's working?

My question would be, how is the heating coil work the same as a cloth insulation? The insulation prevents cold ambient air to create a differential by not letting cool ambient air to enter? Thus the heating is similar in the sense that there is no differential?

So, the heating of the tube air is done by both the heating plate and the climateline?

[Sleeprider]

Corgan, you might want to look into the Snuggle Skins fleece cover 6-8 feet. It is longer than just the CPAP tube and also covers the heated tube from your nasal pillows mask. Makes a big difference for me, and feels a lot better in contact with my face. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007BUOINM

[Sleepster]

There's the heating plate on the water container, that creates the vapor, but as a result of heating, correct?

It changes the water's state from liquid to vapor, yes.

IF there was no heating at the tubing, there is a differential due to the water container heating causing higher temperature vapor?  Is this how it's working?

Lowering the temperature of the water vapor in the tube could cause that water vapor to turn back into a liquid. A heated tube stops this from happening.

My question would be, how is the heating coil work the same as a cloth insulation?

By keeping the water vapor in the tube from getting too cold.

[RainbowFish]

I would add that the "number" may vary by ambient conditions as well as temperature.  I need a 6 at my high desert home but switch to a 3 when visiting family on the humid coasts.