+- Apnea Board Forum - CPAP | Sleep Apnea (https://www.apneaboard.com/forums)
+-- Forum: Public Area (https://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Forum-Public-Area)
+--- Forum: Main Apnea Board Forum (https://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Forum-Main-Apnea-Board-Forum)
+--- Thread: Water droplets in my air touch f20 mask (/Thread-Water-droplets-in-my-air-touch-f20-mask)
Water droplets in my air touch f20 mask - yankees123 - 10-15-2020
I alternate between a nasal mask and a full face mask. I have my machine low on the ground and I also use a heated tube and a tube cover.
I have my humidity set at 3 and my tube temperature set at 78. To reduce the water droplets in my mask should I increase both my humidity and tube temperature or just one of the settings?
Thanks for your help.
RE: Water droplets in my air touch f20 mask - Crimson Nape - 10-15-2020
Warmer air can hold more moisture than a cooler setting. If you're experiencing the formation of droplets, I would increase the temperature. You will only make the "rainout" worse if you increase the humidity setting.
RE: Water droplets in my air touch f20 mask - Sleeprider - 10-15-2020
Fine water droplets in your mask indicate condensation from warm, moist air in contact with the cooler mask surface. While you can potentially reduce this moisture by reducing your CPAP humidification level or increasing tube temperature, the mask condensation, as opposed to tube condensation, is mainly caused by exhaled warm moist air. The best way to prevent condensation in a full face mask, is a mask cover such as those sold by Pad-A-Cheek Supplier #31. This keeps cool air away from the mask surface and prevents the condensation, much like a tube cover does in the tube. It might be possible to DIY something if you don't want to purchase.
RE: Water droplets in my air touch f20 mask - yankees123 - 10-15-2020
Thanks crimson nape and sleeprider for your feedback. Does it make sense to lower the humidity level and raise the tube temperature together or just raise the tube temperature?
RE: Water droplets in my air touch f20 mask - Crimson Nape - 10-15-2020
I'm the conservative type and would elect to try one parameter at a time. I'd be more inclined to increase the temperature over reducing the humidity. My selection is based on some medical "stuff" I read about the closer the air temperature is to body temp, the more efficient is oxygen transfer.
RE: Water droplets in my air touch f20 mask - Sleeprider - 10-15-2020
What temperature is the room you sleep in? Raising tube temperature probably won't make much difference because it just doesn't warm the air passing through the tube. It warms the wall of the tube to prevent condensation, but that really doesn't change the air temperature in the tube due to a relatively high volume passing though it. The heated tube is working exactly as intended, and it is the surface of your mask where condensation is occurring. That will be prevented by either reducing the relative humidity (humidifier setting), or increasing the temperature of the mask surface by increasing room temperature or applying a mask cover.
RE: Water droplets in my air touch f20 mask - yankees123 - 10-15-2020
My room temperature is about 68 degrees. I will try reducing the humidity and keeping the tube temperature the same.
Thanks and will let you know how it works.
RE: Water droplets in my air touch f20 mask - Canuck 2 - 10-15-2020
If the hose feeding your mask has no water droplets I would not worry to much because you are not having rainout. More than likely just condensation from breathing warm breath against you clear plastic face mask causing the condensation. Just give mask a wipe when done sleeping should do the job. When I see condensation in the corrugated part of mask hose is another problem with humidity settings IMO.
RE: Water droplets in my air touch f20 mask - Big Guy - 10-15-2020
(10-15-2020, 01:44 PM)Canuck 2 Wrote: If the hose feeding your mask has no water droplets I would not worry to much because you are not having rainout. More than likely just condensation from breathing warm breath against you clear plastic face mask causing the condensation. Just give mask a wipe when done sleeping should do the job. When I see condensation in the corrugated part of mask hose is another problem with humidity settings IMO.
I was going to post a very similar comment, but you beat me to it.
RE: Water droplets in my air touch f20 mask - yankees123 - 10-15-2020
Yes there is no rainout in the heated tube just in the mask. Thanks for your help.