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Remove hose every day?

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DeterminedChocolateDog7010 +0 points · over 6 years ago Original Poster

I have a RESmart Auto Adjusting CPAP Machine with Humidifier, and after trying a full face mask I'm now using a nasal pillow, and loving it. Problem is, the hose seems very tightly fitting on the humidifier's out port, and removing it every day to empty and later refill the water tank seems like I'm going to break the hose / rip the rubber. Is this normal? I'm new to CPAP, only been doing it for a couple-few weeks. Should I keep removing the hose every day, or something else?

72 posts
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NiceSilverBison1316 +1 point · over 6 years ago

Why remove the water hose every day? I never removed mine to clean unless there was condensation in the line. I also used distilled water in my water tank and added water only when needed. I think you are making this too hard by cleaning everything every day, but that's just my opinion.

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snuffie3456 +0 points · over 6 years ago

I'd love to hear what the sleep techs say about this one. I must admit that I don't use the humidifier. I discovered that the clinic that ran my sleep study don't use it during the studies, so I though I might try to adjust to CPAP life without one. It makes the machine smaller, and simplifies the process in general.

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DeterminedChocolateDog7010 +0 points · over 6 years ago Original Poster

Well if I don't remove the hose, seems hard to get the water into the humidifier part of the machine.. the bottom of the chamber opens up to drain, but then I can't fill it up without turning it upside down, getting water into my breathing hose, which doesn't sound right. The only other opening is the one that the machine blows the air into, and it takes some contortions to get water in that way without also getting water either back into the machine. Maybe I'm doing it wrong? Sadly I don't have a local DME, I had to get my test and unit via the internet as my insurance doesn't cover anything.

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snuffie3456 +1 point · over 6 years ago

Hm. This might be a good question for the manufacturer. My machine also just has a tray that you can pull out independently.

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NiceSilverBison1316 +0 points · over 6 years ago

With my ResMed machine, I just remove the water tray, add water and replace. Why do you have to remove the hose?

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madjack +0 points · over 6 years ago

I have a ResMed 10 auto set w/built in humidifier...the humidifier pulls out the end, is split in half for filling, no need for contortions for filling...I also have the ClimateRite hose...I remove this every other week and clean with a disinfectant designed for cpaps..I do clean my nasal pillows every day (orso) with wipes made for this purpose...I use "CPAP Water" I get from my local grocery store pharmacy...it is triple distilled/filtered...it sits right next to the "BabyWater"............. madjack

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sleeptech +0 points · over 6 years ago Sleep Enthusiast

Just a few thoughts Madjack, which you may feel free to ignore.

Wipes made specifically for CPAP masks are usually a ripoff. Your mask does not need to be sterilised. It's not like your sharing it with someone else (I assume) and your face and nose are certainly not sterile. All your wipes need to do is clean your mask, and plain ordinary baby wipes will do this. You should use alcohol free wipes, but most of them are. If you are paying any more for your wipes than for standard baby wipes (or wet wipes if that's what you call 'em) then you are paying too much.

You should empty your humidifier chamber every morning and let it dry. If water stays in it too long, mold can start to grow in it and inhaled mod spores can cause nasty infections. I have seen some pretty unpleasant cases of this. As long as you empty your chamber every morning, problem solved.

I hope you don't pay too much for your "CPAP water" either. It just needs to be demineralised in order to prevent salts from depositing on the inside of your chamber as the water evaporates. Triple distilled/filtered sounds expensive and unnecessary. The only problem with normal tap water is that it will eave deposits on your chamber over time and make it look dirty, and these can be cleaned off by letting vinegar stand in your chamber and cleaning it with a tooth brush. Most people opt for demineralised/distilled water though. Where I live, it can be purchased for $1 - $2/liter (much less that spring water for drinking). If you are paying more than that I would suggest that you may be paying too much.

These are all things I discuss regularly with my patients. There's nothing wrong with the CPAP wipes or the "CPAP water" per se, they may just be an unnecessary expense.

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madjack +0 points · over 6 years ago

.thanks for your thoughts...you can never have too much good advice...the wipes and a spray disinfectant came from Amazon, CHEAP, but, I will keep your advice in mind when next refill is needed...CPAP water cost me around a buck orso per gallon so, cheap enough for me since a gallon last near a month...I probably need to be more consistent in emptying the water chamber...... madjack

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sleeptech +0 points · over 6 years ago Sleep Enthusiast

What model of ResMed machine do you have DeterminedChocolateDog? I suspect it is an older model like an S8 or earlier. Just google some pictures to work it out. That would be useful to know.

Also, you can get a short, solid plastic bit of tubing, about 2 inches long, which could go between your hose and the humidifier chamber. It looks like this

https://www.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.patientsleepsupplies.com%2Fimages%2FT%2Faghc150_small.jpg&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.patientsleepsupplies.com%2FAdapters-and-connectors%2F&docid=CI-JsaIVwYTjrM&tbnid=WEctHuZ5Jhi0OM%3A&vet=10ahUKEwjhkabnv4vWAhVLyrwKHVl1BikQMwh5KEkwSQ..i&w=200&h=200&client=firefox-b&bih=1078&biw=1704&q=CPAP%20connector&ved=0ahUKEwjhkabnv4vWAhVLyrwKHVl1BikQMwh5KEkwSQ&iact=mrc&uact=8

That should prevent your hose from being damaged. There are several other things look a little different but will do the same job.

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