High leakage with F20 full face mask

Howdy, I'm new to this forum. I empathize with everyone on here! Here's wishing you good sleep!

I am having horrible readings about my mask fit which is an F20 Full Face Resmed. I have changed the cushion 3 times in a week- no improvement. I thought maybe it was a batch of defective cushions. But it has been 5 months since I got the machine and the headgear. This is my first time with the AirSense for her, and this mask. Does anyone know if my headgear could be the problem this quickly, or if it is the plastic part that attaches to the cushion? I wash them by hand monthly (with cushion cleaned daily) and there doesn't seem to be any wear and tear by looking.

Any suggestions? I had done fine last month and the couple of months before when it was a different face cushion. Now I am only achieving 2 out of 20 for leakage. Thanks anyone who is loving enough and has the where with all and knowledge to reply. lol

I have used the F20, but not with success unfortunately. My issue has not been leakage, but comfort. If I tighten down the straps to the point where I get no leakage, I do not find the mask comfortable enough to sleep with. If I back them off I get leaks when I change positions in the night and that wakes me up. The one problem I have NOT had is leaks that show up on the sleep report. The leaks I get are irritations, but not big.

Short story is that if you had success before with the mask before I am not sure why you don't now. Any possibility you changed the mask setting in your machine? If you set your machine for "Pillows" and then use a "Full Face" mask it might prompt a high leakage report. The full face mask use a larger purge flow than the pillow masks.

In addition to what Sierra has suggested, mask liners are often a great upgrade for the full face masks. They are available at most of the CPAP vendors online. I recently made a purchase from cpapXchange.com online and was very pleased with the service. I don't know how much the advertised "Silent Night comfort seal liners" cost, but I admired the design. These full face mask liners come in small, medium and large sizes and fit the resmed full face and other masks. From experience, I found that the liners really helped (this was when I was using my very first mask, which was a full face model). They increased my comfort level and minimized leaking, plus saved me from the mask sores that we newbies so often suffer from.

The liners are made from cotton jersey fabric (like Tshirt material). The ad doesn't say what material their liners are made from, but investing in an initial batch might be a good idea. You can then make your own liners when your supply runs out, using an old liner for your pattern. A lot of us have done this and saved mucho pesos. I remember that I preferred purchasing mine because my scissors weren't sharp enough to cut efficiently through my husband's old Tshirt.

Keep us posted on how you're doing and the solution you found.

Horrible readings? Not sure I could put a finger on what the problem with the mask is based on that comment. Is the leak rate real high? Are you annoyed by leaks? I am sure the MyAir feedback you are looking at is giving you numbers which might say a bit more than the "horrible readings" statement. Mask leakage is compensated for by the machine and some leakage doesn't hurt anything. When the leakage gets to the point where therapy is ineffective, the most likely culprit with a full face mask is the cushion size. Great big guys don't necessarily need a XLarge and petit little gals a XXXS. Some masks have detailed fitting guidance using actual measurements. You may want to try a smaller or larger cushion.

I started on the Simplus and was given LARGE cushions; probably as I am a fairly large person. Wrong size... I bought a Medium and it sealed MUCH better. With the large came rude noises and air leaking in my eyes. Directions for adjusting the mask said it should ride on my face but I had to cinch up the headgear so tight my eyeballs were about to pop. With the medium cushion, I could wear the mask effectively BUT still had the air in my eyes. Bought some mask pads. These are tee-shirt cotton and cut to the shape of the cushion. I could use one pad for a number of days. Some folks wash the pads and re-use but never had any luck with that. The pads are stupid expensive for what they are. No more air in the eyes was worth it.

Switched to an Amara View and only record a little minor leaks a few nights every report period and none at all for most. I had to experiment on cushions with this mask as well to find the right size.

To sleep4me

I also have terrible readings for mask leaks ( same equipment as you) 1/20 0/20 on some nights . Not bad other nights. Are you using myAir app? I’m trying to find out why I get a bad reading on the app, yet my machine shows a a happy smiley face? Is this your experience? I am unable to use sleepyhead program that others talk about. I contacted Resmed and was told that I MIGHT have a faulty machine

It is best to get an actual number for your leak in L/min. That stupid score-out-of-20 thing that ResMed does is pretty meaningless. the 2 main factors in mask leak are 1 - is it bothering you (obviously you know that) 2 - is it affecting the machine's ability to treat your OSA (the download data can give a pretty good idea about that). If your answer to both of those questions is "no", you have nothing to worry about. Perhaps you should look in to the Sleepyhead software everyone here seems to use. I have no experience of it but it seems pretty good.