Way to dry your hose

randyyo · Post by **randyyo** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 8:01 pm

Hi,

I have puzzled over how to make sure that I wash my equipment early enough to allow it to dry. The part for me that takes the longest to dry is the hose.

I don't know if others have come up with this idea but I realized (as a musician of 30+ years) that I could use the same method that clarinets use when they clean their clarinets after use. They use a swab to dry the interior of their wood clarinet parts to avoid mildew and other nasty problems.

To adapt that to the CPAP hose I have taken some yarn (about 6' or the length of your hose) and attached a piece of cloth at one end and a small weight at the other. Drop the weight through and it will pull the cloth through the other end. This I have found to be a quick way to dry out a hose without having to wait hours for them to air dry.

For what it is worth.

Randy

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 9:16 pm

I would rather not breath microscopic pieces of cloth.

I think if you must wash your hose (I don't at all) then hang it up and use two and alternate them so they have an extra day to dry.

A hose is $10 online. Small price to pay for a fiber free inhale.

I know that the clarinet swabs are pretty smooth cloth and don't shed much but to me any unnecessary stuff to get stuck in the tube that I can inhale is too much. With the clarinet and Sax you are blowing out not inhalling

snoregirl · Post by **snoregirl** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 9:17 pm

That obviously was me forgetting to log in.

GoofyUT · Post by **GoofyUT** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 9:20 pm

I agree completely with Snoregirl.

'Sides, I can think of ways that are MUCH MORE FUN to dry my hose!

Cheers!

Chuck

(Hiding in shame and fear from the pelted tomatoes)

tomjax · Post by **tomjax** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 9:49 pm

Elegant solutions to a non problem.

Will someone please give me one single reason why a person would want to dry the hose, assuming it was rinsed out after cleaning and slung around to remove most of the water?

I can think of none, but what do I know?

IBTeri · Post by **IBTeri** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 9:55 pm

OMy lol I did that but used a ripped towel and it was horrible had bits of towel flying at me all night long. Idea is great but don't use a ripped up towel!!!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 10:50 pm

Well, that was nicely shot down.

Randy

Bookbear · Post by **Bookbear** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 11:42 pm

Ah, don't feel bad, Randy.

We struggle to prevent rainout, why not work to get hoses dry? I DO wash my hose every week or so, and I use the machine's "mask fit" feature (which blows a steady high volume of air, designed to test mask fit for leaks) for 5 min or so...dries the hose out nicely. Of course, I am probably shortening the life of the machine by 5 min. every week!

Just my 57 cents worth.

Catnapper · Post by **Catnapper** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 6:52 am

I actually endorse and use this method of drying the hose. I live in the Ohio River valley and mold and mildew are always a problem. Any time you have moisture you are likely to grow mold. I am very allergic to mold, and I don't like to think of having it growing in the hose. (That is my one good reason.) The hose will not dry in a day or even 2 just hanging over the shower bar. Yes, I do have more than one. Tried that first. Maybe we simply have high humidity. The hose will have obvious drops of water you can see very clearly. I am sure that using the machine works just fine.

When I use the string method, I don't use yarn, but a tightly woven cord - no lint. Then I use a piece of cloth that does not have lint either. I had to get a larger piece of cloth because the smaller one was completely soaked. I have never had any lint problems from it.

I was very surprised that the hose did not air dry. I even hung it over the furnace vent once, but I worried about the dust that could stick to the damp sides of the hose, so decided that was not a good idea either.

Just my opinion, don't mean to offend anyone. It works for me and is quick and easy to do. I keep the HH on 1 or I get a hose and nose full of water with the 2 masks I am currently favoring - enough water to requre drying with the string method before air drying.

Catnapper

SelfSeeker · Post by **SelfSeeker** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 8:20 am

Randy,

I do not think it is a shot down idea.

Someone will read it and may try it.

When I first read the post, I laughed thinking of IBTeri describing her misadventures the paper towels everywhere.

Everyone gets creative, posting here gives others ideas as well.

And as Catnapper said, some of us need to find solutions more then others do.

Thank you for posting.

randyyo wrote:Hi,

I have puzzled over how to make sure that I wash my equipment early enough to allow it to dry. The part for me that takes the longest to dry is the hose.

I don't know if others have come up with this idea but I realized (as a musician of 30+ years) that I could use the same method that clarinets use when they clean their clarinets after use. They use a swab to dry the interior of their wood clarinet parts to avoid mildew and other nasty problems.

To adapt that to the CPAP hose I have taken some yarn (about 6' or the length of your hose) and attached a piece of cloth at one end and a small weight at the other. Drop the weight through and it will pull the cloth through the other end. This I have found to be a quick way to dry out a hose without having to wait hours for them to air dry.

For what it is worth.

Randy

IBTeri wrote:OMy lol I did that but used a ripped towel and it was horrible had bits of towel flying at me all night long. Idea is great but don't use a ripped up towel!!!

OwlCreekObserver · Post by **OwlCreekObserver** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 9:16 am

Actually, I've been thinking about rigging up a way to use my wife's hair dryer to force warm air through the hose. I'm guessing that it wouldn't take more than about five or ten minutes of warm, fast moving air to get rid of most of the moisture. On the other hand, I've managed to survive this long by just hanging it over the shower head each time I wash it, so this is still on my "one of these days" list.

OCO

lvwildcat · Post by **lvwildcat** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 9:46 am

Yes I also hang mine over the shower head. I experienced rainout once(and it had been hanging for 8 hours!) I did the blow dryer thing-used medium heat for about 3 minutes and worked perfectly

roster · Post by **roster** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 10:48 am

If you really think it is necessary to dry the hose after washing it:

1. Empty the heated humidifier.
2. Attach the hose (and mask if you want to dry it).
3. Turn the humidifier to a high setting.
4. Turn on the xpap and in twenty minutes the humidifier vessel and hose (and mask) will be completely dry.

If there any minerals in the rinse water these will be left behind as deposits in the hose (and mask).

rooster

DreamStalker · Post by **DreamStalker** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 11:17 am

rooster wrote:If you really think it is necessary to dry the hose after washing it:

1. Empty the heated humidifier.
2. Attach the hose (and mask if you want to dry it).
3. Turn the humidifier to a high setting.
4. Turn on the xpap and in twenty minutes the humidifier vessel and hose (and mask) will be completely dry.

If there any minerals in the rinse water these will be left behind as deposits in the hose (and mask).

rooster

Has anyone ever done this before?

I would be cautious. I have run out of water in my HH before and it immediately starts to put out a really bad smell. It may also harm the HH if there is no water in it.

roster · Post by **roster** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 12:12 pm

It may be different for different equipment, but I did this every morning for about two months with my F&P HC234, hose and Swift pillows. It has been about 10 months since I dropped this practice and the equipment seems to have suffered no damage.

Occassionally I run out of water in the middle of the night and the only damage done is to my nostril linings.

rooster

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Way to dry your hose

Way to dry your hose

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Re: Way to dry your hose

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