Weird leaking issue with F30 elbow valve after washing

[Highlander]

I have been using the F30 full face mask and one time I ended wetting the elbow part that has the diffuser and valves while washing the mask. The valve started leaking like crazy even after it was fully dried. I thought I had ruined the valve but after a few days it started working again and the leak went away. Yesterday I washed that elbow again (you have to wash it I am assuming) and the same issue happened again after being fully dried. The valve started to leak again making it impossible to use the cpap that night. Anyone else seen this ? It’s like the valve loose it’s property after being in contact with water. I think the F20 has the same exact elbow part.

Thanks.

[Okie bipap]

I never noticed any problem with that when I tried the F30 mask. My wife and I have both been using the F20 for almost two years and have never had any problems with the elbow leaking. The elbow for the F20 and F30 are interchangeable, but the F30 elbow has a defuser on the front of it that makes the exhaust air less noticeable.

[LSAT]

I have always used FF masks..they all have elbows....I have very rarely washed the elbow.

[Spot123]

Is it possible the little flaps have been ripped or somehow snapped out of position?

[Highlander]

The flaps looked fine. Yesterday I looked at them carefully and used a q-tip to force them to close and noticed a bit of resistance that went away once I made them close a few times. After that they no longer leaked that night. Maybe the water stiffen them some and by forcing them to close a few times after being fully dried that corrects it.

[Kshields123]

Just wondering if you ever figured out what caused this? Just washed my F30 mask for the first time yesterday and had this exact same issue when it came time to go to bed. I ended up finding a lot of water still trapped in the part of the elbow joint that hinges back and forth right where it connects to the mask and that seemed to help. Just not sure if this is something that will keep happening every time I wash it. I followed the ResMed instructional video as well. Thanks in advance!

[jsmit86]

One other thought. The F30 mask has a different way of "snapping" it into place into the mask frame vs. F20 series masks.
There is a twisting that has to occur to fully seat the mask into the frame. When I first got the mask, I had a massive leak, and I had some difficulty figuring out what was causing the leak. It appeared to be a problem with the elbow. In fact, it was due to the mask not being properly seated.

Washing the elbow is not a problem That elbow is the same as the one that comes with the F20 series, and Resmed even shows a procedure to wash that using a brush.
I normally wash mine in a bit of baby shampoo in water, using a q-tip if I see any foreign material on or in the elbow. This has never caused a problem.

Double check the mask seating. Check the instructions as to the exact twisting procedure.

[Danmelbourne]

I have this same issue and I’m pretty sure the leak is from the elbow as you suggested. The snapping together of the two parts of the mask is certainly a possible source of leak but I think there is some problem with the diffuser when it gets wet. It seems to go away after a few hours of use (my lovely partner puts up with the loud hissing)

[Jas_williams]

I have this same issue and I’m pretty sure the leak is from the elbow as you suggested. The snapping together of the two parts of the mask is certainly a possible source of leak but I think there is some problem with the diffuser when it gets wet. It seems to go away after a few hours of use (my lovely partner puts up with the loud hissing)

No need to wash the mask and elbow evert day just give it a quick wipe with a scent free baby wipe

[palerider]

I have this same issue and I’m pretty sure the leak is from the elbow as you suggested. The snapping together of the two parts of the mask is certainly a possible source of leak but I think there is some problem with the diffuser when it gets wet. It seems to go away after a few hours of use (my lovely partner puts up with the loud hissing)

No need to wash the mask and elbow evert day just give it a quick wipe with a scent free baby wipe

I'd suggest a squirt of hand sanitizer to help remove facial oils, but the mindless mobs have made that hard to find.

[JeffHarnett]

I had similar issue with both my F20 and F30 masks suddenly starting to have massive leaks every night which I never managed to fix. Both had worked fine for a number of months. I tried new cushions but never suspected the swivel until now. I eventually switched to a nasal mask to finally get a handle on the leaks. Having seen this thread, I have now taken a look a the old swivels and agree that the flaps appear to not be working correctly. I suspected some sort of mineral build up from regular washing using tap water, so have now cleaned the swivel using a vinager solution. No idea if this may be damaging to the swivel but short term it looks to have worked and the valve flaps now operate correctly. I have tried the f30 overnight again and it is not leaking anymore.
May be worth trying?

[Chris8243]

I happen to have read your post AND had washed my whole set-up that day. I thought, well, that's never happened to me.

Lo and behold, that night it happened! A loud noise coming from the swivel, I knew it was that from holding my fingers over it. Ughhhhh. I took it off, looked carefully, didn't see anything unusual so put it back on. I exhaled forcefully into the mask and felt a big drop of water come out (fell on my neck). Did it again and a smaller drop came out.

Fixed. So my problem was just a drop of water that I didn't see. Thought everthing was dry. Not.

[DebbieC]

Your post saying to just blow air really hard into the elbow has saved me! It worked beautifully. Washed my CPAP today and the air leak started. But now I can fall asleep peacefully without that awful hissing sound. Thanks so much!!!

[Sleepingbaby]

Had the same happen last month.
Usually I just rinse the elbow but I put it in the water for a good clean.

To me is appears that the "filter" inside the elbow takes a really long while to dry. It also seems to have some dark flecks in it.

I had a spare so no sleeping problems.

[Romanz]

I have an F20 and the same thing happened to me. The first week I had my cpap, it was working perfectly. But after I washed it wasn’t the same…I kept having leaking air issues…and then last night I realized that the air is coming from the connector piece, the elbow that connects to the cpap mask. I called the cpap store to inquire about and they told me it’s supposed to that and that that’s where you’re respiration’s comes out. But I think they’re wrong and confused about the two little open areas are the bottom of the elbow. Those are where there respiration’s come out. I don’t remember any leaking noises all night long in the first week. And my sleep has been bad these past few days due to these issues. The cpap store wasn’t really of any help. I plan on buying my own replacement elbow from amazon just to test it out and see.