Starting New Heated CPAP Hose in Summer?

I have a few questions for those of you who use a heated CPAP hose.

I have just received a heated CPAP hose and use 2L oxygen with an Airsense 10 Autoset for Her. I have only been using oxygen for a few weeks, but have been using the A10 for five years and a PR System One for 5.5 years before that. I have been using an unheated hose for the past 10.5 years. It is hot and humid in Maryland this time of year (90+ degrees and near 90% humidity on a typical day).

1. Do you use a heated hose in the summer or just in cooler weather? Since I am used to and happy with an unheated hose, what difference should I expect?

2. How does the use of a heated hose affect the need for humidification? I use the maximum level of humidity on the A10, as well as a humidifier on the oxygen concentrator. I still have problems with mouth and nose dryness with the current humidification.

3. When using supplemental oxygen, is it likely to be more or less noticeable / effective when using a heated CPAP hose?

4. Do you use a hose cover with the heated hose? I have used a hose cover on my unheated hoses to protect them from cat claws punching holes in the hose. I don't need to use a hose cover with the heated hose at the present time, currently being catless. However, I hope to adopt a new cat or two soon.

Thank you for sharing your wisdom and advice with me.

Maryland CPAPer 2

You could continue to use your standard hose and just add this connector. You really don't need the heated hose to use oxygen.
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/oxygen ... nt-adapter
The heated hose is $60...The connector is $5

I already have the unheated hose and oxygen connector. I am asking about the differences between the effects of a heated and an unheated hose.

Maryland CPAPer2

Warm air holds more humidity. If you're humidifier adds enough water and heat, and then the warm most air contacts a cooler surface it will lose some of that moisture to condensation (rain out). Using a heated hose can help prevent that.

khauser wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 22, 2020 9:09 pm

Warm air holds more humidity. If you're humidifier adds enough water and heat, and then the warm most air contacts a cooler surface it will lose some of that moisture to condensation (rain out). Using a heated hose can help prevent that.

I don't have any problem with rainout with unheated hoses, so long as I fill the A10 humidifier to the "maximum" line and not a hair above.

Does the A10 humidifier add heat? I never noticed that I was breathing overly cool or warm air from my A10.

Maryland CPAPer2

MarylandCPAPer2 wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 22, 2020 9:15 pm

khauser wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 22, 2020 9:09 pm

Warm air holds more humidity. If you're humidifier adds enough water and heat, and then the warm most air contacts a cooler surface it will lose some of that moisture to condensation (rain out). Using a heated hose can help prevent that.

I don't have any problem with rainout with unheated hoses, so long as I fill the A10 humidifier to the "maximum" line and not a hair above.

Does the A10 humidifier add heat? I never noticed that I was breathing overly cool or warm air from my A10.

Maryland CPAPer2

Heating the water is what makes the humidity. With the CPAP on, take out the humidifier tub and feel the heating plate...Careful..it's hot.

LSAT wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 23, 2020 5:27 am

Heating the water is what makes the humidity. With the CPAP on, take out the humidifier tub and feel the heating plate...Careful..it's hot.

Yes, I've notice that it is hot when I have to get up and add water when the humidifier tub goes dry in the middle of my sleep. The bottom of the humidifier tub is definitely hot too. I didn't know if that was normal or not.

Maryland CPAPer2

Any other thoughts on starting to use a heated CPAP hose in hot weather? My question is not about use with oxygen. I just got a new heated hose today and the oxygen connector was a separate item, not built into the hose itself. My question has more to do with whether you find it more or less comfortable to use a heated hose when it is hot and humid weather.

The DME told me using a hose cover is not advised for heated CPAP hoses. So, the heated hose is likely only to be in use until I adopt another cat. The heated hose plastic looks just as vulnerable to having holes punched by cat claws as a non-heated CPAP hose, a few of which became unusable in the midst of a good night's sleep when a cat punched a hole in this fascinating new toy before I got a hose cover.

Thank you for any feedback.

Maryland CPAPer2

I use a heated hose year round.
In the summer I turn the hose air temp down as low as it will go and in the winter I turn it up to whatever is comfortable and prevents condensation in the hose or mask.

Essentially if you turn the hose down to a temp as low as it will go which I think is around 60ish...you end up getting whatever your room air temp is.. There's no air conditioner in the machine so the machine won't ever be able to deliver air that is cooler than whatever the ambient room temp might be. When you turn the hose air temp way down it essentially becomes a non heated hose unless you keep your bedroom like a fridge.

Oh...you can use a hose cover if you want to. All it does is make the heated hose use less electricity to keep it at whatever hose air temp you select.

The problem with non-thermostat heated hoses and hose-covers us they can overheat.

Resmed ClimateLine hoses are controlled by a thermostat and overheating is not a problem. You can put a cover on it.

Can you post a picture of the end of your "heated hose" that plugs into the machine?

What they should have given you was this hose
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/resmed ... ircurve-10

It has a special little place for the oxygen to connect to so you don't have to use an adapter or run the O2 line snaked up the long hose and getting in the way...and that way you still get the heated hose and O2 added like it should be added.

Now if they did give you a stand alone heated hose ....that has it's own power supply....no can't use a hose cover with those.

BTW....your Medicare would pay for that Oxy heated hose made especially by ResMed for people like you.

The heated hose I got today looks like this one.
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/resmed ... ircurve-10

The DME gave me a separate connector for oxygen, which I think he told me to put between the hose and the mask, then plug the oxygen line in. Based on advice from here (palerider, maybe), I have been plugging the oxygen connector directly to the hose port on the back of the A10, then plugging the unheated hose into that.

The new heated hose is definitely not cat proof and the DME said not to put a hose cover on it.

Now, I realize DME generally stands for dummy. My "respiratory therapist" today could have been a ventriloguist's dummy. He spouted off lots of stuff that I'm sure you would find interesting (and probably incorrect). I kept throwing him off by asking questions. It seemed like he had a memorized script and the answer to any question was the same as what he had just recited from the script--usually nonresponsive. He had an interesting nonresponsive answer as to why I have to keep getting up at night to refill my humidifier tank that I will post when I have time. He made it sound as if I should have to get up every 4 hours to refill the tub, and if I was getting more than 4 hours out of a humidifier tub, I was doing well. I refuse to get up to distill water every 4 hours when I am trying to sleep, considering I usually need to sleep around 12 hours per day to have semi-tolerable pain levels when awake.

Maryland CPAPer2

Well...that is the heated hose for your AirSense but when you put the O2 adapter between the machine and the long hose then of course the heated hose can't receive power...so it essentially becomes a non heated slimline hose.
Now you can of course put the O2 adapter at the mask end of the long hose but then you have to snake the O2 line up along the long hose...doable of course but a PITA. Lots of bread ties or zip ties or tape involved or that O2 line is just going to be annoyingly in the way.

They should have given you the hose I linked to...it has a little nipple to plug the O2 line into and it's right at the power end of the heated hose. Then you would have the option of adding or removing heat if you desire and have the O2 line down out of the way.

As for the water chamber needing to be refilled every 4 hours...that's total bullshit. No way around it.
Last night I used my machine for 9 hours....setting of 6 for humidity (but that's a high setting) and there was still water in the chamber when I went to refill it about an hour ago.. Not a lot of water but it wasn't dry.
Now I do use a heated hose but the hose air temp doesn't affect water consumption...all it does is prevent condensation in my mask or hose since I use such a high humidity setting.

And I don't live in a rain forest which might account for a reduction in water consumption....I have a hygrometer in my bedroom for temp and humidity. When I went to bed last night the humidity in the bedroom was 40% which is not all that low for my area....and we haven't had rain in well over a week.

You can put a hose cover on that hose if you wish. No matter where you put the O2 adapter ....you can use a hose cover if you wish.

Now if for some reason your pressures are ungodly high all night...AND you are having massive leaking...THEN THAT COULD EXPLAIN the water consumption issues you are having. But if that's the case then you aren't getting optimal therapy and the dumb ass DME shouldn't just be telling you that "oh...it's normal, you are lucky to get 4 hours without refilling". They should be telling you there is a leak problem and we need to fix the leak so you get better therapy.

There is something wrong somewhere if where you live (and you say it's a high humidity area) and the machine uses all the water during the night so bad you have to refill in 4 hours.

Water consumption....what affects it....
Ambient humidity
Leaks....takes a lot of big leaks
Pressures used...takes some really high pressures
Setting for humidity

With the oxygen adaptor, you have a nipple to attach the oxygen line. You don't have to snake the oxygen line along the hose. It is simple to connect . If $40 is the difference between having a built in nipple for 02 and having to get a $5 adaptor that has a nipple to attach to the hose, then I don't begrudge Medicare the savings.

I don't really want to get too comfortable using a heated hose because I really want to adopt a cat and use a hose cover more than I care about the convenience of a $69 heated hose. If it turns out that I am about to croak soon so can't/shouldn't adopt a cat, then I may get used to the heated hose, if it really makes that big a difference in my sleep and comfort.

I don't think the O2 is doing me much good (if any). 2L is just too low a level, or else the DME is giving me cheapo knockoff oxygen lines and cannulas with my home set up. I was in the hospital ER on Friday night due to a hip injury. They asked why I hadn't brought my oxygen. I could barely walk and thought I might have a broken hip, so was not up to lugging oxygen around. They set me up on 2L oxygen there and I did notice a difference. I've tried both the oxygen tanks and oxygen concentrator with various cannulas the DME provided. I think the openings for the nose are sealed off or too small, and that is the difference between the cannula in the hospital and the ones I have been trying to use at home.

Maryland CPAPer2