Humidifier puts out too much water

HI all,
I have a Remstar Pro M Series machine and I use The Breeze nasal pillow headgear.
Lately, even though I have the humidifier set at "1", and even though it is very warm weather, the machine is sending too much water through the tubing, and cold water runs out of my nose and soaks my face a few times nightly when I put the headgear back on and turn the machine on again, usually after I get up to pee or take meds and take the headgear off. I can't leave the headgear on when I get up, or my nose slams shut with congestion.
In addition, in the morning when I disconnect the headgear from the tubing to clean it, water flows out of the large hose and soaks my sheet. Also, the connector between the large and small hoses becomes a tiny bit wet after the machine runs awhile, and this is causing it to make a sound like a bumble bee near my ear all night long, keeping me awake.
Occassionally, there is a slow pop noise and during the noise, all air flow is cut off. This is not at all like popcorning. It is a very slow, singular pop noise, that repeats slowly and is only one pop at a time. So far, I've been able to get it to stop by changing positions. No particular position seems to be the cause.
I've tried sleeping without the humidifier, but can only stand it for one night before my nose starts to hurt.
I've called my DME, but they've not called me back, and based on past performance, I doubt they will be of any help. I own my machine now, so they may not be willing to help.
If it wasn't for help I've gotten here, I would not be a CPAP user today. The DME reps have told me so many things that were wrong, and you guys gave me the straight poop.
Any ideas?
Thanks in advance,
klutzo

You have to break the chain of warm moist air in the hose meeting the cooler air in the room, which is what causes condensation in the tubes.

Already using lowest level on the humidifier. So think about insulating the hose with something or adding warmer air to the machine area.

I use a small space heater near my bed. Found this works great. Also you can get some fleece and wrap it around the hose. That might help too. I need much more humidity and found with my very cold bedroom that I needed so much fleece it weighed down the hose..... So that is why I use the space heater. Good source of fleece like material. Baby blanket....or similar piece of material from any material supplier. Very easy to experiment with fleece and doesn't cost so much, and yes, likely safer than space heater.. mentioned only to ward off those that want to warn me.. I know.

Thanks, that is exactly what the DME rep told me when he finally called back a couple of hours after I posted. He is sending me a sleeve for my big hose. I will have to take it off during the day, since I am afraid leaving the hose in darkness will promote mold, and I've already had one humidifier and one headgear hose ruined by mold.

He told me to empty the big hose every time I get up at night because the loop is filling with water and that is causing the pop and loss of air flow, and water on my face. I am not sure I buy this, since I've had this machine for 4 yrs. and never had this problem, even in cold weather, and it is so warm here now that we have air conditioning on, set at 76 at night and 79 during the day, which is not exactly what I would call a cold room.

I hope it works, and thank you for taking time to post.
klutzo

I too have experienced water up my nose (I use the nasal pillow type of mask). General term for it is "rain out" and search of this forum will give you lots of ideas on what people have come up with to try to fix this issue.

Don't know where you live but even in warm areas if the air outside has a high enough humidity you can get the same thing.
Even in the summer time. Though less often because the general room temperature is warmer and not so easy for much rain out to develop.

Don't know what kind of hose cover your DME will be sending but it may not be heavy enough. That is why I suggested the fleece.
I found this out from past experience and my DME even admitted that what he has really isn't all that great.

I take my large hose off the machine and hang it up when not in use, so water will drain out and the inside will dry more than if left hooked up to the machine. You probably already do this but will just mention it for others.

Do you have it at a lower level (as in feet and inches) than you are? It can't run down the hose if you are up from it.

Hi Pugsy,
Thanks for the info about humidity causing rainout regardless of temperature. I do not hang up my hose any more. I used to do that in the beginning, but it was never dry by night time. I now run the machine, with an empty, turned off humidifier in it, every morning for about 20-30 mins., until the entire thing is totally dry after I've cleaned it and disinfected it with white vinegar water. Then I remove the humidifier, open it and leave it propped at an angle and upside down on my kitchen counter on a towel all day so air and light can get to it. I do NOT want to wake up and find I've been breathing mold ever again, esp. since I still have junk in my throat making me sound like a frog, and have been coughing up globs of stuff ever since, so that I had to quit choir, though a chest Xray and chest CT did not find any fungus. I take an anti-fungal medication twice weekly for the systemic disease that caused my apnea (Lyme Disease), and on the days I take it, I cough up a lot more gunk from my lungs. I don't think that is a coincidence.

Hi Julie,
I do have the hose raised up running through a large rubber band hanging on a plant hook from a shelf, which keeps it off the floor, but most of the hose is far below my head. I do see your point though, and I had not thought of that. Thanks. I'll have to look tonight when the trouble starts and see if the water is in the one small area that is higher than my head.

klutzo

I was in such a rush this morning that I forgot to Log in, which is why I had to choose another user name. Hopefully, since I am now logged in, the info on my machine will show up at the bottom. But, I never know what my computer will do next.

I just wanted to add to Pugsy that your Avatar scares me! I used to love deer, but thanks to Lyme Disease I just think of them as tick carriers! If that picture is from your property, please be super careful!

Julie, I love cats more than people, so I love your Avatar.

klutzo

klutzo wrote: I just wanted to add to Pugsy that your Avatar scares me! I used to love deer, but thanks to Lyme Disease I just think of them as tick carriers! If that picture is from your property, please be super careful!

Ahh, so sorry. I do understand. Where I live it would be fruitless to worry about the ticks. We just do the best we can when we go outside during the long tick season. I am aware of the deer tick risk but I enjoying watching them more than I worry about getting sick. The babies in my avator spent all summer on my farm. Watched them grow from tiny fawns to big enough to finally jump the fence. I feed the deer here. Also, raccoons and possums.

After being outside during tick season we always have a tick check. Even when riding horses through the woods, always did a tick check. Part of living in the Ozarks and out in the country.

Hi Pugsy,
My favorite place in the whole country is the Hot Springs area, in the Ouachita Mtns., south of you. I am green with envy.

I am glad you are checking for ticks, and I hope you wear white a lot, since the stage of tick that transmits Lyme is the nymph, which is the size of the period at the end of this sentence. It is very hard to see. We patients don't say that the initials LD for Lyme Disease really stand for "Living Death" for nothing. Believe me, nothing is worth getting this.

Luckily, where you are, you are much more likely to be bitten by a Lone Star Tick, rather than the Ixodes Scapularis that causes Lyme, and the illness the Lone Star causes (Stari) is much more obvious and more likely to be caught before it's too late. Let's hope you never have to find out though.....

klutzo

have you tried turning the humidifier off but leaving water in it?