Posted by munkyBeatz on April 19, 2012 at 23:18:47:In Reply to: Burning smell from CPAP (when dry) posted by D.H. on January 14, 2012 at 10:27:52:
You should NEVER attempt to dry any part of your machine in this fashion.
When you wake in the morning, if you have "rain out", water build up in the hose/mask. Then remove the tubing from the machine/mask and hang it up somewhere with both end pointing downward. The tubing will be dry when you come back at night to sleep again. If there is water build up in the mask, then set it face down on a towel, and the water will evaporate by the time you come back in the evening. Preferrably you should disassemble the mask and wash it with soap and water daily, at most every 3-4 days.
If you are using your current method to dry out your humidifier chamber on a dialy basis, there is no need for that. If you are using distilled water, you can leave the water in tact and clean your humidifier every 4th day. If water is evaporating more quickly then your cleaning intervals, then just keep adding water until the day of cleaning.
The burning smell you sense, is the heater under the humidifier chamber still attempting to heat the humidifier resevoir to allow more moisture to enter your airway during use. If there is no water in the chamber, then the heater on your machine does not have a function to realize this, and continues to heat as if there is water in the chamber. Hence, the plastic chamber also begins to heat, and you are actually smelling plastic being heated up. At the very least, if you continue to use your current method to dry your tubing/mask then turn the heater off on the machine. I think it's the button on the far right, has a little picture on it too.
- Re: Burning smell from CPAP (when dry) D.H. 23:25 4/20/12 (0)