06/18/2022
WHY it is so important to ALWAYS use water in your humidifier tray??
You already know the reason, but just haven't thought it through yet. So here, consider this experiment: Go into your bath room and take a washcloth and drop it into the sink. Turn on the water to get the washcloth sloppy wet and then turn off the water and give the cloth a squeeze so it no longer drips. Good, so far!
Now lay the wet washcloth out on the counter and set up a small portable fan to blow across the cloth. Leave and come back 3 hours later. What do you expect to find?
The answer is that the cloth will be almost totally dried out. Now imagine that the surface of the washcloth is actually the sinus membranes that line your nasal passages. You body uses these to pre-moisten and pre-warm the air before it goes to your lungs. Over the course of 6 to 7 hours that you sleep, your cpap sends a solid blast of air which is totally drying them out. The result is that they get irritated, inflamed, produce more mucus to protect themselves, and become far more susceptible to infection. Plus you get headaches, sore,dried throat, dry mouth, etc.
So the heater plate under the tray is NOT there to heat the air you breathe, it is there to increase the rate of evaporation of the tray of water. Higher Humidity setting equals MORE V***R, not more warmth. (The HEATED TUBING heats the air flow to prevent condensation AKA: "Rainout".)
Bottom line: ALWAYS have water in your humidfier tray, even if you turn the heating plate to ZERO or OFF. You can, (and SHOULD) adjust the heat adjustments on your Humidifier and Tubing to find the perfect balance for your comfort. These are user adjustable because someone using a cpap in Hawaii humid climate will need different than someone in Arizona!
Makes sense, doesn't it? See how smart you are?