Finding the Right Tubing (Hose) for Your CPAP

Finding the right tubing for your CPAP and mask can be challenging. In this post we cover the main characteristics of different tubing options, including a guide to finding tubing options for the most popular CPAP machines.

There are three main dimensions to consider: length, hose diameter, diameter of the connecting ends.

Tubing length

This is the length from where the tubing attaches to your CPAP to the attachment at your mask.

Standard CPAP tubing is usually 6 feet long.

10-foot tubing is available from some manufacturers. It’s even possible to find 4-foot and 8-foot tubing, though it’s much less common.

Factors to consider:

Where is your CPAP? Is it close to your bed on a side table? Could you move it closer? While most people are happy with standard length tubing, you may not be able to keep your CPAP machine close to your bed and require longer tubing.

The longer your tubing, the longer distance the air has to travel from your heated humidifier to your mask. As the air travels through the tubing, it’s temperature drops and it loses moisture, which can also lead to rainout (read more about rainout and how to prevent it here). If you’re affected by cold or dry air, you may want to consider sticking with standard length tubing and see if heated tubing may work for you.

Tubing diameter

Tubing diameter is the inner width of the tubing. The inside of CPAP tubing is smooth, whereas the outside may be ribbed, depending on the type of tubing.

Standard tubing has an inside diameter of 19mm.

“Slim” or thin tubing has an inside diameter of 15mm.

Tubing diameter affects your CPAP settings

When you are first setting up your CPAP machine, you (or your equipment provider) is asked to select the type of tubing being used. If you switch to different tubing, be sure to update your CPAP settings or contact your equipment provider for assistance.

Much less common is 22mm diameter tubing. Older, less sophisticated CPAP machines benefited from tubing with a larger inner diameter to estimate and control the air pressure at the mask, especially for devices that change pressure (such as a bilevel PAP which has different pressure setting when you breathe in vs out). Today’s machines are much “smarter” and can sense the pressure at the mask with much narrower tubing.

Connectors to the mask and CPAP machine

All CPAP hoses have a 22mm connection cuff and fit onto all CPAP masks.

The connection ports on most CPAP machines (also APAPs, bilevel and other PAP devices, learn more about the differences here) will fit standard 19mm tubing. Many newer machines will also fit 15mm slim or thing tubing. See the guide to tubing and machines below to see which tubing will work with your CPAP machine.

In order to use slim tubing with 15mm inner diameter, you must have a CPAP machine that allows you to change the settings.

Heated hoses are usually specific to one type of CPAP machine. For example, the ResMed ClimateLineAir™ Heated Tube for AirSense 10 and AirCurve10 machines can only be used by with those machines.

Some travel CPAPs will require an adapter for certain types of hosing.

Guide to CPAP Tubing (Hoses)

Name or Type	Manufacturer	Length	Inner Diameter	Connector Diameter	Machine Compatibility
Standard	Many	6-foot (most common) also available in 10, 8 & 4-foot lengths	19mm	22mm	Most CPAP machines by most manufacturers. It’s sometimes referred to as “universal” tubing
SlimLine™	ResMed	6-foot	15mm	22mm	Compatible with machines that can use a 15mm hose. It is not compatible with a machine that can use only a heated hose. Is not compatible with machines that require a 22mm or heated hose.
ClimateLineAir™	ResMed	6-foot	15mm	22mm	ResMed AirSense™ 10 and AirCurve™ 10
ClimateLine™	ResMed	6-foot	15mm	22mm	ResMed S9™ with H5i™ Climate Control System
ClimateLine Max™	ResMed	6-foot	19mm	22mm	Only works with ResMed S9™ with H5i™ Climate Control System
Heated Tubing for DreamStation	Respironics	6-foot	15mm	22mm	Connects to the DreamStation Heated Humidifier, compatible with all DreamStation Machines.
PR System One Heated Tube for 60 Series Machines	Respironics	6-foot	15mm	22mm	PR System One REMStar 60 Series Machines with Heated Humidifier
Pure White Thin	Respironics	6-foot	15mm	22mm	Compatible with machines that can use a 15mm hose. It is not compatible with a machine that can use only a heated hose. Is not compatible with machines that require a 22mm or heated hose.
Pure White Performance	Respironics	6-foot	19mm	22mm	Most CPAP machines by most manufacturers, including the AirSense™ 10 and AirCurve™ 10 (exception is machine that requires a thin/slim tube or 22mm tube)
ThermoSmart Heated Hose for ICON Series	Fisher & Paykel	6-foot	19mm	22mm	Only works with the Fisher & Paykel ICON Series machines.
SleepStyle Series Thermosmart™ Heated Hose	Fisher & Paykel	6-foot	19mm	22mm	Only works with the Fisher & Paykel 600 Series machines.

Tubing Options by CPAP Machine

Machine	Compatible Tubing
ResMed AirSense™ 10 and AirCurve™ 10	Standard, SlimLine™, ClimateLineAir™, Pure White Thin, Pure White Performance
ResMed S9™ with H5i™ Climate Control System	Standard, SlimLine™, ClimateLine™, ClimateLine Max™, Pure White Thin, Pure White Performance,
Respironics DreamStation	Standard, Heated Tubing for DreamStation, Pure White Thin, Pure White Performance, SlimLine™
Respironics PR System One	PR System One Heated Tube for 60 Series Machines, Pure White Performance, SlimLine™,
Fisher & Paykel Icon	Standard, ThermoSmart Heated Hose for ICON Series
Fisher & Paykel 600	Standard , SleepStyle Series Thermosmart™ Heated Hose

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