Where can I buy distilled water in London?

[sleepinquebec]

I'm going to spend a week in London in October and I would need to know where I can buy distilled water for my CPAP? I don't want to lose time searching for water on such a short trip. I have already checked with Boots and they replied me that they no longer stock this in their stores. I went to Paris this summer and have been able to find it in a grocery store (water for iron). I need just water without minerals, not sterile water which cost a much higher price. Please, I need your help fellow CPAP users in UK. Thank you.

[leswaller]

Try a garage or car spares shop. Distilled water is used to top up car batteries

[James @ Intus]

Aquatics stores and health food shops may have some too.

For short trips, you may as well use bottled drinking water. The humidifier won't break immediately. Just make sure you regularly descale/clean according to the manual.

[PIPKIN]

Boil the water in the kettle -who needs fancy water for the humidifier!!!

wont cause any problems and its free !!!!!!!

[sleepinquebec]

Thank you everybody for your fast replies. It is really helpful to me. From your answers, I understand that it sounds a bit odd to buy distilled water for CPAP in UK. I suppose that CPAP users have different methods to take out the minerals from the tap water. In Quebec, it is very common to buy demineralised water at the grocery store in 4 liters format at a very low price (1,79$ CAD). So, to avoid travelling with bottles of water in my luggage, I decided to bring a small Brita filter that I can use with bottled water in London.

[Tigers Fan]

Intrigued

My curiosity is well piqued!!

I have a Remstar humidifier - it splits in half horizontally so I can clean the heating pad easily. I understand that this may or may not be possible with every humidifier, but...

Water evaporates cleanly and without carry-over at low pressures, so the moist air that reaches our masks is "pure". So we don't need distilled or de-mineralised water to achieve this.

All the minerals and salts contained in the water we put into the humifdifier are left behind, so the water left in the morning has a high TDS count (Total Dissolved Solids) and some minor deposits may be adhering to the heating pad. I rub these off each morning before rinsing and refilling. Periodically, I remove the hard scale with a proprietary scale remover and rinse thoroughly.

Boiler water has fewer dissolved solids than tap water, so less humidifier cleaning (but more kettle cleaning).

Surely the point about water quality is that it is bug free, not mineral free?

Being certain sure that I am not coating my lungs with lime scale, why would I start buying in water?

Tigers Fan

[jonpspencer2]

To Distill or not to distill???

Yes Mr Tigers Fan, thats OK if you live in an area with a low chalk or lime content. Some areas can result in all equipment being left with unsightly white or grey deposits left all over the internal components.

The cheapest method that I have found to date is the De-Ironised water from most motoring outlets. This can be transfered into smaller bottles used for topping up. If one is concerned at any health risks or purity concerns, you can always boil the De-Ironised water before use.

There are many other methods to stop the unsightly build-up of chalk/lime and other debris. No one method is correct, "what works for YOU", is the best method!
Good Luck to you all.
Jon...

[flippy]

I'm picking up my CPAP machine with humidifier on Thursday - I'll see what the nurse says when I get it - if I need distilled water, I'll have a hunt around (I work in central London), and let you know.

[James @ Intus]

I'll have a hunt around (I work in central London)

Easy for you then, the Thames is at its purest for over a century

[Tigers Fan]

Effectiveness

Hi Jon

Sorry, but I have no experience of my regime in an area with low chalk or lime content. I live in a hard water area (South Downs chalk), as opposed to your very hard water area, but I keep my humidifier immaculately clean with very little effort.

I would be very unhappy to have unsightly white or grey deposits all over the internal components of my equipment. In fact, I'd say my regime wasn't effective and would look for another one. If I found debris, I'd take that as proof positive I needed to change. Ughhh!

Boiling de-ionised water before using it in a CPAP is probably a very good idea - as you must be aware, de-ionisation does not enhance the biological purity of water other than by chance filtration at the resin beds. By the by, it has nothing to do with iron, only anions and cations. Very different to distilled water - and very good for electrochemical reactions.

I do so hope that your regime works for you, Jon.

Tigers Fan

[flippy]

I've just been using filtered tap water - while it's only been for a couple of weeks, I've not noticed any limescale buildup at all - and that's despite a lie-in which caused my humidifier to run dry!

[sleepinquebec]

Thank you Flippy for your feedback. Good to hear that you had a lie-in... sounds to me that you are adapting very well to your new sleeping companion. The CPAP has changed my life for ever and now allows me to do so many things instead of feeling sleepy all the time.

[flippy]

Out of interest, I did pop over to a nearby pharmacy. While it's a pretty small one, I asked about distilled water, and the bemused pharmacist pointed at a fridge of Evian. Hmm.

[Sleep2Snore]

Hi sleepinquebec

I don't find there is any reason to buy distilled water.
However in parts of England there is a lot of lime and chalk in the water and this over a short time can make a mess of a humidifer.
To avoid this just buy Scottish Bottled Spring Water for drinking.
Make sure there is still a good time left on the use by date.

The further north in Scotland the water is bottled the better.
Aberdeenshire springs are filtered through Granite and not chalk or lime and there is very little in it but water.

You will find these sold in most big supermarkets

Highland Spring is one that springs to mind (forgive the pun ) but there are lots of others.
Don't buy in huge quanties, buy in small bottles, enough to do one night at a time i.e. don't buy one big bottle, buy several small ones.

Buy the STILL water, though there nay be a slight fizz as you open it.
This is supposed to happen.

I just use water straight out of the tap here in Scotland

[smudger]

I use the water I get out of the dehumidifier - I guess this is truly re-cycling water

Anyway, ther seems to be little or no residue, so I'm guessing it's fairly pure.