Water, water everywhere, non for my CPAP

[pavarottiman]

I have over the years, wondered why people want to use distilled or sterile water in their CPAP humidifiers? Sterile water is indeed sterile until you open the bottle, as soon as the air replaces the used water the remainer is no longer sterile, you just have clean water.
Distilled water is water that has been collected from some kind of heat generation process, that needs cooling using water, the cooling water is turned to steam and is then turned back into water by a sudden cooling such as, releasing the steam into cooling towers seen in some power stations. (those big dirty concrete chimneys). This water is used in car bateries and recommended for steam irons, the lead acid batteries need water that has no impurities such as lime, the car battery is lead and if you put lime in it, say, from ordianary tap water it will react with the acid and damage the battery, the steam iron has small holes and enclosed heat chamber and the heat allows the lime in tap water to make scale and this causes the iron to be damaged.
Bottled water is natural or filtered, some water is filtered through natural minerals (not Chalk) and has most impurities removed, there are no added chemicals such as flouried which maybe added by water companies to ordinary tap water.
Good old Tap water, (tapoline) this is water from your tap, it is checked for quailty, purity and is cheap, it is filtered through minerals or chalk, collected in underground aquifers or in reservoirs, (those big lakes that people use for sailing and skiing in etc) and you have someone you can complain to when it is not good.
The CPAP himidifier works by storing water in a chamber that is heated to allow the water to vapourise, the water vapour rises to the top of the chamber and is drawn into the passing airflow and to the patient.
The water chamber will not allow any visible nasties to get down the tube to the patient, the vapour is as clean as the water that is used and you are more likely to get an illness or nasties from the mask if it is not kept nice and clean.
If you live in a hard water area like Kent, (where I live) then you will get a lime build up in the chamber, but this I clean once a week by adding a teaspoon of vinegar to the chamber filled with cold tapoline and let it stand for an hour or two, and it is back to pristine once again.
When abroad I do what is recommended for cleaning your teeth, tap, bottled or boiled, simple as.
So there it is as I see it.
Kind regards all.
Alex.
Ha ha might know about water but not how to do the smilies etc.

[Tigers Fan]

Well - because .....

You having a stir, Pavorottiman? - Montreal caused a seemingly endless discussion on this already!

The reason is simple: we import all things American (like it or not) and in America, hose-heads are told by their clinicians (whom they seem to believe in a manner even more absolute than the majority of us seem to believe ours) that they must use distilled water.

Baaaaaa!

TF

[James @ Intus]

Here in Surrey I wouldn't trust un-further-filtered tapwater. Hose the garden with tapwater and a few weeks later your garden looks like the dry bed salt planes of Area 51. Without the salt but with whatever white stuff is left behind.

So I guess it just depends on the water quality in your area. Distilled water from purpose bought distillers like these I guess will give you much more safe water than nuclear power plant cool water. But perhaps some like the green-ish phosphor like glow

We always say get the best water you can, with the lowest total dissolved solids, without going to extremes. Then clean the humidifier regularly and you should be just fine without much additional costs. Having scrutinised many bottled water labels, Highlands has the lowest TDS I've come across so far.

If your shower goes white in a few days, I wouldn't trust the tap water for the humidifier. If it takes weeks, then perhaps it's OK (but check your manual for warranty related cleaning procedures).

[Tigers Fan]

and if your shower goes white .....

...in just a few days - only one here - it is still good to use in your humidifier if you pass it through a Brita filter or equivalent, which removes a whole bunch of dissolved solids.

My tap water comes off the Salisbury chalk plains and is 'very hard' but takes two months to persuade me that it's time to clean my humidifier - provided I change the Brita filter cartridge as recommended. Even after two months, there is only a translucent film of hardness salts deposited - it just doesn't look immaculate, is all.

TF

[ElleCee]

I use tap water, have only cleaned my humidifier once with vinegar a few months ago and it still looks like new.
I honestly think it depends on what the water is like in your area.

Lorraine

[tallishbloke]

More water

WoW!

All these posts about water and not 1 person has mentioned boiling it. I would definetly recommend using boiled cooled water that is replaced every night. Why boiled? Because tapwater contains plenty of bacteria that are only killed above 80 degrees C. One of the main reasons for distilled water is the lack of micro-organisms, but boiling the water will have similar effect without the cost.
Simple steps:
At teatime, boil your kettle
At bedtime use some of your boiled cooled water in your humidifier
In the morning, empty your humidifier chamber and rinse
At teatime biol kettle and refill at bedtime
At least once a week, clean your chamber well with hot soapy water

Job done

PS - it IS possible to get infections from water left in the humidifier if it is not changed regularly if tapwater has been used. However, this is more likely to happen in areas where they use water storage systems like water towers, or where houses have large storage tanks for general use (in case of drought etc).

TB

[pavarottiman]

I did, I did.

I did mention boilio water albeit in passing, in the line, "When abroad I do what is recommended for cleaning your teeth, tap, bottled or boiled, simple as."
Each to their own?, but it is ironic that people find the need to locate special water supplies for their CPAP when they probably consume more bacteria from other sources, and hey Tigers Fan, no I wasn't having a stir, I thought like all posts on the forum, I was being helpful?, and I did clearly mention that "it is as I see it", I didn't tell anyone to do anything?, and your sign off of "Baaaaaaa!" smacks of chastisement, seniority and status, which by implication gives an air of non-entitlement to comment. The fact that it has "New Patient" below my name on the forum, means nothing, I have been sucessfully using a CPAP for the last 8 years, done all the ins and outs of a ducks a**e, found the things that suit me, and offered my findings to others,no advice just information, there is a lot to be said about "don't judge a book by it's cover?".
Regards to all.
Alex.

[Tigers Fan]

Ouch! where did that come from?

Hi Alex Pavorottiman

Judgng from your post, you clearly are not of the opinion that it is necessary to use distilled water in your humidifier. How then, do you suppose my, "Baaaaaa!" was aimed at you?

At the time of my post, I had not read your reply to cDM and her concerns about obtaining water in Turkey. Not long ago, a guy from Montreal innocently asked where he might buy distilled water in London - and sparked an ad nauseum discussion on the topic of humidifier water. I asked if you were having a stir with that thread in mind - even after two years, I'm not accustomed to folk not researching their query in the forum before posting, is all.

For the record, I thought your post informative and likely to be helpful to others - and that it would spark another long discussion.

As for your, "smacks of chastisement, seniority and status, which by implication gives an air of non-entitlement to comment" I'm going to leave you to look inside yourself. All I said was, "Baaaaa!" I admit it was bait - and look what I caught! Clearly, you didn't feel a lack of entitlement though!

The problem with using boiled tap water is the length of time required at 100C to kill the bugs of which we need be afraid, if they are present in said tap water. I'm told that 100C is not high enough to kill some of them, even. When in areas of doubtful tap water, I use bottled water for everything and would rather not use my humidifier than use it with water I did not trust. Besides which, not taking a humidifier on one's travels makes for lighter, less bulky baggage.

TF

[James @ Intus]

I think 'previously boiled water' is what is recommended in most humidifier manuals, so that's a good point, by both of you

[pavarottiman]

Cover blown.

Mmmm, not sure about the need for bait?, for those intending to post, do your research carefully and nauseum maybe more bait?, who knows?.
Anyways best wishes to all, keep up the good work
Oh! and I have looked inside myself and? .

This is Pav the Lav signing off, in the words of the famous DB, sixtwo and even over and out .

[Doc Evil]

I wonder if you can use Beer in your Humidifier mmmmmmmmm

[Tigers Fan]

I reckon vodka might be less messy in the morning but who cares?

Woud you get alcohol poisoning, do you suppose?

Ah! swap the Pur-Sleep for a little brown sugar, gently heated by a faithful retainer!

Perhaps good old aqua would be best to keep the AHI down.

TF

[James @ Intus]

Or dump a load of those anti-snoring throat sprays (that don't work that well) in the humidifier chamber for a treatment boost. Alternatively, create a mechanism that tips a can of Red Bull in it, half an hour before the alarm goes off. That should kick start your morning nicely.

[Berneta]

Distilled Water Used in the States

Hi, Here in the States ,I was told to use distilled water in my humidifier--but that is probably because some people here get their tap water from deep underground caves full of ancient water that contain lots of mineral depostits of all kinds. Some use deep wells, My tap water comes from an aquifer and contains lime, calcium, rust and potassium and various other minerals, It will line a tea kettle in a week with shale, and destroy a drip coffee pot in 6 months. Others here get their water from the Water Factories that take water from the Various Rivers, Lakes, etc. which are full of all kinds of unpleasant micro things, (LIke Ecoli) They clean it up, and store it in huge tanks--and are not always sucessful in keeping it clean. Even in small towns and big cities there are times when the City gives out "Boil your Water Orders" for several hours or days, because something in the water is not safe, and it will make you sick. Here Water Factories don't remove minerals--just micro organisms. So here--tap water is not always safe to use. Distilled Water (very available here) probably has most or all minerals removed and is free of the most harmful germs--Filtered Water or Purified Water would be better than tap here. So I guess whatever water you use--depends a lot of where you live, and what might be in the water. So far I have had no problems with sinus or colds because of the CPAP. WE use our tap water for cleaning, laundry, baths and to cook in, We drink water from a Home Cooler for which we buy Purified Water. So where you live has a lot to do with it. All waters are not the same--so chose your water wisely if you are going to breathe it in. Just wanted you to know why we use distilled water in the Humidifiers in the States. Just a little water info I thought might be of help. Berneta

[Tigers Fan]

Well, well, well!

Hi Berneta

You have knocked me for six (home run, to you)!

Now you have told me, it makes sense and feels right. Our/my perception of an ultra-clean America is nothing more than that and yet I have always assumed your water would be good stuff - Erin Brockovich, et all excepted.

Our water quality varies a lot, particularly mineral content, but other than accidents we/I believe it is biologically clean. We Brits are very snooty about other people's (foreigners!!) water but tend to trust our own. Perhaps I'm being old fashioned, though, because bottled water sales are through the roof these days.

We import American built CPAPs with instruction books saying to use distilled water ...... and the rest is a long discussion and a matter of choice!


TF