stupid question about distilled water

[Bluemoon68]

Ok, that helps! I just wasn't sure how safe it was to use the same water for 3 or 4 nights. I'm assuming since it's distilled water, it should be alright.

Thanks!!!!

[Musicguy68]

Hi all, I just got a CPAP and started using it four days ago.. Every morning I've woken with a dusty powdery taste in my mouth. The gross and fine filters are in place and new. Is this normal and something I just need to get used to? Thanks in advance!

[Guest]

Hi all, I just got a CPAP and started using it four days ago.. Every morning I've woken with a dusty powdery taste in my mouth. The gross and fine filters are in place and new. Is this normal and something I just need to get used to? Thanks in advance!

I remember smelling dust when I first started. Others smelled baby powder or something else when they started.

Not sure what that has to do with distilled water but that sensation will diminish in time. Prob has to do with breathing air that has fewer particles in it than we are used to all night. So it's the change but not a problem.

[chunkyfrog]

Dust the night stand behind the machine; in fact, dust/vacuum everywhere.
It's just a good idea.

[archangle]

For some reason, I seem to get a puff of whatever smell has been in the house when I first turn on the CPAP. If I cook something smelly during the day, even 4 hours later, I get a whiff of it when I first turn on the CPAP. You can turn on the CPAP and let it blow for a few seconds and it may help some. You can even put the mask on and just hold your breath for a bit until the air gets flushed out the vent.

[tyroneshoes2]

OK, well here is my stupid question:

Why are we using distilled water in the first place?

The difference between tap water and distilled water is that tap water has minerals in it, while distilled water does not. But the way you distill water is to evaporate tap or spring or mineralized water and collect it as condensation.

Isn't that exactly what the humidifier does? Evaporate the water? Which means if you evaporate any water the evaporated water (end result water vapor) is exactly the same. So what you breathe is the same, regardless what water you begin with. Thats simple physics.

There is one other issue, which is that you do not want the minerals to precipitate out and collect on the walls of the humidifier reservoir. But it seems that if you, weekly or so, pour a shot of white vinegar into the tub, swish that around with your finger until the minerals dissolve, then add a few ounces of water and let that sit, then later rinse it out, you can keep that precipitation from building up at all, for very little work. Do that once a week. Its easier than lugging a jug home from the store, and more environmentally friendly.

So, how stupid is my question? Is there a flaw in my logic?

[Wulfman...]

OK, well here is my stupid question:

Why are we using distilled water in the first place?

The difference between tap water and distilled water is that tap water has minerals in it, while distilled water does not. But the way you distill water is to evaporate tap or spring or mineralized water and collect it as condensation.

Isn't that exactly what the humidifier does? Evaporate the water? Which means if you evaporate any water the evaporated water (end result water vapor) is exactly the same. So what you breathe is the same, regardless what water you begin with. Thats simple physics.

There is one other issue, which is that you do not want the minerals to precipitate out and collect on the walls of the humidifier reservoir. But it seems that if you, weekly or so, pour a shot of white vinegar into the tub, swish that around with your finger until the minerals dissolve, then add a few ounces of water and let that sit, then later rinse it out, you can keep that precipitation from building up at all, for very little work. Do that once a week. Its easier than lugging a jug home from the store, and more environmentally friendly.

So, how stupid is my question? Is there a flaw in my logic?

That's pretty accurate. As you've noted, distilled water doesn't have minerals, chemicals or "whatever else" in it. And, we do breathe the water vapor. So, if you use non-distilled, the minerals will stay behind in the tank.....which can require some extra cleaning effort. It comes down to a matter of choice. The user manuals recommend distilled. I've predominately used distilled water in my tank since May of 2005 and only have used "passover" (cool) humidification all that time. Even though every few months I would dump and rinse the chamber every few months, I didn't actually feel the need to take it apart and clean it. I finally took the tank apart to "clean" it in early 2012. For all intents and purposes it still looked about like the day I started using it. But, I cleaned it anyway......a soft sponge and some Dawn dishwashing liquid and it was ready to go for another 7 years. A gallon of distilled will last me about 2 1/2 to 3 months. Not a big expense and I figure I've saved a fair amount of "cleaning" time over the years had I used some other type of water.


Den

.

[tyroneshoes2]

I am only familiar with the Resmed humidifier, but it sounds like yours is much harder to open and deal with.

The S9 humidifier is pretty simple; you just pop the hood and remove the tank, then remove the top half using four plastic clips (much easier than it sounds). Then it is as easy as rinsing out a couple of little saucers. When full, water seems to last two nights for me, so if I do this fill and rinse routine every day the minerals are just twice as concentrated in the left-over water, and don't really precipitate all that much against the sides of the reservoir. I guess it might become an issue if you let it run dry.

But that leaves me with a super-simple 30-second rinse routine every day, and a 2-minute vinegar bath and scrub for the reservoir once a week.

I don't know, this all sounds like a good idea to me, but maybe I am missing something important about distilled water.

[CPAPIST]

but maybe I am missing something important about distilled water.

Most municipal tap water in the U.S. contains chlorine.

When chlorine is used as a water treatment, it combines with organic matter to form compounds called trihalomethanes (THMs), also known as disinfectant byproducts. One of the most common THMs formed is chloroform, which is a known carcinogen. (2) Other THMs formed include the di- and trichloramines formed when chloramine is used as a disinfecting agent. (3) These compounds are toxic when consumed, inhaled, or applied to the skin.

Do you want to breathe that stuff?

[archangle]

Tap water:

Dissolved minerals - Leaves behind a residue. May not matter that much if you dump the water every morning and clean it properly. Depends on how bad the minerals are and how often and how well you clean the tank.

Dissolved nutrients for germs. Germs need various nutrients to multiply. Distilled water has less food for the germs to feed on, so they can't grow as fast. Less germ growth in distilled water.

Concentration - Whatever is bad in the water, it tends to get concentrated as the water evaporates.

Volatile compounds in the water. Tap water has more volatile (stuff that evaporates) chemicals than good distilled water. Chlorine would be one example, but there are other possible chemicals. Personally, other than the smell, I'm not too concerned about this because if it's good enough to drink, it's probably not that much more dangerous to inhale in the same concentrations your drink.

Many of us don't bother to dump the distilled water every day and wash the tank, although we're supposed to.

I use distilled because it's easy enough for me to get and has some benefits. If I couldn't get it as easily, I would use tap water, and just clean more often. In many parts of the world, distilled water isn't as easy to obtain and people just use tap water.

[Guest]

but maybe I am missing something important about distilled water.

Most municipal tap water in the US contains chlorine.

When chlorine is used as a water treatment, it combines with organic matter to form compounds called trihalomethanes (THMs), also known as disinfectant byproducts. One of the most common THMs formed is chloroform, which is a known carcinogen. (2) Other THMs formed include the di- and trichloramines formed when chloramine is used as a disinfecting agent. (3) These compounds are toxic when consumed, inhaled, or applied to the skin.

Do you want to breathe that stuff?

AMEN

[Wulfman...]

I am only familiar with the Resmed humidifier, but it sounds like yours is much harder to open and deal with.

The S9 humidifier is pretty simple; you just pop the hood and remove the tank, then remove the top half using four plastic clips (much easier than it sounds). Then it is as easy as rinsing out a couple of little saucers. When full, water seems to last two nights for me, so if I do this fill and rinse routine every day the minerals are just twice as concentrated in the left-over water, and don't really precipitate all that much against the sides of the reservoir. I guess it might become an issue if you let it run dry.

But that leaves me with a super-simple 30-second rinse routine every day, and a 2-minute vinegar bath and scrub for the reservoir once a week.

I don't know, this all sounds like a good idea to me, but maybe I am missing something important about distilled water.

This is approximately what my humidifier and tank look like (the tank pictured is a newer style.....I have the older style). The tank slides in or out of the front of the platform and the machine sets on top of the platform and the tank slides into the air output connector on the machine. Pretty simple and easy to "eyeball" to determine when it's time to top it off or any other issues.

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/respir ... ifier.html

The plastic tank is pressed on top of the metal base. It's not that hard to take apart. The only trick is to make sure when you put it back together that you put the metal base on a flat surface when you push the plastic tank back on the base.

This is the style of machine that P/R used for their "OmniLab Advanced Titration System" (sleep lab) machines (until just recently).




Den

.

[CPAPER Paul]

I am surprised that no one has mentioned purified water (from a home kitchen reverse osmosis filter system) as an alternative (if you don't want to use tap water). I have had a water purifier for years well before I started CPAP.

1) It's cheap (you can buy them at Home Depot and other places) about $150, http://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-Reverse-O ... /202073853

and you can install it yourself if you want.

2) it's very effective, and is actually slightly purer than distilled water (not by much, about 1 ppm less impurities).

3) It's convenient (no trekking to the store in the snow - or even in the heat! )

4) It's there when you need it, in the amount you need. No ongoing cost as it uses your house "TAP" water which it then purifies except to replace the filters every 6 months which are not very expensive.

5) No more heavy bottles of water to carry around or store.

6) No more worry about minerals, dissolved solids, chlorine, fluoride, etc.... (even though it's been shown all that can, in the proper amounts, be good for you - but let's don't get into that debate on this forum!).

7) If you worry about what's in your drinking/cooking water this mostly solves that problem.

and so on.....

The bottom line is that either Distilled, Tap or Purified water can work... each one has it's pluses and minuses. - "You pays your money and you takes your choice" as they say.

[CPAPER Paul]

Sorry, but the link I posted on the previous post was not complete:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-Reverse-O ... /202073853

CPAPER Paul

[mrog]

It suddenly dawned on me maybe I should be putting the distilled water bottle in the fridge after it is opened??

I keep my distilled water in a fridge every night. That's because I use an old mini-fridge for a nightstand. It broke a long time ago, so there's no point in plugging it in. But makes a convenient place to store jugs of water and other miscellaneous stuff.