Dirty humidifier

[5aces]

I will clarify:I had to order this item in a Sears Retail Store at the catalogue counter.

The water purifier is not a stock item on the store shelf.

Same goes for any additional accessories and parts,they must be ordered over the phone and picked up at a *Sears Warehouse* or delivered to your door via UPS for $6.00.

I inquired if these were a popular item with a good parts supply and was told they sell thousands of these water purifiers,all fully serviceable by Sears.

One caveat is that the unit has a loud cooling fan on the top,so you might want to place it somewhere out of the way and run it at night for fresh water in the morning.

I am looking forward to receiving the charcoal filters to give the water a more finished taste,as I have even taking to drinking it now!
(we will never forget the Walkerton tainted-water tragedy...)

Received a $20 discount when I ordered it at the counter too.Here is the number:

http://www.sears.ca/product/kenmore-cou ... /422075280

[sagesteve]

As to the pink mold. A red or pink pigmented bacteria known as Serratia marcescens is the most
common cause of the pink “stuff”. Serratia bacteria are common inhabitants of our environment and can be found in many places, including human and animal feces, dust, soil, and in surface waters. The bacteria will grow in any moist location where phosphorous containing materials or fatty substances accumulate. Sources of these substances include soap residues in bathing areas, feces in toilets, soap and food residues in pet water dishes. Many times, the pinkish film appears during
and after new construction or remodeling activities. Others have indicated the pink “stuff” occurs during a time of year that their windows are open for the majority of the day.
These airborne bacteria can come from any number of naturally occurring sources, and the condition can be further aggravated if you remove the chlorine from your water by way of an activated carbon filter. In recent years, the popularity of home water filtration systems has grown tremendously, and the presence of Serratia has appeared more and more frequently in homes which remove the chlorine disinfection from the water supply. Serratia can also grow in tap water in locations such as toilets in guest bathrooms where the water is left standing long enough for the chlorine residual disinfectant to dissipate. Serratia will not survive in chlorinated drinking water. Serratia marsescens is not known to cause any waterborne diseases. Members of the Serratia genus were once known as harmless organisms that produced a
characteristic red pigment. More recently, Serratia marcescens has been found to be pathogenic to a very small percentage of people, having been identified as a cause of urinary tract infections, wound infections, and pneumonia in hospital
environments. Once established, the organism usually cannot be eliminated entirely. However, periodic and thorough cleaning of the surfaces where the pink slime occurs, followed by disinfection with chlorine bleach is the best way to control it. I have also found ZEP Toilet Bowl Cleaner at Home Depot to work very well on the toilet. It's an acid cleaner and keeps it clean for weeks.

[Hawthorne]

Thanks for the info about the water purifier 5aces!

[BlackSpinner]

What annoys the hell out of me is that the humidifier I have seems specifically designed to not be cleanable.
Good going designers - by making it almost impossible to clean you force patients to buy new tanks every few months thereby increasing the profit for your company - planned obsolescence. Never mind the patient.

[FilZer]

Can I suggest you to post also about air purifier? I also have a water purifier and this is very helpful however, I also need some information about air purifier. I hope anyone can post the things that I am looking.

[billbolton]

What annoys the hell out of me is that the humidifier I have seems specifically designed to not be cleanable.

The S8 humidifiers for the rest of the world were openable and readily cleanable......

Cheers,

Bill

[Quitgrandma]

I am almost positive that I've been breathing in mold from my C-Pap. Found it in the water and cleaned it out (well, my husband did) - it was black and floating and attaching to the C-Pap.

I would like to know if this could make me sick with lymphoma systems. Am working with an ENT, but he is taking his time and trying first things first. Antibiotics - two doses of Z-Park, rinsing sinuses, using flonase and now he has put me on Erthomyacin and 4 pak of cortizone and rinsing several times with salt water gargling.

He put a scope down my nose and found my thought red and swollen. All my pain is under my ears and my jaw line to my neck and very painful and had lots of itching before taking the Z packs.

Can anyone help or have heard of such a thing? I guess he said I'd have to have MRI's next if this doesn't help. I can't take any tests with contrast because I have poor kidneys.

Thanks you much for any info you can give.

[archangle]

Welcome, quitgrandma. Please sign up for an ID on this board and fill in the equipment you have in your profile. Check the link at the bottom of this post.

What specific model of CPAP machine do you have?

Do you use distilled water?

[ThirdOutOfFive]

I vote for the regular soak in vinegar & warm water. It works for me. White vinegar is a mild disinfectant. Mild on the surfaces, stron on killing bacteria. Rinse well and let air dry. Or, if you want to, you could use your hair dryer on air only setting to speed up the drying.

Good luck getting rid of this nasty stuff.

[Carl LaFong]

Repeat after me: Distilled Water

It is ridiculously cheap and plentiful.

[HoseCrusher]

If there is mold growing in your humidifier, then yes you are most likely breathing that into your lungs.

Since you are having some issues, it would probably be best to replace your old humidifier and clean the new one daily.