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I accidentally picked up a couple of gallons of "Purified Water" instead of "Distilled". It says that it is purified by reverse osmosis.

What's the difference?

Use it for the humidifier or pitch it out?

Jerry.

I wouldn't use it in a HEATED humidifier, but if you use pass-over humidification, you might be able to use it if you don't let it sit in the tank too long (keep an eye on it). It's not ideal, but may be better than dumping the whole works. You could still use it for drinking.

Den

jerryinpa wrote:I accidentally picked up a couple of gallons of "Purified Water" instead of "Distilled". It says that it is purified by reverse osmosis.

What's the difference?

Distilled water has virtually all of its impurities removed through distillation. Distillation involves boiling the water and then condensing the steam into a clean container, leaving nearly all of the solid contaminants behind.

Reverse Osmosis is water that has been passed through a semi-permeable membrane, effectively de-mineralizing and removing any contaminants from the water. It isn't 100% pure...but it's close.

If it were me, I would just use it and switch back to distilled when you run out. You might find some light mineral deposits after many days, but they would be easily cleaned out. It's people that use hard tap water continuously that have the real problems.

The manufacturers preferred fresh distilled water every night!

Irena Stevanovich
SleepRX
Irena@sleeprxmi.com

Distilled water costs me $0.68 at Wallmart and RO (purified) water costs at least twice that.

I use distilled water.

Irena wrote:The manufacturers preferred fresh distilled water every night!

Of course they do. The manufactures of every car in existence also say NEVER talk on a cell phone while driving. Do you?

It's a liability issue.

I'd go get some distilled and use that in the HH.
Find another use for the "purified"....I certainly wouldn't toss or dump it out...

my $.02......

cheers
goose

Well I just have to be different - I use tap water and have done since I started 5 years or so ago.
I live in New Zealand and the tap water where I am is extremely soft, no mineral deposits ever develop so the water tank remains in good condition.
I don't know if they have any other reason for using distilled water but I doubt it. After all the water vapour that comes off the water in the humidifier is at that point distilled water - thats how they get distilled water in the first place.
Ken

@Kenv just to be a devil's advocate:

After all the water vapour that comes off the water in the humidifier is at that point distilled water - thats how they get distilled water in the first place.

No, that's only half the process they use to make distilled water in the first place.

Purification by distillation is done in two passes:
1. Low temperature pass (cut the bottom half) that separates the light chemicals from the stuff heavier than what you want.
2. High Temperature pass (cut the top half) that boils off the chemicals lighter than the target.

That way they get rid of everything except the stuff that boils colder or hotter than water, and only keep the stuff that boils at the exact same temperature (such as water).

For what it's worth, when I am in London, I can only find purified water at the pharmacy, not distilled. I use it for 10 days at a time without noticing any deposits in the humidifier. At home I use distilled.

In Japan we can only buy Purified water (99 yen for 500ml) and was told by my doctor to use it in my PR and have been doing so for the last 5 years.
No problem so far.....

Emeraude

Kenv wrote:Well I just have to be different - I use tap water and have done since I started 5 years or so ago.
I live in New Zealand and the tap water where I am is extremely soft, no mineral deposits ever develop so the water tank remains in good condition.

Same in Tasmania, we've got some of the cleanest water in the world. What comes out of the tap doesn't leave any deposits or residues, even if I let the humidifier run dry.

Kenv wrote:Well I just have to be different - I use tap water and have done since I started 5 years or so ago.
I live in New Zealand and the tap water where I am is extremely soft, no mineral deposits ever develop so the water tank remains in good condition.
I don't know if they have any other reason for using distilled water but I doubt it. After all the water vapour that comes off the water in the humidifier is at that point distilled water - thats how they get distilled water in the first place.
Ken

I agree 200% in using regular water the EVAPORATED water is DISTILLED water.
The Lime/Calcium deposit in the tank can be removed with a little Vinegar.
Do you cook or drink "DISTILLED WATER?"
Be your own healthcare advocate!

jerryinpa wrote:[snip] What's the difference?
Jerry.

No difference. Just that in one case the process (distillation or reverse osmosis) is spelled out. They're both purified water. It doesn't matter which you use.