pink slime in tank?

[talktobon]

I noticed pink slime in the bottom of my tank today. I always use distilled water. I wash with regular dish soap every week, and I did a vinegar/water soak a few weeks ago. I soaked again with vinegar today and scooped out the slime with a toothpick. Is this safe to use now? (I feel like I'm coming down with a cold now, too).

[bearded_two]

If I used a humidier, I wouldn't have a problem using that water chamber after cleaning it as you have. I would let it dry out completely and then clean it again with 50-50 white vinegar solution before using it.

It there is any slime still hanging out, you could try to remove it by putting some water and uncooked rice into the chamber and then shaking it. The rice and water will help to scour the inside of the chamber without scratching the plastic.

[Stetson]

Pink is a common color for bacteria such as pseudomonas and flavobacterium. Bacteria and molds grow well in moist environments, such as showers and tubs and sink drains. Humidifiers and high humidity can encourage mold growth. Bacteria and mold spores are everywhere in the air, soil, water, or on household surfaces. When the right conditions such as moisture or high humidity and poor ventilation occur, they tend to settle in. The best control for slime is to keep surfaces clean and disinfected.

Fill a bucket with one gallon of warm water. Add one tablespoon of bleach and stir. Drop the tank into this diluted bleach solution and allow them to soak for 20 to 30 minutes. The bleach will fully disinfect the tank. Once it has finished soaking, rinse thoroughly with warm water. You can lay the tank out to air dry.

There is a heat disenfection method but I don't know how safe this is for the tank. My DME recommends washing the mask, hoses and tanks once a week with baby shampoo. You know the yellow shampoo in the clear bottle.

[NotMuffy]

Sounds like Methylobacterium to me.

Since there was at least some contact with tap water, what do your water faucets, sinks, etc. look like?

[STL Mark]

I would advise against putting cranberry juice in humidifier tank even though consumption of cranberries is usual during this holiday season.

[bearded_two]

Be careful when using bleach as chlorine bleach can etch aluminum, and many heated humidifier chambers have aluminum plates.

[msla]

You are doing well with your cleaning schedule. I would empty the water chamber every day and let it air dry. I take it as a personal insult to my cleaning schedule when I find it in my tank but realize that the little critters are everywhere. If you are interested google biofilms and read some the sites you get. Montana State University has a slide show of various collections of household objects all encrusted

Rolf

[Robespierre]

Stetson's suggestion of a tablespoon of bleach in a gallon of water is a good one. A bleach solution that dilute is very effective, but wouldn't harm your humidifier plate even if it were aluminum. However, the M series humidifiers have a stainless steel plate.

[PST]

What makes the slime pink? I had that too. I usually use distilled, but don't worry about it when I travel, and got the pink slime after a week in a London hotel. I expected I would eventually get some hard calcium placque from occasions when I used tap water, but pink slime threw me a bit.

[chunkyfrog]

ick!

[kempo]

The tap water that you are using to clean the tube contains the bacteria. Start using distilled water to clean the tube. I have been using my Resmed s9 since July and have never cleaned out the tube. I only add distilled water and it looks as clean as the day I started using it.

[ignorant1]

May I also suggest using rubbing alcohol as a disinfectant? You do need to rinse it thoroughly afterward to avoid any residual smell however.

[sagesteve]

Mold is a form of microscopic fungi. It grows on the dead, decaying organic matter that accumulates. It has also been known to eat fatty substances, such as soap residue. Pink mold is an airborne bacteria called Serratia marcescens. If this mold is ingested, it can cause urinary tract infections, respiratory infections, conjunctivitis and other infections. Pink mold can be eliminated by using bleaching products. However, bleach is toxic and produces harsh fumes. Alternatives include hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and vinegar.

[M.D.Hosehead]

I've suggested on another thread the use of hydrogen peroxide full strength (3%). It kills microorganisms as does chlorine, but the foaming of peroxide may help dislodge material you can't get to with a toothpick. Plus, when you're done, what's left in the tank is simply water that can't damage the tank. Lime deposits require vinegar of course.

[Stetson]

What makes the slime pink?

Biofilm is typically composed of many different microorganisms and bacteria held together by biological polymers that improve the ability of bacteria to adhere to and proliferate on wet surfaces. While pink biofilm "usually does not cause any illness in healthily adults, it can cause serious health problems to someone who is immune compromised. Pink biofilm can be present in any body of water, even tap water. The things to remember here is that biofilm needs three things to survive, moisture, warmth, and food. Food can be in the form of dead skin cells, dust, soaps and the list goes on and on. Distilled water does not have the chlorinating agent to prevent biofilm from happening. Even very hot water has a tendency to dissipate the chlorine from the city rendering it useless again bacterial attack. Since we cannot remove it food source, remove the tempeture or remove the moisture, we have to look for agents that can kill the biofilm. In the industrial sectors they use Chlorine Dioxide. This is not an acceptable use for home environments. In a home this can be done with bleach. There are commercial products available for this type of application such as Alconox, an anionic detergent, and is stainless steel safe. Other ways of disinfecting stainless steal include alcohol or peroxide.