how do i clean my humidifier water tank

my water tank has white looking stuff in the bottom of it how do i clean it

You can try a solution of vinegar to dissolve the minerals which have accumulated on the bottom of the tank. Then rinse the heck out of it to get rid of the vinegar odor (which I hate )

The white mineral build up is why I use distilled water and don't get that build up so I don't have to use stinky vinegar.

The mineral build up doesn't really harm anything but does look rather yucky.

I assume that you are not using distilled water. You can avoid this buildup by using it. It is available very cheap at local grocery and drug stores.

I use filttered water in the tank

What type of filtered water?

Filtered doesn't automatically equal distilled. I will leave the scientific explanation to the guys who can explain it.

My M series plastic tank was used with distilled water every night for nearly 2 years and not one bit of mineral build up. Still looks brand new. Used the PR S1 plastic tank same way...distilled water and zero mineral build up.

A lot of posters have stated it...use Vinegar to dissolve the mineral buildup...and it is true....use Distilled Water in your Chamber/Tank...I go through about a gallon a week and have no build up...I just wash the tank with Dawn dish washing soap and water...it is a Sunday routine with me...and if Mineral deposits are building up in your Chamber/Tank...I imagine it could be building up in your machine as well....reducing it's efficiency and and unit life span in general...it is worth the 83 cents a week cost...but in later posts.... posters who want to seem smarter than everyone else state it doesn't happen,.I'm not a cpap mechanic and they are probably not either, but figuring the cost of the machines, it's not worth risking anyway

Darinw40 wrote:and if Mineral deposits are building up in your Chamber/Tank...I imagine it could be building up in your machine as well....reducing it's efficiency and and unit life span in general.

Actually the blower section of these machines don't have any contact with water (unless by accidental spill) and there is no way for the moisture to go backwards into the blower. So no chance of build up in that part of the machine. In fact..if any water gets into the blower part of the machine the immediate result can be fried electronics.

Mineral build up in the plastic tank looks yucky but doesn't really affect the functionality or life of the blower unit.

I have always used distilled water in my tank--even when in the hospital for my heart surgeries.

I have noticed that my tank is now starting to look a little slimy--not green oozing slime--just a little film. Of course the opening is so small I can't get my hand much less a finger in the opening so I too am looking for a way to clean the tank. I have washed it out several times and its not doing any good. Is my only hope the vinegar/water solution?

thank you every one who posted on my how do i clean my humidifier water tank question i tried the vinegar in a bit of water and it worked wonders
i then rinsed my tank in fresh water 5 times and dried it with the hair dryer on cool air thank you again to everyone who posted





sincerely
fordjx4000

Get a spare tank. Fairly cheap online, or find out your insurance replacement schedule and buy the replacement when available.

For PRS1 users, it opens up and can be washed in the dishwasher.

For S9 users, there's an optional dishwashable tank. Even the "disposable" tanks can be opened for cleaning. The newer disposable tanks are designed to be opened. The older disposable tanks can be opened with a little finesse.

For S8 users, you can get a dishwashable tank. You may have to get an adapter to use it on the H3i humdifier.

If the tank gets cruddy and you can't clean it, buy a new one.

If you're not using distilled, try not to let the water level get too low, and dump it out every night. Letting it dry out accumulates the crud.

tvmangum wrote:I have always used distilled water in my tank--even when in the hospital for my heart surgeries.

I have noticed that my tank is now starting to look a little slimy--not green oozing slime--just a little film. Of course the opening is so small I can't get my hand much less a finger in the opening so I too am looking for a way to clean the tank. I have washed it out several times and its not doing any good. Is my only hope the vinegar/water solution?

Get the H4i to H3i adapter.

Then get the H4i dishwasher safe tank.

I'm likely to end up with an xPAP of some kind (sounds like an autoSV assuming it helps), and I'm interested in whether anybody has found a cheaper alternative to distilled water. I've looked at consumer water filtering systems, and they seem pretty light on promises/details. To be effective at stopping microbial growth the filter would need to remove quite a few trace minerals - those bugs can grow on just about anything. Plus it seems like most consumer filters have no way of detecting when they're no longer effective. I guess I could buy a conductivity meter (they seem to be cheap enough).

Maybe just going with bottled distilled water is the best option. However, I'm interested in whether anybody has found an alternative that works well in practice. I want to avoid microbial growth or significant residue.

If you haven't guessed, I do have a background in Chemistry...

reverse osmosis might be your best bet.

When considering costs for the water you wish to use ...one thing that you might keep on the back burner is that until you actually use the machine and humidifier and find your preferred settings, you won't have a much of an idea how much water you will eventually need each night.

Depending on where you live and the relative humidity there and what you determine your body might need, you may or may not need a large amount of water each night.
There are people who won't use up a tank of water in a week and there are people like me who pretty much use all of the water each night. There are people who prefer to not use added moisture and there are people who use only a minimal amount of water in passover mode (no heat added) and there are people like me who would be happy snorting the water if I could do it without waking up because I need and like a lot of moisture. So there is a potential wide variation in amount of water needed. Just something to consider when doing a cost vs benefit analysis.

archangle wrote:

tvmangum wrote:I have always used distilled water in my tank--even when in the hospital for my heart surgeries.

I have noticed that my tank is now starting to look a little slimy--not green oozing slime--just a little film. Of course the opening is so small I can't get my hand much less a finger in the opening so I too am looking for a way to clean the tank. I have washed it out several times and its not doing any good. Is my only hope the vinegar/water solution?

Get the H4i to H3i adapter.

Then get the H4i dishwasher safe tank.

At least for me the H4i's dishwasher safe tanks weren't. In that, while yes, I could dismantle them and put them in the top rack of the dishwasher; the plastic hinge pieces broke after a couple of months. I found myself having to hand wash them if I wanted them to last. So the H4i washable tanks weren't exactly dishwasher safe for me (might be better if you have a dishwasher that stays cooler). Still recommend getting them.

Now the design on the H5 tanks is much better and I have been able to wash those in the dishwasher with no problems (I recently got a good deal on an S9 auto set). In addition with the H5 washable tanks you can actually dismantle the whole thing and easily scrub all the nooks and crannies.