Oddly, All Distilled Waters Are Not Equal

ClayL wrote:I have been using distilled water from Walmart for five years with no problems.

kempo wrote: I suspect people who use distilled water and find slim in their tank are using tap water to clean their tank.

avi123 wrote:Early Death Comes From Drinking Distilled Water

http://www.mercola.com/article/water/di ... _water.htm

moondoggy wrote:

avi123 wrote:Home Water Distillers:

http://www.h2olabs.com/

http://www.h2olabs.com/p-55-stainless-s ... 300ss.aspx

So.... If you use one of these machines, how long does it take to generate enough water to fill your tank at night? Also I noted that they have a number of models but I don't know why you would pick one over another? In addition, do you use the excess water for drinking or only for your CPAP equipment? I'd really appreciate how you use this machine in general as I may consider ordering one.

moondoggy wrote:

akeegan wrote:I have used Johnson's Baby Shampoo on all my plastic equipment for years with no problem. I soak my S8 H4i dehumidifier with a squirt of Johnson's in the sink with hot water for about 30 minutes, empty it, then run cold water into it for about two or three minutes. Never any problems. Smells great for days.

My MedTech told me to not use any soap that contains an antibacterial but did recommend Johnson's Baby Shampoo as a soap for cleaning my tank and mask cushion. My MedTech also recommended that once a week I should first clean my tank and mask cushion with baby shampoo and then soak everything, including my hose, in a solution of 3 parts water and one part white vinegar for 30 minutes. The vinegar kills most mold, bacteria, and germs and so far it seems to be working for me.

GumbyCT wrote:

ClayL wrote:I have been using distilled water from Walmart for five years with no problems.

Plus 1 .... no plans to change.

kempo wrote: I suspect people who use distilled water and find slim in their tank are using tap water to clean their tank.

I suspect the same thing. People introduce more bacteria when rinsing with tap AND leaving it exposed to dry out?

I leave mine closed ALL week for weeks w/Walmart Distilled. No problems in 5yrs why would I want to change.

My theory is - IF it ain't broke don't fix it.

moondoggy wrote:I typically buy my distilled water from Walgreen's drug store but I have used distilled water from Walmart without problem. One thing that I wonder about is whether some people think their buying distilled water and mistakenly buy drinking water instead. The jugs of water look similar and I've at times had to do a double take to make sure I was buying the right stuff. The reason why you want to use distilled water is that it is not supposed to have minerals in it and it's the minerals that allows stuff to start growing in your tank and hose so if you are mistaking drinking water for distilled water you can end up trouble. That being said I think that if you are using distilled water and you are following a cleaning protocol using a soap that leaves no residue and a chemical like vinegar to help kill any traces bad stuff then you are probably not going to have issues either. I know that there are probably some of you that can get by with less cleaning or no cleaning and I all I can say is more power to you.

avi123 wrote:Early Death Comes From Drinking Distilled Water

http://www.mercola.com/article/water/di ... _water.htm

Drinking water should contain minimum levels of certain essential minerals
(and other components such as carbonates). Unfortunately, over the two past
decades, little research attention has been given to the beneficial or protective
effects of drinking water substances. The main focus was on contaminants and
their toxicological properties. Nevertheless, some studies have attempted to
define the minimum content of essential elements or TDS in drinking water, and
some countries have included requirements or guidelines for selected substances
in their drinking water regulations. Although these are exceptional cases, the
issue is relevant not only where drinking water is obtained by desalination (if
not adequately re-mineralised) but also where home treatment or central water
treatment reduces the content of important minerals and low-mineral bottled
water is consumed.
Although drinking water manufactured by desalination is stabilized with
some minerals, this is usually not the case for water demineralised as a result of
household treatment. Even when stablized, the final composition of some waters
may not be adequate in terms of providing health benefits. Although desalinated
waters are supplemented mainly with calcium (lime) or other carbonates, they
may be deficient in magnesium and other microelements such as fluorides and
potassium, as are most natural waters. Furthermore, the quantity of calcium that
is supplemented is based on technical considerations (i.e., reducing the
aggressiveness) rather than on health concerns. Possibly none of the commonly
used ways of re-mineralization could be considered optimum, since the water
does not contain all of its beneficial components. Current methods of
stabilization are primarily intended to decrease the corrosive effects of
demineralised water.
Demineralised water that has not been remineralized , or low-mineral
content water – in the light of the absence or substantial lack of essential
minerals in it – is not considered ideal drinking water, and therefore, its regular
consumption may not be providing adequate levels of some beneficial nutrients.

akeegan wrote:I have used Walmart distilled water for some time with no problems at all. It is bottled by Premium Waters in Ft. Worth, Texas. The label states, "PROCESSED BY: Steam Distillation, Carbon Filtration, Reverse Osmosis, Ultraviolet Treatment, Microfiltration, Ozonation." But I intend to check out other brands in the future. Thanks for the heads up.

idamtnboy wrote:

avi123 wrote:Early Death Comes From Drinking Distilled Water

http://www.mercola.com/article/water/di ... _water.htm

This World Health Organization paper has a lot more rational discussion of the impact of lack of minerals when drinking distilled water. Lack of magnesium and calcium seems to be the greatest concern due to its cardiovascular impact. Their conclusion is that drinking demineralized water is less than ideal. That's a long way from being dangerous.
http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_hea ... alized.pdf

Here's a quote from the conclusion section.

Drinking water should contain minimum levels of certain essential minerals
(and other components such as carbonates). Unfortunately, over the two past
decades, little research attention has been given to the beneficial or protective
effects of drinking water substances. The main focus was on contaminants and
their toxicological properties. Nevertheless, some studies have attempted to
define the minimum content of essential elements or TDS in drinking water, and
some countries have included requirements or guidelines for selected substances
in their drinking water regulations. Although these are exceptional cases, the
issue is relevant not only where drinking water is obtained by desalination (if
not adequately re-mineralised) but also where home treatment or central water
treatment reduces the content of important minerals and low-mineral bottled
water is consumed.
Although drinking water manufactured by desalination is stabilized with
some minerals, this is usually not the case for water demineralised as a result of
household treatment. Even when stablized, the final composition of some waters
may not be adequate in terms of providing health benefits. Although desalinated
waters are supplemented mainly with calcium (lime) or other carbonates, they
may be deficient in magnesium and other microelements such as fluorides and
potassium, as are most natural waters. Furthermore, the quantity of calcium that
is supplemented is based on technical considerations (i.e., reducing the
aggressiveness) rather than on health concerns. Possibly none of the commonly
used ways of re-mineralization could be considered optimum, since the water
does not contain all of its beneficial components. Current methods of
stabilization are primarily intended to decrease the corrosive effects of
demineralised water.
Demineralised water that has not been remineralized , or low-mineral
content water – in the light of the absence or substantial lack of essential
minerals in it – is not considered ideal drinking water, and therefore, its regular
consumption may not be providing adequate levels of some beneficial nutrients.

But this is straying from the original focus of the thread, using DI in the humidifier. I think we can say DI is best for the humidifier, but maybe not for drinking.