Humidifier Water Poll

Is Gray Goose distilled?

jdm2857 wrote:

dsm wrote: It takes me 2or 3 mins with steel wool to clean the small layer of 'gunge' left behind by the distilling process, but I know someone who
chisels it out after a 2 or so weeks he showed me these horrible chunks of dark brown 'crystals' - this guy had terminal cancer & went
into remission & tells me he swears it was because he sucks rocksalt daily & distills all his drinking water (it was he who got me onto this
device) but I only use it for my cpap H/H & still drink tap water if I want some. The residue is enough to shake your confidence in what
goes into our mouths from tap water

DSM

The bulk of that 'gunge' is minerals, mostly calcium, which are actually good for your health.

You might try using vinegar to dissolve the residue in your distiller rather than mechanically removing it. The stainless steel should easily withstand straight household white vinegar (it's only 5% acetic acid).

jdm

That may well be right - if I were living in Adelaide that is what I would expect. But here in Sydney where dead dogs & kangaroos are often found in the canals bringing the water to the city & where we have had our share of 'cryptosporidium' scares, it may well be a matter of what country & what city you live in qualified by the funding for maintenance of the local water supply facilities

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptosporidiosis cryptosporidium

Sydney Scares
http://curezone.com/forums/fm.asp?i=1365934

http://www.waterquality.crc.org.au/hsarch/HS4b.htm Scares in 1996 prior to the 2000 Olympics

http://www.wsws.org/articles/1999/apr1999/wat-a22.shtml More from 1999



DSM

Another vote for distilled water.

If my DME didn't tell me to use it, I would have gone with bottled water because my tap water is REALLY bad.

Hi All

My Sandman CPAP Patient Manual says -

Either distilled water and boiled and cooled tap water may be used in the water chamber.

I have been using boiled and cooled water since I got the machine in March, and no problems. I usually just top the chamber up, and maybe once a month I empty it, give it a rinse with cold tap water, and start again.

No residue or bits and pieces.

Of course, Melbourne has always had better water than Sydney.

cheers

Mars

mars wrote: <snip>

Of course, Melbourne has always had better water than Sydney.

cheers

Mars

I was going to chime back that yes Melbourne's water just keeps falling constantly from the sky, but with the bizarre
climate changes both cities have been having, I can't get away with that line now as the situation seems to have reversed

DSM

#@ Plus, IIRC you guys pipe water in from Bendigo & that is through metal pipes, not open canals like Sydney has in places.

I use tap water.. who cares if the water "tank' gets cloudy. There are just some concerns that are below my level of fineness

Other than possible discoloration.. what is the downside to tapwater?

georgepds wrote:I use tap water.. who cares if the water "tank' gets cloudy. There are just some concerns that are below my level of fineness

Other than possible discoloration.. what is the downside to tapwater?

George

If you live in an area where the water is 'soft' & you are satisfied of its level of purity, then no problems.

If the water has any 'hardness' then after a while you get scale rings inside the water chamber. In my cit
that happens. They get harder to clean the longer they are left plus in my case I damaged at least 3 water
containers over time, trying to clean out the scale.

The bottom of many water chambers is now aluminium with a very fine plastic membrane. That is very
easy to breech.

DSM

DSM, I've read a few posts where folks are just using tap water so I was wondering if you could comment on any real health risks involved. I only use distilled water but don't know why other than keeping the tank looking clean.

A vinegar and water solution (or even straight household white vinegar) will easily dissolve those deposits away. It sure did for my old showerhead.

On the other hand, if the base plate is aluminum (aluminium?), it may be attacked by akaline minerals. I'm not sure if the base of the my H4i is aluminum or stainless steel.

I'm not sure if the base of the my H4i is aluminum or stainless steel.

It's high grade stainless

K

I think I may have contributed forcefully in the past to the distilled/purified/boiled/bottled or tap water debate, so I guess my views are well known. However, I'd like to take this opportunity to climb back onto my soapbox again (I love controversy)

There are two questions about choice of water use

1. Will the use of other than tap water be injurious to my health; and
2. Will it damage my equipment.

My contention is that it doesn't matter what water you use, the only stuff that gets into the airstream is water vapour (which becomes distilled water when it condenses) so using any water is OK from a health standpoint
And, the answer to 2 is simple. Depends on your water

K

DoriC wrote:DSM, I've read a few posts where folks are just using tap water so I was wondering if you could comment on any real health risks involved. I only use distilled water but don't know why other than keeping the tank looking clean.

DoriC

I used tap water for about 2.5 years before finally deciding to switch to distilled water. I wasn't aware of any problems but was having trouble with scale deposits.

I was concerned about the need to clean the air hose & H/H more than I was & concluded switching to distilled water eliminated most potential for germs, microbes or whatever.

Cheers

DSM

I have used Tap water from day one. My F&P machine has an easily removable humidifier cup that I rinse and dry out every 3-4 days. Once a month I rinse with a vinigar solution as directed in the instructions. I received a second cup with the machine, but after 8 months I still do not need it.

There's a better chance of growing mold or bacteria in distilled water that is just topped off day after day than in tap water that is dumped and refilled daily.

jdm2857 wrote:There's a better chance of growing mold or bacteria in distilled water that is just topped off day after day than in tap water that is dumped and refilled daily.

That may be. But, there are a few of us on the board that operate our tanks in that manner with no issue. My tank is as clear now as the day I purchased my machine.

Occasionally I will need to dump the tank out of necessity due to travel. If a travel event does not roll around then at some point after several weeks when the tank is low I will dump the remainder, rinse and refill.