What to put in the humidfier? Silver metal

[Wulfman]

It is irrational itself to talk to an irrational person.

Unfortunately, office politics (or policy) dictates that this will occur on a daily basis

Den

[Paul B]

Slightly off the topic, but not totally, and I hope no one reads this as being too confrontational; it's not meant that way, but back when I was selling large computer systems to businesses, the very well respected computer company that I worked for came out with a new model of system that totally changed the past methodologies - it was cheaper, more user-friendly, didn't require as many gurus, etc.

Well, we would run into those people who didn't want to change the paradigm they were used to, were irrational, and that was the way they were going to be.

So I came up with the following expression which was shared with others experiencing what I was and it reduced some of our frustration:

Never try and teach a pig to sing - it wastes your time and it annoys the pig.

[Sleepless in St. Louis]

Never try and teach a pig to sing - it wastes your time and it annoys the pig.

Ya, that is one of my favorites. I remember reading that somewhere a while ago. If you made that one up then you are a genious in my eyes.

[krousseau]

babamamagogodede-thank you for bringing up this topic-we have had a couple weeks of relatively non stimulating questions and anwers-this topic seems to get our blood circulating once again. I hope you can tell we do enjoy one another's company here.

[Paul B]

Hi Tim,

No I didn't make it up personally, but it seemed to fit the situation we were involved with at that time, and I still chuckle at its appropriateness in certain instances. Someone had artfully drawn a smiling pig getting ready to roll in the mud and it was the caption below that.

[Snorgone]

this is some funny stuff, you guys!!! as a pharmacist, here is my 2 cents:

1) does the small amt of silver leaching into the water and subsequently "vaporized" affect the equipment? probably not, but being somewhat expensive equipment, does it work well enough to warrant it's use?

2) When some bacteria species come into contact with silver, they are rendered inactive. There are various opinions among the experts as to the effectiveness of this process because silver ions in water kill E.coli very well and probably also salmonella, shigella, and vibro bacteria, but it has found lesser effect on viruses, cysts, and other bacteria species.

3)On the plus side, silver does not produce offensive tastes or odors when used in water treatment. However, remember you are probably breathing in some silver vaporized by the humidifier, and this happens all night every night. Long term effects are unknown, but who wants to take the chance?

4) economically speaking, a 16 oz. bottle of distilled water cost less than 20 cents. dumping and refilling your container even nightly seems to me a better alternative in all respects vs. putting various bactericidal
and virucidal agents in your water which you are subsequently breathing.

Fungus has been and will remain the enemy of humidification systems. Thorough and frequent cleaning and drying of your hoses should be a priority. I spend more efforts on this and let the dishwasher worry about the water reservoir.

this is all my opinion and not meant to replace your dr.s advice. void where prohibited by law. your results may vary. not valid in combination with any other offer. do not drive or operate heavy machinery while hooked to a cpap.....

K. I. S. S.

Matt

[Goofproof]

do not drive or operate heavy machinery while hooked to a cpap.....


Matt

I've seen times when this advice may be wrong, I've fallen asleep many times at the wheel with a 150 ton load, you wouldn't think you could with 600+ horses screaming under you but you can. Jim

[Snorgone]

that is what i call a "power nap"!!!!!

[wading thru the muck!]

IMO. tomjax's original reply was the most serious and informative reply to the original question. Often people make cause and effect assumptions that in reality do not exist. TJ's humorous anecdote made the point well and entertained at the same time.

[tomjax]

Snorgone,
I think you are confusing silver ions with whatever form silver may be from a bar of silver in the humidifier.
The Ions - such as nitrate- will indeed denature the protein in a sufficient concentration.
No form of silver will be in the condensate and the fungus problem is nil for the same reason.

As a pharmcist, let moi ask my trivia question to you.

How many packs of BC pills must a patient buy to get her thru a year?
11? 12? 13? 14?
anyone interested in guessing write moi tomjax at yahoo.com or pm moi.
bet nobody gets it right

_________________

CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): humidifier

[wading thru the muck!]

As a pharmcist, let moi ask my trivia question to you.

How many packs of BC pills must a patient buy to get her thru a year?
11? 12? 13? 14?
anyone interested in guessing write moi tomjax at yahoo.com or pm moi.
bet nobody gets it right

Darn! you asked this one before... I should have written down the correct answer.

[Snorgone]

judging from the photos of the humidifiers on cpap.com,

https://www.cpap.com/viewImage.php?PNum ... humid1.jpg

it looks like the machine blows the air through the water tank, which is heated underneath by a hot plate. if this is true, air droplets could mix with the airlflow, which could carry silver ions, bacteria, viruses and worst of all= mold. i personally wouldnt want to breathe air blowing over water with any of the above in it.

it will take about 13 packs of bc pills for 1 year, drs have trouble with this and frequently write 1 w/ 11 ref's

[tooly125]

I just add water when its almost empty and only clean it about once a month haven't had a problem yet.
The following is why I feel comfortable doing this.


http://www.talkaboutsleep.com/sleep-dis ... humid9.htm

Humidification in CPAP Therapy
The following information is provided by Fisher & Paykel Healthcare
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Is it possible for a patient to catch an infection from a humidifier?
A. The environment in the heated humidifier chamber under most operating conditions is such that the majority of pathogens are rapidly killed.
Even if pathogens were able to exist in the humidification chamber, they would not be able to be transported to the patient. The humidity travels from the chamber in vapor form, which is too small for a bacteria or virus to travel in.

[Guest]

I feel that the original question was answered. The rest is just fun. If you have not figured this out, this is a community of people who "GASP" sometimes joke with one another to help us get throuh this stuff. If you don't have any sense of humor, that's okay, just leave the rest of us be.

It appears to be just another one of those guests trying to cause trouble. No other reason for being here.

I suspect that the guest was more concerned about that the relative newcomer might think that the "fun" was directed at them. If you look at the poster's other posts it seems that they are not from North America and perhaps they may not understand the humor. If you click on the link that the guest provided it was Johnny Goodman from Cpap.com who was quoted from another thread that another newbie started. I think joking and teasing is great when directed properly. Yes the question was answered, and yes the original poster was welcomed to the site, but the rest.... Maybe add it to the "humor" thread.

[krousseau]

Not that these little buggers are in your system but there are microbes smaller that that. And water molecules are dipolar (think that came from college chemistry) so molecules floating around out there quickly aggregate into small groups of molecules. The current controvery is just how big and what shape. You would still have to send an engraved invitation to get them to come into your humidifier for them to cause trouble.