lowest it's been so far/question about water

[sleepymama]

did my 3rd day and my AHI was the lowest it's been so far since starting, 1.4 AHI. i slept almost 8hrs. i'm so tired this morning though. i'd go back to bed but have to take my dog to the vet. the tip of my nose is sore today. i really like sleeping on my side (falling asleep this way) and so from doing that last night the mask dug into my nose so it's tender today.
so i'm wondering do you guys empty your humidifier water every morning? the DME told me to dump it and air dry it for use the next night. i tried to do that the other day and it was still wet inside last night. i was wondering if you all waste water like that or if you keep it in a container. if you do the other, what container do you keep it in. thanks

[Duckie]

I empty mine every morning.
I have start putting less and less water in it so I don't waste as much.
I leave the humidifier door open and it is dry by night.

[LSAT]

I empty and rinse mine once a week. At the same time I rinse my mask and hose.

[fatfeminist]

I leave the water in the humidifier. i top it off every day or two. sometimes i forget and it runs til its dry, but I try not to let it do that. I use distilled water and I never have a problem with it getting gross in there. I dont see why its necessary to throw it out every day and let it dry, if I am not moving the machine.

[cobra4x4]

I leave the water in the humidifier. i top it off every day or two. I use distilled water and I never have a problem with it getting gross in there. I dont see why its necessary to throw it out every day and let it dry, if I am not moving the machine.

I do the exact same thing except I wash the chamber out every 2-3 weeks when the water level is nearly empty. I never let the water run out as it causes me to have a severe headache and very dry throat.

[williamco]

if you don't dry the humidifier every day, you risk the fact that fungus, bacteria and virus can grow. I learned that the hard way after having fungal lung infection couple of times that happened at beginning of new trial for CPAP, that the timing was evident.

Further more, with minor flue like symptoms, if you don't do it along with washing or disinfecting the tube and mask every day, the minor flu will become full blown flu

[sleepymama]

i figured most of you were keeping the water as i can see how expensive this would get. i'm almost half done the bottle i bought. i've been dumping it everyday. i only put water to the lowest line as the first night i put to max and didn't use alot even thouggh my humidifier was on the highest setting. does anyone know if it's because of the temp in my room? say if it was winter time the water would get used up faster? i thought for sure on the highest setting the water level would go down more.

[williamco]

please, help me understand something. if you buy gallon of water from walmart, it is 80 cents . the gallon last 2 weeks on humidifier only, if I throw the leftover water every morning. so it cost 40 cent every week.
if you keep the water in the humidifier every day, the gallon might last 3 weeks, so it will cost like 30 sent a week instead,
so you telling me that extra 10 cent a week or so will make CPAP expensive for you!!

how about masks?. how about placing new filter every month that cost $5

are you buying your water from conveniant store by the the bottle?

[rested gal]

The price of distilled water is a drop in the bucket (hey, I couldn't resist!! ) to me. Cost is not why I simply top off the humidifier each night and don't dump the water out for months and months and months.

People adopt an equipment cleaning routine they feel comfortable and/or safe with -- whether that be every day, or almost never:

Cleaning CPAP Equipment
topic started by forumadmin - April 2005
viewtopic.php?p=18245#p18245

More-Sterile/Easier-Cleaning Process?
topic started by bozmon - February 2005
viewtopic.php?p=7811#p7811

Cleaned my mask now it leaks
topic started by gerrys - June 2007
viewtopic.php?p=184829#p184829

Cleaning water tank
topic started by seernst - June 2008
viewtopic.php?p=275976#p275976

Weekly Mask Cleaning---OverKill ???
topic started by DannyP - August 2008
viewtopic.php?p=293520#p293520

THE HOSE - TO DISINFECT OR NOT TO DISINFECT ?
topic started by Marietjie - March 2009
viewtopic.php?p=352004#p352004

How often do you clean your hose?
topic started by Juliebove - April 2009
viewtopic.php?p=361594#p361594

Poll: How Often Do You Clean Your Tank?
poll started by NeedSomeAir - September 2009
viewtopic.php?p=405431#p405431

[Goofproof]

Maybe they only buy designer distilled water, $29.98 a gallon, (It has a cork instead of a screw cap). Sounds like a good business get into. Jim

[Jaylee]

I empty and rinse mine once a week. At the same time I rinse my mask and hose.

Same.

[Hawthorne]

When I can't remember when I last emptied and cleaned my water chamber, then I MIGHT do it.

I used to do it every day, then every week and now -if i think of it.

It seems to make no difference. My water chamber is crystal clean and the water is totally clear, topping it off every few nights. I am using passive mode during the summer so it is not topped off very often either. Still - no problems at all.

[BlackSpinner]

please, help me understand something. if you buy gallon of water from walmart, it is 80 cents . the gallon last 2 weeks on humidifier only, if I throw the leftover water every morning. so it cost 40 cent every week.

Ha Ha you are really funny - it cost me $2 for 2 liters in the drug store. Then I have to schlep it home on the bus. As far a Walmart is concerned (not that I ever shop there due to political concerns) - It is a bus, a metro and 10 minute hike along the side of an express way from here - try that with a gallon jug of water when the side walks are icy and it is -30C. My grocery store which delivers for seniors for $2 , doesn't carry distilled water. I gave up on distilled water after I got pneumonia last winter and I have been doing fine with tap water and washing it every 2 weeks with water/vinegar/tea tree oil solution.

[Sheriff Buford]

Maybe I'm missin' somethin'... My water chamber is empty every morning. I have sinus congestion, I have my humidifier setting pretty high, and I fill the water a little higher than the max level mark on the tank. I notice my water tank is warm and empty when I wake up. Do you think the heat would damage the tank?

Sheriff

[JohnBFisher]

... My water chamber is empty every morning. I have sinus congestion, I have my humidifier setting pretty high ...

Sometimes a setting that is too high causes congestion during the night. You might try a lower setting for a while.

Of course, your need for moisture will decrease the longer you use your unit. Though that HIGHLY depends on the conditions where you live. I live in a humid part of the country, so I don't need to add a lot of moisture to the air. If you live in an arid area, that moisture might be necessary to avoid sinus problems.

... and I fill the water a little higher than the max level mark on the tank. I notice my water tank is warm and empty when I wake up. Do you think the heat would damage the tank? ...

It probably won't hurt the tank. They are generally built to handle much higher heat than the humidifier presents. If you live in an arid part of the country, you might consider a humidifier added to your central heating and/or air-conditioning. Even a room humidifier (one that vaporizes the water, rather than heating it) is a good choice.

By the way, I'm with Rested Gal here, I change my water hardly ever. I use distilled water, so there is never anything in it to allow anything to grow.

Of course, every now (once every couple years) and the mask/hose/tank smells funny. I'm then very aggressive at cleaning out the tank, hose and mask. I use warm to hot soapy water. I use a diluted vinegar rinse. I use a diluted chlorine rinse. I then use a warm to hot water (nothing added) rinse. Then after shaking off most of the moisture, I air dry the mask/hose/humidifier (letting the blower run to dry it out). That does the trick for another year or two.

This has worked for me for the past 20 years or so. Should be fine for most everyone.