pink slime in tank?

[GumbyCT]

I can only say that what I am doing does not result in slime or particles in my water or staining/buildup on the water chamber. I have had a cold once since 2007 and I know where that came from. So all I'm saying is if you are getting these things in your chamber perhaps you should review your process and procedure or nothing will change.

For me I will say - if it ain't broke don't fix it.

[LoQ]

Agreed. But all they have to do is periodically sluice the reservoir out with hot soapy water to keep it clean.

But they aren't doing that because they don't think it is necessary.

Continually topping it off is just compounding the problem. You don't clean the fishpond in your back yard by adding clean water to it over and over. You do so by periodically draining it and scooping the guck out. That's all I'm advocating doing.

Great example. Unfortunately, there is none so blind as he who will not see, and some people do not wish to acknowledge what you are saying. Just read some of the other posts in this thread alone.

[jonquiljo]

I noticed pink slime in the bottom of my tank today. I always use distilled water.

My guess is that it is a simple algae. But frankly you don't want to get in there too close to find out. I would highly suggest that you do not use bleach of any sort as it can leech into the plastic and is highly toxic. It's not good for the lungs either. Good old ethanol (70%) would do just fine - 100% isn't as potent. Wash and soak. Rinse and air dry completely. If there looks to be any residue - dead or alive - chuck the tank and get a new one. Soap doesn't kill much of anything after a point.

Frankly I consider my PR system one tank to be replaced every 3 months. I think they sell them at cpap.com for $22.50. While I don't think much of what can grow in a water tank is likely bad - especially with regular cleaning, a replacement would be best if you can get one. Bad things can grow and you don't want to be breathing it all night. For those of you on insurance - aren't tank replacements considered the same as hoses and masks as "expendables"?

Distilled water is just distilled to remove dissolved solids and impurities. It is not sterile by any means. If you swabbed some on a nutrient plate and incubated it - you would be shocked at what would grow up. Then put in smack in the middle of someone's bodily airflow and it's going to get very dirty - especially since it's heated to make things in it grow even faster. Now this is my grossest concept about CPAP - an unavoidable one - but still gross. We used to teach that as an exercise to nursing students when I was a TA in grad school. They had to plate up a ml of "distilled" water on nutrient medium. Boy - I think it really taught them about what sterile really was - when they saw what grew out of there! (the medical students had a similar lab - but they usually just signed in and skipped out saying that this was not relevant to their education.) Now they really are getting good at infecting patients!

[lktnky]

I only used distilled water in my tank and still got the pink goo. There was no way to get it completely out even with dentu tabs.
I tossed that tank rather than take a chance the goo would take up residence in my lungs. Sorry, but you only get one pair.
Eventually ended up buying the cleanable chambers for my VPAP Auto 25 so I could clean them in my dishwasher.

Do you clean with tap water? Or do you just top off the distilled?

I've tried both ways. I do clean first with soap, then vinegar solution soak once a week. It was worse when I just tried topping off. Then I bought two cleanable chambers & now just toss one in the dishwasher.

[talktobon]

Even if I' thoroughly disinfect the tank and hose, is the machine itself compromised? I have this feeling all kinds of germs are just floating around in there. Is there any way to clean the machine, or just not worry about it?

[Stetson]

I think we covered everything here. The only way to get rid of bacterial growth is to kill it with something more than soap. 3% hydrogen peroxide is one way and a small amount of bleach and water is the other. Just swish them around and rinse. Both are oxidizers and should not be used as a "soak"

Do not use Bleach on Stainlees steel it will rust.
Wash your tank, hose, and mask regularly.
Sanitize with bleach of peroxide when needed.

As far as bleach leaching in to plastic, I have worked in the plastic industry for the last eight years as an Occupational Safety and Heath Manager. I have not seen any proven science that bleach will leach into plastic. Understand we are talking tanks not the hoses or mask. There are too many materials in the hoses and mask to make this statement.

[GumbyCT]

Even if I' thoroughly disinfect the tank and hose, is the machine itself compromised? I have this feeling all kinds of germs are just floating around in there. Is there any way to clean the machine, or just not worry about it?

Unless you have spilled water inside the machine it should remain dry inside. Keeping your filters clean and replaced are the only ways I know to help as the inside of the machine is not user serviceable.

[sagesteve]

Don't forget Control III !!! It's available right here at Cpap:
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/Contro ... eaner.html

this stuff WORKS! It's the only thing I use.

[PST]

I like in the humid South and must be careful. Gotten the pink slime twice and white floaty stuff once since I got my equipment in Aug '07.

I hesitate to ask, but now that I know what the pink slime is, I'm curious what the white floaty stuff is made out of. I've seen that too.

[Stetson]

I hesitate to ask, but now that I know what the pink slime is, I'm curious what the white floaty stuff is made out of. I've seen that too.

A naturally occurring fungus
A white mucous or tissue paper-like substance frequently described as "noodle like".
Forms a heavy, protective coating providing the organism with an unusually high level of protection that is very resilient against halogen-based (chlorine, bromine) & non-halogen sanitizers or germicides.
Water mold thrives on the surface of PVC plastics
Can re-contaminate long after it appears that it has been destroyed
Small quantities can lead to a re-establishment of the problem


You are going to love this one:
Molds produce allergens (substances that can cause allergic reactions), irritants, and in some cases, potentially toxic substances (mycotoxins). Inhaling or touching mold or mold spores may cause allergic reactions in sensitive individuals. Allergic responses include hay fever-type symptoms, such as sneezing, runny nose, red eyes, and skin rash (dermatitis). Allergic reactions to mold are common. They can be immediate or delayed. Molds can also cause asthma attacks in people with asthma who are allergic to mold. In addition, mold exposure can irritate the eyes, skin, nose, throat, and lungs of both mold-allergic and non-allergic people. - Source: EPA

My personal thoughts:
There is likely mold spores in your house. They are brought into your machine through the intake, by passing the non-hyperaloginic filter pushing throughout he blower and humidification chamber and eating on the hose and returning to the water when you exhale.

Nice ...huh!

I am not a doctor but I do work in a lab dealing with industrial water quality and occupational safety.

[ignorant1]

.
Fear is more destructive...

Can I try to sum it up succinctly? I don't know that anyone has ever died of Legionnaires Disease (remember that?) or any other horrendously pathogenic organism propagating from a CPAP humidifier. I feel that *some* people may place too much emphasis on sterility when it's not necessary nor possible. Just keep it CLEAN ENOUGH to be adequately addressed - a reasonable amount of cleanliness is all that is necessary unless someone is severely immunocompromised.

[GumbyCT]

In Summary I say - IF you are getting slime or other deposits or build ups in your humidifier water chamber then you need to change what you are doing. Try something different. IF you are using distilled but getting poor results then consider trying a different brand, perhaps it's their process and not yours that is messed up. I suppose distilled could be contaminated during the bottling process.

IF you use distilled water and your chamber remains clean with just a periodic dumping then keep your procedure to yourself because no one here will believe you.

[LoQ]

IF you use distilled water and your chamber remains clean with just a periodic dumping

How do I know if my chamber is remaining clean with this procedure? I presume, since many pathogens are invisible to the naked eye, you have some other means of determining whether it is clean or not?

[GumbyCT]

How do I know if my chamber is remaining clean with this procedure? I presume, since many pathogens are invisible to the naked eye, you have some other means of determining whether it is clean or not?

Everyone thus far except you has been using their eyes. I think you're "in too deep".

[LoQ]

Everyone thus far except you has been using their eyes. I think you're "in too deep".

And you're "in deep denial."