S9 humidifier tanks - what's the scoop?

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jaybee72
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S9 humidifier tanks - what's the scoop?

Post by jaybee72 » Wed Apr 25, 2012 11:12 am

Ok, I've seen references to a "cleanable" humidifier tank for the S9 series. What's the deal there? Are there different tanks available? Which is best? I just got a new order for a replacement machine, and want to go in to the DME armed...

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king_alvaro
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Re: S9 humidifier tanks - what's the scoop?

Post by king_alvaro » Wed Apr 25, 2012 11:14 am

As far as I know, there is only one tank available for the resmed S9 series.

Joyja
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Re: S9 humidifier tanks - what's the scoop?

Post by Joyja » Wed Apr 25, 2012 11:29 am

When I got my S9 Elite 2 weeks ago, my DME gave me 2 tank. The first tank is what came with the machine and has an aluminum base which forces you to use distilled water and hand wash. They also gave me another tank which has a stainless steel base which only requires tap water and can be place in the dishwasher machine. This is the one that I use everyday and I didn't even bother unpacking the original that came with the machine.

Here's a link on resmed website that explains the the 2 different water chamber along with the product codes.

http://www.resmed.com/us/products/h5i/h ... c=patients

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Heavylids
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Re: S9 humidifier tanks - what's the scoop?

Post by Heavylids » Wed Apr 25, 2012 12:09 pm

Joyja wrote:. They also gave me another tank which has a stainless steel base which only requires tap water and can be place in the dishwasher machine.
You should be using distilled water in both units. You can get a serious respiratory infection from breathing the things floating around in ordinary tap water. That's why distilled water is norm for xPAP humdifiers.

I have athe H5i humidifier with the sealed tank as well. Resmed does offer a cleeanable tub that can be disassembled for cleaning.

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xenablue
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Re: S9 humidifier tanks - what's the scoop?

Post by xenablue » Wed Apr 25, 2012 12:25 pm

My manual says distilled water only, so does my DME - so do I.

I have both tanks for the S9 - the original one, which you can actually dismantle to get in there to scrub, and the new clip-apart one which can go on the top shelf of the dishwasher, although I never bother doing this.

The only scoop I can imagine is all the icky bits from dirty water or not cleaning enough.

cheers,
xena

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jaybee72
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Re: S9 humidifier tanks - what's the scoop?

Post by jaybee72 » Wed Apr 25, 2012 12:41 pm

Thanks everyone - that was the info I was looking for.

Xena - by "scoop" I meant the slang use of the word, such as story, info, etc, not an actual part of the humidifier...

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RandyJ
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Re: S9 humidifier tanks - what's the scoop?

Post by RandyJ » Wed Apr 25, 2012 1:02 pm

The cash price of the "cleanable" tank is about $10.00 more than the basic one, $32.95 vs $22.95.

I like the cleanable one much better; you can take it apart and really wipe the bottom of the tank. Others claimed that the basic one came apart as well, but I viewed the video on YouTube and then tried myself, and it seemed like I was always on the verge of breaking the little tabs, so I stopped. The cleanable one is much more rugged, as well.

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billbolton
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Re: S9 humidifier tanks - what's the scoop?

Post by billbolton » Wed Apr 25, 2012 6:37 pm

Heavylids wrote:You can get a serious respiratory infection from breathing the things floating around in ordinary tap water.
If that is the case for your "ordinary tap water", then its not potable in the normal meaning of the term.

In any case, humidifiers produce water vapor, not water droplets, even at maximum flow rates...... so "things floating around" stay floating around.

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HoseCrusher
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Re: S9 humidifier tanks - what's the scoop?

Post by HoseCrusher » Thu Apr 26, 2012 8:36 pm

Bill, I believe I demonstrated that in addition to producing water vapor, some units actually are able to produce an aerosol. This allows some of the "floating things" to go floating up the hose and visit your lungs.

When I brought this information up with a respiratory therapist and a pulmonologist, they confirmed the problem.

The RT shared a story with me. He was called out to check a xPAP machine. The patient had developed respiratory distress and thought something was wrong with the machine. The machine was fine, but there was mold growing in the humidifier water tank.

When the mold was removed from the humidifier tank, the respiratory distress went away.

In theory you are correct, but in the real world sometimes things work out a little differently.

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zoocrewphoto
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Re: S9 humidifier tanks - what's the scoop?

Post by zoocrewphoto » Tue May 01, 2012 1:10 am

Heavylids wrote:
Joyja wrote:. They also gave me another tank which has a stainless steel base which only requires tap water and can be place in the dishwasher machine.
You should be using distilled water in both units. You can get a serious respiratory infection from breathing the things floating around in ordinary tap water. That's why distilled water is norm for xPAP humdifiers.


I just got my machine today. Will one day with bottled water be a problem. I wasn't able to go to the store and buy distilled water. I will get some after work tomorrow.

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Heavylids
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Re: S9 humidifier tanks - what's the scoop?

Post by Heavylids » Tue May 01, 2012 5:36 am

zoocrewphoto wrote:
Heavylids wrote:
Joyja wrote:. They also gave me another tank which has a stainless steel base which only requires tap water and can be place in the dishwasher machine.
You should be using distilled water in both units. You can get a serious respiratory infection from breathing the things floating around in ordinary tap water. That's why distilled water is norm for xPAP humdifiers.


I just got my machine today. Will one day with bottled water be a problem. I wasn't able to go to the store and buy distilled water. I will get some after work tomorrow.
Personally I'd got without the humidifier until I found some steam distilled water.

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Pugsy
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Re: S9 humidifier tanks - what's the scoop?

Post by Pugsy » Tue May 01, 2012 12:29 pm

zoocrewphoto wrote: I just got my machine today. Will one day with bottled water be a problem. I wasn't able to go to the store and buy distilled water. I will get some after work tomorrow.
One day with bottled water won't hurt a thing.
Last week I ran out of distilled and despite 2 trips to the store...forgot it.
I used tap water 3 nights. I am still alive and kicking and my humidifier is fine.
I did dump out the excess tap water...rinse things out and let air dry before starting fresh with the distilled water.

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billbolton
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Re: S9 humidifier tanks - what's the scoop?

Post by billbolton » Tue May 01, 2012 5:39 pm

resmed wrote:If you have a standard humidifier tub, it is recommended that you use distilled or deionized water. If you have a cleanable tub, tap water is fine for everyday use.

http://www.resmed.com/au/service_and_su ... c=patients
Cheers,

Bill

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Last edited by billbolton on Tue May 01, 2012 5:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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billbolton
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Re: S9 humidifier tanks - what's the scoop?

Post by billbolton » Tue May 01, 2012 5:42 pm

HoseCrusher wrote:some units actually are able to produce an aerosol.
Which units specifically then, and under what conditions?

Cheers,

Bill

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Re: S9 humidifier tanks - what's the scoop?

Post by HoseCrusher » Tue May 01, 2012 8:56 pm

Bill, I believe the whole process was discussed in this thread.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=58490&st=0&sk=t&sd

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