This is (probably) what's in your humidifier tank

[Julie]

Look what I found -

https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/news/newsreleas ... -bacteria/

though I don't suggest using their methods to clean it (obviously!).

[avi123]

What about the water inside the supply pipes in your house? Don't you drink this water? If you remove the bacteria from it then your immune system would deteriorate.

[flightco]

Look what I found -

https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/news/newsreleas ... -bacteria/

though I don't suggest using their methods to clean it (obviously!).

I was doing better before I read that

[Goofproof]

If house water in your home is standing long enough to deactivate the chlorine, you are also at risk for mosquito breeding in the water.

Look out for standing water around your homes, stamp out mosquitos. Jim

[wardmiller]

Look what I found -

https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/news/newsreleas ... -bacteria/

though I don't suggest using their methods to clean it (obviously!).

Julie, I'd like to make a friendly, but serious, comment. The title of this thread is both grossly inaccurate and needlessly alarming.

The referenced 2010 article cites occasional problems with drain water, not fresh or bottled water, and offers "feces residues" as a possible source. Even with the most casual handling of a humidifier tank, I can't imagine Serratia marcescens finding its way into the tank.

And the article's mention of chlorine is a red herring. I've been drinking well water, un-chlorinated and un-flouridated, for 50 years, as have tens of thousands of my neighbors. County health department tests have never mentioned a problem with Serratia marcescens from our water source.

I apologize for being an old grouch, but there are enough problems with using a CPAP machine without scaring people with false information about them.

[Julie]

Ok, I don't otherwise know the science of this, just responding to people's worries about the pink sludge/slime in their tanks and happened to see that article.

[palerider]

The referenced 2010 article cites occasional problems with drain water, not fresh or bottled water, and offers "feces residues" as a possible source. Even with the most casual handling of a humidifier tank, I can't imagine Serratia marcescens finding its way into the tank.

you should re-read the article, and possibly do a bit of research.

The bacteria will grow in places with materials containing phosphorus or fatty substances such as feces residues in your toilet or soap residue in a pet’s dish or the bathtub, shower and sink.

fecal residue isn't the source, it's a feedstock, along with phosphorous from urine, and other items.

And the article's mention of chlorine is a red herring. I've been drinking well water, un-chlorinated and un-flouridated, for 50 years, as have tens of thousands of my neighbors. County health department tests have never mentioned a problem with Serratia marcescens from our water source..

again, not a red herring, since chlorine *KILLS IT*. nowhere was there an intimation that the source was in the water, it's a bacteria that's in the environment.

[Sir NoddinOff]

Okay, that little Serratia marcescens scare was fun... now let's talk about the Zika virus.
Scared?
Not so scared?

Marco Rubio said today that he thinks Zika affected fetuses should not be aborted under any circumstances. Comments?

[Julie]

None of his business what women choose to do with their pregnancies.

[chunkyfrog]

The only time I got pink gunk in my tank was when I bought distilled water at the ghetto bodega.
Probably harmless for your iron or a battery; likely only intended to be used to process crank.

[Lucyhere]

Marco Rubio said today that he thinks Zika affected fetuses should not be aborted under any circumstances. Comments?

Oh noooooo! Here we go again! May as well make a poll out of this one.

[Goofproof]

Why not bring them all to the U.S., have your baby here, we have plenty of citizens who won't mind $ 5,000,000.00 per child to support a child without a working brain, we need more Democrats. Sorry I couldn't resist, it was so easy..... We need to supply plane tickets too, first class, it's too far to walk across the border, even before the new fence. Jim

Well just add the cost to the 19 trillion national debt, no-one will notice.

[Bryman31]

its simple really............if the humidity part scares you, either 1. clean EVERYTHING daily.......or 2. dont use humidity. you CAN do without it.....it may take a while but you can do it......ive been on CPAP since 2006. been using it WITHOUT humidity since 2008. no humidity no nasty bacteria. simple. you still gotta clean but no moisture......no crud.

[SewTired]

This must be that slimy stuff that seemed to appear in my humidifier last summer. I solved the problem by emptying out the water and rinsing it every day. Walah... By the time the heat came on in the Fall, it was no longer a problem and I went back to my lazy methods of just filling the water tank to the fill line until the end of the week (and then emptying it and rinsing).

[Gasper62]

Walah ?