Will tap water damage my machine?

[chunkyfrog]

If I have to use water from an open well, I will boil it in case a chicken drowned in it.

[Gasper62]

If I have to use water from an open well, I will boil it in case a chicken drowned in it.

Add some celery and onions and invite me over !

[palerider]

How bout filling it with vodka

well, depending on the proof, ... vodka is mostly water.

you might get a bit of a buzz from the fumes, but I'd say that's unlikely.

[palerider]

I'm not acting as if I know everything and anything.

I am a newbie in the cpap world.

I spoke from experience, even for more than just 2 weeks on the machine.

Feel free to use our tap in Manila to see and taste what I mean.

I don't see any reason for a newbie trying to help out in every little way he can.

So chill masters.

Sent from hell

and, perhaps if you'd said "well, if you come to manila, don't drink the water! then your brief local experience could be relevant... but, since you didn't, it's not.

as to newbies helping out in every little way they can, the issue is that newbies, such as yourself are *ignorant* of so many things, and in their zeal to "be helpful" they spread their ignorance, thus perpetuating bad information, and possibly harming others.

Capiche?

[egzbuen]

I'm not acting as if I know everything and anything.

I am a newbie in the cpap world.

I spoke from experience, even for more than just 2 weeks on the machine.

Feel free to use our tap in Manila to see and taste what I mean.

I don't see any reason for a newbie trying to help out in every little way he can.

So chill masters.

Sent from hell

and, perhaps if you'd said "well, if you come to manila, don't drink the water! then your brief local experience could be relevant... but, since you didn't, it's not.

as to newbies helping out in every little way they can, the issue is that newbies, such as yourself are *ignorant* of so many things, and in their zeal to "be helpful" they spread their ignorance, thus perpetuating bad information, and possibly harming others.

Capiche?

Can you please explain how harmful the suggestion of getting bottled water and using it instead of tap?

Perhaps your the one whose ignorant on this respect, nay even on many levels.

You, or the others, could have simply posted or replied by saying I'm possibly, or I was positively, wrong instead of shooting me down with sarcasm left and right. If I'm wrong with my earlier post, then so be it and I apologize.

Perhaps we can add to the guidelines of this forum that newbies, if not sure with their posts, or as regards their personal experiences, should keep them to theirselves and let the masters like you do all the explaining and talking.

Come on, show some manners and respect please, even to newbies like me.

Sent from hell

[Cardsfan]

egs- I specifically asked if tap water would be safe for my machine and me instead of bottled. (I am not traveling outside the USA) I know distilled is preferred, then bottled. I want the convenience of using tap water on this trip if possible. If I have to buy anything, it would be distilled, so saying buy bottled won't solve my problem. I don't want to have to buy anything and haul it in and out of at least 20 different hotels in the next month. (long journey, many hotels). Using the water from the faucet would be ideal if it is safe to do.

[egzbuen]

egs- I specifically asked if tap water would be safe for my machine and me instead of bottled. (I am not traveling outside the USA) I know distilled is preferred, then bottled. I want the convenience of using tap water on this trip if possible.

Noted on this cardsfan.

Cheers.

Sent from hell

[Cardsfan]

Thanks for all the help to everyone who responded. I appreciate it. And welcome to the new people who join us

[egzbuen]

egs- I specifically asked if tap water would be safe for my machine and me instead of bottled. (I am not traveling outside the USA) I know distilled is preferred, then bottled. I want the convenience of using tap water on this trip if possible. If I have to buy anything, it would be distilled, so saying buy bottled won't solve my problem. I don't want to have to buy anything and haul it in and out of at least 20 different hotels in the next month. (long journey, many hotels). Using the water from the faucet would be ideal if it is safe to do.

I reckon tap in the CONUS is safe as mentioned here several times.

So it seems your good.

Sent from hell

[Pugsy]

Tap water won't hurt the machine...won't hurt the humidifier and at worst will just get a bit yucky looking from potential mineral deposits which might not happen at all (depends on the water).

Now it might smell yucky but that doesn't mean it hurts the machine. There's a town not too far from where I live that I might not want to use their water because it often has a high sulfur content and smells like rotten eggs on occasion. It's technically safe to drink and take a shower in and it won't physically harm the machine but I sure wouldn't want to be smelling it all night.

So if it is safe to drink and shower in...it's not going to harm the machine or humidifier to use it nor will it harm you.
If it stinks...it stinks but stinking doesn't mean it is harmful. It just means it stinks.

[Yank]

I am a 10yr veteran of the CPAP wars, with 100% compliance. I think this qualifies me to express the considered opinion that chlorinated tap water eats through aluminum water reservoir parts. Have replaced a few.
Y

[palerider]

Can you please explain how harmful the suggestion of getting bottled water and using it instead of tap?

Perhaps your the one whose ignorant on this respect, nay even on many levels.
... Come on, show some manners and respect please, even to newbies like me.

Sent from hell

it's a needless waste of time and money for people who don't live in hell.

respect is earned.

[verbatim]

it's a needless waste of time and money for people who don't live in hell.
respect is earned.

In an attempt to add value to this thread, I would summarize that the question is valid, and that the consensus (not unanimous though) is that tap water is fine (some may have carbonate deposits which are removed with acetic acid).

In addition, I would opine that there are these ways to know if that answer is correct:

• 1. Read the owners manual (to see what it says about the water to use)
• 2. Ask experienced users (which is what the OP has done) and weigh the invariably conflicting answers
• 3. Obtain, if possible, a water chemistry test report for your area
  
  I googled for water quality test reports, and found a few, but, they're just examples of what each individual might find for her area.
  For example, the New York EPA publishes this web site http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/drinki ... tate.shtml which contains this report:
  • NY City 2015 Drinking Water Supply and Quality Report at http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/pdf/wsstate15.pdf
  Another water chemistry report example is provided by the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission at https://www.wsscwater.com/water-quality ... eport.html
  • WSSC 2015 Water Quality Report at https://www.wsscwater.com/waterquality

For Sydney, Australia, you can look here:

• Sydney drinking water analysis at https://www.sydneywater.com.au/SW/water ... /index.htm

I'm not a chemist but I'm sure chemists are on this board who can advise the OP as to WHAT particularly to look for.
I would hazard a "guess" that excessive (to be determined what that means!) precipitating carbonates and sulfates could "clog" up the machinery (I'm not saying they will), but there may be other things to look carefully at in any water quality report, so, it would be nice if a chemist is on this board who can suggest what the ppm or % concentration is too high to use for a typical cpap machine.

I suspect, as do most people, that any water suitable for drinking is probably just fine (unless it's excessively laden thick with the carbonates, nitrates, sulfates, etc.) that can precipitate out and clog machinery.

However, I would summarize that the questions that the OP would want answered might be:

• Q1: What does the cpap manufacturer say about the water to use (and do they say why?)
• Q2: What is it that we're worried about anyway (is it simply discoloration? clogging? what?)
• Q3: What chemical and concentration limit would we be looking at in a water quality report (e.g., calcium carbonate greater than, oh, say, 25ppm, or whatever)?

[Gasper62]

I'd love to have which part of a PAP machine is susceptible to clogging explained............

[lordvader]

I stick to distilled water. Have used tap water before but only when it's all I have. Put tap water in your humidifier use it for a few days. The little floating particles will make you want to use distilled. If I was going overseas I would only use distilled.