Do You Dump Out Your Distilled Water Daily?

[sydneybird]

Nope, I just add to it when needed and clean once a month if that. Seems perfectly clean.

[TooGroggy]

Not that I follow what should be done, but the idea behind dumping out the left over water or rinsing out the container if it's empty is that most water contains minerals and those minerals stay behind in the container as the water is used up. So the concentration of minerals increases as you use your humidifier. I don't think this interferes with the way the humidifier works but it does make cleaning the container more difficult.

Even if you are using distilled water, which presumably does not contain minerals, it is still a good idea to dump out the remaining water from a container which is heated. Warm water is a more effective growth medium for bacteria than room temperature water sitting in the bottle you bought from the store.

[Southernwind]

Thanks for asking the question.
The goal here has always been to implement a process that ensures complete sanitization of the system components prior to reuse. However, given my short time in therapy (approx 3 wks), I can only report the metric that weekly cleaning has been achieved with refills as needed during the week. As for a forecast for reaching the implementation goal, it is presently under review for possible revision of the cleaning frequency requirements. More to follow in future postings...

A little bit of jest in this response for sure, and thanks again, for posing the question. I do my best to keep it clean during the week, and ensure a good cleaning each weekend.

I'm enjoying and benefitting by the information that is being shared. Best of luck in your breathing adventure!
Southernwind

[OutaSync]

I just add water. I only dump water if I am packing to take a trip.

Me, too.

[SleepyCPAP]

Yes, I dump the leftover distilled water. I've figured out about how much my machine will use up each night, so it isn't much leftover. I suppose I could put it on plants instead of down the drain.
My routine:
Open chamber and dump water each morning upon awakening.
(And about once per week I then wash with baby shampoo, by hand.)
Rinse chamber with hot tap water. Shake out excess.
Place on towel, leave open to air dry.
Then before bed:
Fill to anticipated usage level with distilled water each evening.
Close chamber, and slide it into machine.

[rested gal]

I simply add more distilled water each night.

It's months and months and months before I ever dump it out, give it a quick slosh of soap or short soak with vinegar, and then start over just adding distilled water for months at a time again.

Stays crystal clear.

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[nosbig17]

When I was using distilled water I dumped, cleaned and dried the water chamber about once a quarter (three months). That was my first ten years of therapy. For the past four years I've followed the same routine with soft water. Now there is an accumulation of minerals and stuff but it doesn't stick to the tank. Used hard water for a while and it did stick.

Do whatever you think is best for your situation!

[sleepyprm]

I top off with distilled water when I can see that there's not enough left for the night, and wash out once a month or so with vinegar and a toothbrush.

[WestCoastCdnGrl]

I dump my tank water once a month, when I soak the tank in a 1:10 vinegar:water soak.

I only use distilled water, but I feel better if I soak the tank once a month, just to get rid of anything that might be in the water.

[KimberlyM]

Thank you for your responses! It is helpful to see what everyone else is doing.