brown spots in humidfier ????

[newname]

I use only distilled water. Why would I get these brown spots in the water? I'm going to wash it in vinegar and water, but I thought distilled water kept it clean. What could these things be?

[Judy in CA]

Don't have any idea but anxious to hear from the experts!

[Pugsy]

I would suspect brown spots floating in water or sticking to sides of the tank are probably some form of mold or algae.
When was the last time it was just rinsed out and allowed to air dry?
There are mold spores floating around in the air we breathe. It would not be impossible for a few to make their way into the tank.

[Otter]

Even if you use a fine filter, some particles will get through. If you don't change the water every day, this stuff could build up enough to give bacteria or fungi something to eat. And if light gets into the chamber, you could have algae even in very clean water. Some species can get most of what they need from the air.

Since you know there's something living in there, you might want to use a disinfectant after the vinegar, just to be sure.

After you get it clean, try dumping the distilled every day and running the machine for three minutes or so to dry it out. And if you're not using the finest filter available for your machine, try that too. The less that gets in the less there will be to feed the little brown beasties.

[GumbyCT]

I use only distilled water. Why would I get these brown spots in the water? I'm going to wash it in vinegar and water, but I thought distilled water kept it clean. What could these things be?

A picture is worth a thousand replies.

[HoseCrusher]

If the air in your house is not sterile, and/or if you filter is not perfect, you can introduce "things" into your humidifier tank.

If the water in the tank warms up to around 100 F or a little higher, "things" can grow. If the water temperature gets up to around 125 F, "things" can grow really fast. It's kind of along the similar lines to leaving cold food out on the counter for an extended period of time. When the sun hits the food, it can go bad quickly.

Distilled water lets you start with water that has no "things" in it, but some "things" can contaminate it after a nights use. If you change your water before use each night, you limit the opportunity for the various "things" to colonize.

One way to keep the various "things" at bay is to empty your humidifier tank each morning and let it dry out, then put fresh distilled water in it at night just before you go to bed. You don't have to fill the tank up, but only need to put as much as you normally use in a night.

[archangle]

Open up the humidifier tank, put it in an empty dishwasher and clean it on the hottest, longest cycle it will do. I did my legacy humidifiers every week for years with no problems.

Double check your air filters and be sure they're not out of place letting air seep through around the filters. Change the filters on time.

Is this a one time incident or has it happened before?

[newname]

I guess its me. I followed the advice of some people who said to just top off the humidifier water each day. I've been too negligent, I hope I didn't give myself some disease. I'll have to empty it every morning. I think I'll throw out this one and use a new one.

[newname]

I just went and washed my humidifier and mask and it's air drying on a clean towel right now. It took me all of 5 minutes!!!!!!!
This will be my new morning routine. I just used dishwashing liquid and hot water, I hope that's enough or maybe I should have used vinegar?
Listen to this one: I'm allergic to mold and I think this brown stuff has to be mold!!!! YUCK.
Now I'm wondering if mold get in the hose? I don't wash it often because it takes forever to dry out and I didn't want water droplets going into my lungs. Maybe water would be better than mold!!!!!!!

Any suggestions to get me better cpap hygiene would be appreciated. Thanks

[archangle]

I guess its me. I followed the advice of some people who said to just top off the humidifier water each day. I've been too negligent, I hope I didn't give myself some disease. I'll have to empty it every morning. I think I'll throw out this one and use a new one.

Having a spare humidifier tank is an excellent idea in any case.

Before you throw the old tank away, just dishwash the old one. Or if you're really paranoid, after you get the new tank, bring a big pot of water to a boil, turn off the heat, disassemble the old tank and throw the parts into the water for 2-3 minutes. After it cools, inspect it and see if it still holds water. It will be mold free. Sit it aside to dry for a week. At worst, you end up throwing the old tank like you were planning to in the first place.

Get a new hose. Dishwash the old one, then hook it up to the faucet, and run the hottest water you can through it. Shake as much water as you can out of the hose. Hook the hose up to your machine with no water in the humidifier. Run long enough to make the visible droplets go away, and then hang the hose up for a week to dry with the ends hanging down. You can also just get two new hoses and clean each one this way each week.

I think that letting any humidifier, hose, or mask parts sit clean and dry every other week is a great way to keep mold or some other organisms from growing on them.

Don't be afraid of the dishwasher. Just have a spare of whatever the part is and replace it when it gets grungy, fragile, or whatever. If you find some part that doesn't react well to the dishwasher, just don't dishwash it in the future. I don't mix dishes and CPAP in the same load.

Vinegar is recommended at least in part to remove minerals that accumulate in the tank from tap water. Vinegar also has some antiseptic effects. Since you can eat food with vinegar in it, you can be pretty sure that small amounts of vinegar residue aren't going to be harmful to you.

[LoQ]

I guess its me. I followed the advice of some people who said to just top off the humidifier water each day.

You've placed your health in the hands of random strangers on the Internet. What could go wrong?

I'm so sorry. Stay well!