Oddly, All Distilled Waters Are Not Equal

[KSMike]

I haven't used anything but Great Value from Wal-Mart for two years now. No pink stuff, no residue, no problems.

[idamtnboy]

I haven't used anything but Great Value from Wal-Mart for two years now. No pink stuff, no residue, no problems.

Must depend on where you live. DW is one of those commodities, like milk, that WM buys from suppliers close to their distribution centers. So DW from one WM isn't necessarily the same as DW from another WM .

[Kody]

Wow, just when you think some parts of this therapy are no brainer's you read something like this!

We have also been using the Walmart brand for almost a year with apparently no problems, however we also dump it every morning, let it dry out and refill every night with fresh substandard Distilled water, so who knows.. Thanks for the tip though, maybe if I buy premium Distilled Water it will lower my AHI.... humm.. I see a new niche product developing with wild unsubstantiated claims aimed at sleep deprived people

[linagee]

Almost every Walmart out there does their distillation process in-state, not from one central distributor. Read the fine print. Typically it comes from your local tap and is distilled and filtered. The funny part is, the purity of the water is quoted at a NATIONAL level. So basically, if every minimum wage junkie in the warehouse where the actual distillation machine is does their job correctly, you should probably get 100% distilled water. If they forget to change the end filter or clean out the distillation equipment correctly, you can get a bad batch. I have no idea of how tight their quality control is on this. Think of the purpose most people use distilled water for - filling clothes irons and car radiators. Not something that's going to kill you if you have a very small amount of contamination. (People have died from dirty netipots, however.) Someone needs to make an all-glass HOME distiller that doesn't look like a chemistry set. (They have home ones, but they are made of plastic and there is no final filtration stage.) Sometimes you can only know something is done right when you do it yourself. (Can you tell I'm a bit peeved at Walmart? They stripped the threads on my oil pan and didn't tell me they just patched it up with some sort of spring coil. $600 later out of my own pocket....)

In other happier news, I have achieved a night of 0.0 AHI for the second time since I've started CPAP a year ago. Low-carb diet and a small amount of daily vigorous aerobic exercise can do wonders!

[sewsleepy]

I appreciate this topic, some nights I do have trouble with my nose getting really irritated and I do switch brands depending on what store I'm shopping at, I think I will start checking and see if there's any correlation. I never thought to question the water.

I used to wash out my tank every day but after realizing that it was perfectly clean already, I started washing it weekly. After awhile I realized it did not even really need that washing so I just rinse and shake it out and set it out to dry each day and I have never had anything grow in it.

[rocklin]

How are you supposed to clean your tank if you can't use soap?

Boiling water.

[-tim]

Any slime is most likely a fungus. The odd thing is most new "anti-bacterial" soaps are worse at killing fungus than normal soap and water.

Distilled water comes in lots of versions such as demineralized or flash evaporated or reverse osmosis or steam condensation. True distilled water is very reactive to everything (pure water can dissolve things like the grand canyon). I'm guessing most of the cheap stuff is just very well filtered water (i.e. reverse osmosis). I was using the wall mart distilled while I was visiting my parents who use it in their machines I've always used tap water but I've got very good tap water here just down hill from the filter plant.

Remember that anything that is growing in a nice moist environment won't like to be dried out.

[avi123]

Home Water Distillers:

http://www.h2olabs.com/

http://www.h2olabs.com/p-55-stainless-s ... 300ss.aspx

[akeegan]

I have used Walmart distilled water for some time with no problems at all. It is bottled by Premium Waters in Ft. Worth, Texas. The label states, "PROCESSED BY: Steam Distillation, Carbon Filtration, Reverse Osmosis, Ultraviolet Treatment, Microfiltration, Ozonation." But I intend to check out other brands in the future. Thanks for the heads up.

I have used Johnson's Baby Shampoo on all my plastic equipment for years with no problem. I soak my S8 H4i dehumidifier with a squirt of Johnson's in the sink with hot water for about 30 minutes, empty it, then run cold water into it for about two or three minutes. Never any problems. Smells great for days.

[greatunclebill]

I have used Walmart distilled water for some time with no problems at all. It is bottled by Premium Waters in Ft. Worth, Texas. The label states, "PROCESSED BY: Steam Distillation, Carbon Filtration, Reverse Osmosis, Ultraviolet Treatment, Microfiltration, Ozonation." But I intend to check out other brands in the future. Thanks for the heads up.

I have used Johnson's Baby Shampoo on all my plastic equipment for years with no problem. I soak my S8 H4i dehumidifier with a squirt of Johnson's in the sink with hot water for about 30 minutes, empty it, then run cold water into it for about two or three minutes. Never any problems. Smells great for days.

my walmart water in L.A. (lower alabama), brand name great value, is bottled by mountain pure water in, get this: Magee mississippi. source of water is municipal water system. population 5,000 tells you about the municipal water source and elevation 433ft tells you about how high of a mountain the water comes from. LOL....... it looks to me that walmart water is bought and distributed from regional sources. i've used mine forever and will continue.

[RipVW]

A few years ago I purchased a water distiller--no more distilled water worries when you "brew" your own water. And, I never worry about running out. Just make a gallon whenever I'm running low.

[macewa]

My DME told me not to use soap on my machine, but to use vinegar.

Also, I use Wal Mart distilled water and have been since I got my BiPap mid-September 2011. I have never had anything in the water or left behind in the humidifier.

How are you supposed to clean your tank if you can't use soap? (I'm getting my machine in a couple of weeks.) I'm assuming it has to be cleaned everyday? What do you clean it with? TIA!

I use distilled white vinegar to clean all my equipment, including the humidifier. I use about 1 or 2 parts vinegar to 10 parts water or so.

[Kody]

Someone else mentioned minimum wage High School Kids at Walmart making this stuff. That might be fine if I'm just using it in my car battery, but if I have to breath in heated vapors I may want to play it a little more safe.
After closer inspection of the label from my Distilled water, I'm getting a little leery...

[ClayL]

I too appreciate the heads up. I usually buy my distilled water at the grocery store where I do my shopping. I did buy a few gallons when I was at Walmart recently. Just to be on the safe side, I'm dumping it out. I've never had a problem and I'd like to keep it that way! I thought that distilled water was just that... wherever you purchased it.

I have been using distilled water from Walmart for five years with no problems.

[moondoggy]

Home Water Distillers:

http://www.h2olabs.com/

http://www.h2olabs.com/p-55-stainless-s ... 300ss.aspx

So.... If you use one of these machines, how long does it take to generate enough water to fill your tank at night? Also I noted that they have a number of models but I don't know why you would pick one over another? In addition, do you use the excess water for drinking or only for your CPAP equipment? I'd really appreciate how you use this machine in general as I may consider ordering one.