why do I need distilled water?

[BlackSpinner]

I think it depends on your local water supply. When I tried tap water here in Los Angeles, I had what I'd call a mineral stench in my nostrils afterward. I used tap water for a one night stay in Florida, and didn't have any problems.

Yes When I was living in Montreal I used tap water but here in Edmonton the tap water smells funny to me. Plus now I have access to a car and buying gallons of water in the winter is no longer an extreme sport of weight lifting while skating or slogging through snow and slush.

[Slartybartfast]

You know, people have asked this question numerous times, and as a professional chemist for the past 30 years, I have always felt it's my responsibility to educate the unwashed masses about the difference between distilled, deionized, demineralized and purified water. And until fairly recently, out of principle and contrariness, I've used plain old ordinary tap water. But I got tired of cleaning the salt residue from the 700 ppm todal dissolved solids that the Metropolital Water District includes in our water here in southern California free of charge. So after the last cleaning with white vinegar, I started lugging a couple empty Arizona Ice Tea bottles, which are made of thick polyethylene, to work once a month or so, and I now fill them up from the ASTM Type 1 water tap in my lab.

The only difference I've noticed is not needing to clean the humidifier reservoir, and the absence of the odor of tap water, which in some areas can be surprisingly smelly.

So I'm changing my standard advice to "Use distilled, deionized or demineralized water, if only because it will keep your humidifer cleaner and your humidified air odor-free."

[cosmo]

I swear, I'm going to sponsor a little kid's science fair to see if bacteria in water can be atomize down a 6ft tube

[MariaBell]

To spend some money to get distilled water is always worth. Even I don't like compromising with this at all.

[bearcatx16]

I chose to use distilled water, because I chose not to clean my tank.

[Hose_Head]

I used to use distilled water. Stopped that when I installed a reverse osmosis system in my house. I now use the RO water exclusively. The RO water is not distilled quality, but it has much lower dissolved salts than normal tap water (in my case, well-water) I've found that a 20 minute soak of the tank in vinegar about once every 3 months or so is all that's needed to keep the humidifier tank in spanking new condition.

For the unitiated, reverse osmosis is a kind of ultra filtration system. It's used to desalinate seawater to drinking water standards in some arid nations. Bacteria and viruses cannot get by it.

My RO unit produces up to about 10 gallons of water per day. I use RO water for drinking as well as my cpap.

[claustrophopic]

So I'm changing my standard advice to "Use distilled, deionized or demineralized water, if only because it will keep your humidifer cleaner and your humidified air odor-free."

I have been told that DI water is very corrosive on metals. The ResMed S9 Autoset has an aluminum water tank. Wouldn't DI water eventually eat this up?

[zoocrewphoto]

<snip> Many of us top off our humidifier tanks for 3 or 4 days before dumping and cleaning, and this practice is safer with distilled water. No one wants to get ill by breathing into his lungs the bacteria and mold that can grow quickly in heated tap water.

Glad to hear I'm not the only one topping off! Otherwise, I'd be using about a gallon a week.

When I first started, I was draining it each day and starting fresh. I never once saw a dry tank. So, I didn't see any point in draining it. I just top it off. I do use distilled water. Once when I was out, I used regular bottled drinking water.

I do not trust our tap water. It tastes nasty. I used to use ice from the freezer (which goes through a filter), but my cooler kept smelling bad. I finally realized it was the ice that smelled bad. If I have to use it, I will put it in ziplock bags. I bought some blue ice, so I usually just use that. If I am on a long trip, I will use hotel ice or buy a bag of ice. But I will not use our home ice. Other people seem to drink it just fine, but I can't stand it. I buy bottled water and keep it in my fridge for drinking water. If I won't drink it, I certainly don't want to put it in my lungs. I am already sensitive with allergies and asthma.