Um, not sure how to take apart H2) humidifier for cleaning

So I read the manual for the Puritan Bennett H2O humidifier and it says I'm supposed to remove AND take apart the reservoir for daily cleaning. For this purpose it shows a little plastic tool that looks sort of like a guitar pick. I don't seem to have that; maybe I tossed it accidentally with the packaging.

Do I really need to take the reservoir apart (looks like just two pieces that snap together, right?)? Can I use a dime or a quarter? Do I have to take up guitar?

I have the "guitar pick" and after the first morning I just threw it in the bag and ignored it.

I use my bare hands (I leave bear hands in the forest) and pry the clear plastic off the aluminum plate by brute force (I use force and don't call me a brute!) after emptying the leftover water. I then throroughly dry the interior using a handy towl (i.e. any towel that is at hand) and press the two halves together again, ready for the next night.

You only need to take it apart to dry it. I know what nasties can grow in water so I do this every morning.

I bet a quarter would work at least as well as the supplied "tool".

I do the same as Bill. My RT gave me the Pick but said he experimented and it was really easier to use just your fingers. There is gap in the plastic where the aluminum plate is and you put your thumb on that and push down at the same time pulling the tank up. Sometimes helps to put it between your legs or up against your body.

as long as you're able to open it use what you can.

once a week opening to clean should do. daily drain in am and leave it up side down.

I have only cleaned mine twice in the last 9 months. Once when I had to use tap water for a few days and last week when a had a cockroach in the hose. If you use distilled or purified water you shouldn't have any problems.

Be careful with the towel when you dry it. Mold grows on organic matter. Any lint left in the tank will be lost of little mold hotels waiting for occupancy.

[quote="chrisp"]I have only cleaned mine twice in the last 9 months. Once when I had to use tap water for a few days and last week when a had a cockroach in the hose. If you use distilled or purified water you shouldn't have any problems.

Be careful with the towel when you dry it. Mold grows on organic matter. Any lint left in the tank will be lost of little mold hotels waiting for occupancy.

I use only distilled water. I don't dump the water out in the mornings -- adding more distilled water as needed. I rarely clean the humidifier water chamber and wouldn't take a chamber apart even then. Both the chamber and the water seem to stay crystal clear for months at a time. No problems yet.

There has been lots of debate on this forum about the necessity of dumping water / cleaning the tank. I've said this a bunch of times before and will probably say it again. DISTILLED WATER IS NOT STERILE. If you don't believe this, take a look at the label on the jug of distilled water -if it was sterile, it would be labeled as sterile.

Nasty things can, and do, grow in any warm, moist environment. Mould, fungus and other nasty crap that you don't want to be breathing into your lungs. Admitedly, lots of folk leave the water in their humidifier tank and just top it up each night without any problem. For me, it just makes sense to dump the tank in the morning and let it dry out during the day. In the evening, I pour in the amount of water that I usually use during a regular 8 hour night. As such, I'm usually only dumping out a very small amount of water in the morning.

I don't bother taking the H2O tank apart, I just turn it over and let the water pour out. Once a week, I squirt in some dish soap, add some water, shake the tank well and then rinse the tank really well.