humidifiers and water

UncleLeo · Post by **UncleLeo** » Fri Jan 26, 2007 1:40 am

Hello,

New to the group, and new to the cpap world. Just ordered my full set-up today and it's supposed to be here tomorrow.

Anyway, I'm getting a heated humidifier, and somewhere on here I have read that only distilled water should be used. I have a R/O drinking water system in my kitchen that I bought precisely so I wouldn't have to lug water from the store to my home anymore. Would water from my R/O system be clean enough, or should I stick with distilled water?

Thanks.

blarg · Post by **blarg** » Fri Jan 26, 2007 1:51 am

Mainly depends on how much you want to have to clean your resovoir.

It's debated pretty heavily around here, but pretty much the only problem with using tap water in your HH is the scale buildup on the resovior. Some have health issues (for instance if their tap water is heavily chlorinated). Your RO water would be much better than tap water, but still will leave more behind than distilled.

You can distill your own water, by the way.

pedroski · Post by **pedroski** » Fri Jan 26, 2007 3:58 am

Hi Leo,

Have a read through this thread:

viewtopic.php?p=129958&sid=232802b5f58c ... 5636ff7f9d

Peter

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Jan 26, 2007 7:11 am

The product of an R/O system can be nearly as pure as distilled water. The product of (most?) home R/O drinking water systems is not as pure as distilled water.

If the water you use in your himidifier contains dissolved solids, the minerals will be deposited on the inside of the humidifier water chamber. Much of this deposit can be removed with vinegar during the weekly cleaning. Over time, the deposits that aren't removed with vinegar will build up and eventually you will need to replace your humidifier water chamber.

Depending upon your humidifier the online price for a new water chamber can run over US$100. DME prices will be higher, and the cost may be covered by insurance. If you are using a Fisher and Paykel humidifier this is not a usually a problem as the chambers are inexpensive, disposable, normally covered by insurance, and should be replaced every six months anyway.

roster · Post by **roster** » Fri Jan 26, 2007 7:35 am

Assuming your water supply is chlorinated, I would want to know whether the R/O system removes all of the chlorine. As stated by many others, a jug of distilled water is so cheap and even with a high humidifier setting we only have to lug a gallon home from the grocery store about once per week.

As for chlorine see:

Source: Yahoo News by (taken from Reuters)
01-18-2007
Chlorinated water exposure may boost cancer risk
Spain - Drinking, bathing, or swimming in chlorinated water may increase the risk of bladder cancer, according to a study led by Dr. Cristina M. Villanueva of the Municipal Institute of Medical Research in Barcelona, Spain. Chlorine and other chemicals used to disinfect water can produce toxic byproducts such as the trihalomethanes (THM), which can be absorbed into the body through the skin or by inhalation. The researchers matched 1219 people with bladder cancer to 1271 people who didn't suffer from it, tracking their exposure to chlorinated water, and analyzed THM levels in the water of 123 municipalities. People living in households with an average THM level of more than 49 micrograms per liter had double the bladder cancer risk of those living in households where the concentration was below 8 micrograms per liter; those who drank chlorinated water had a 35% greater risk of bladder cancer than those who didn't and those who swam frequently in chlorinated pools had a 57% greater risk of bladder cancer.
- summary by Louise Shaler
Source: Yahoo News by (taken from Reuters)

I will stick with distilled water from WalMart.

snoregirl · Post by **snoregirl** » Fri Jan 26, 2007 7:45 am

I had to comment.

Most chambers for heated humidifiers are well under the $100 stated above.

In fact I only see one on CPAP.com's price list that is $99. Depending on your machine it could be $25 or slightly more. Mine is a Respironics tank which is $25 and I have bought one.

So before you make any decisions based on price of humidifier chamber go look up your machine and see what yours costs.

I am not saying you shouldn't used distilled water if possible, but just wanted to add to the comment on pricy chambers.

SleepGuy · Post by **SleepGuy** » Fri Jan 26, 2007 4:08 pm

There's absolutely nothing wrong with distilled water but in my opinion RO water should be 99.99% as good as distilled.

This is not a question of sterility--sterile water is not needed in CPAPs. See this thread for a reference to the medical study concluding that ordinary tap water is just fine: viewtopic.php?t=16115&highlight=sleepguy

But, tap water contains minerals that may leach onto your humidifier basin. And some people find the chlorine and other tapwater smells to be objectionable.

For me I've reverted to just using ordinary tap water but also have RO and it works fine. No need to be one of those people taking a taxi to WalMart to buy a gallon of distilled water at 11 pm when you're on a business trip.....

S-Dubya · Post by **S-Dubya** » Mon Jan 29, 2007 4:06 pm

Been using straight tap water for about 3 years now. Not a single problem. I do get the mineral deposits in the chamber, but a vinegar soak every 2 weeks takes care of those. My insurance allows me to get a new chamber every 6 months, but I usually only get a new one every year or so.

The only real concern should be if you have high chlorine in your water. Minerals cannot evaporate and therefore there is not worry of breathing them. Chlorine evaporates very easily so if you have a lot of it in your water it may be an irritant.

Mask	Humidifier