CPAPtalk.com

palerider wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 11, 2018 12:35 am

:facepalm:

Makes a person wonder how or why so many people never bother to read anything beyond the first post in a thread doesn't it?

Never occurs to them that maybe, just maybe...somewhere in 3 pages of discussion at 15 posts per page that someone might have already offered "used distilled water"....and maybe, just maybe they might have seen where in this situation distilled isn't necessarily a viable option due to cost and availability.

Another pet peeve of mine...answer the question that was asked...which was "how to remove the mineral deposits"...
then maybe offer ideas on how to prevent the build up...but answer the original question first.

I had clearly underestimated how passionate the debate would get around the use of distilled water!

As things stand - and as was the point of me posting here in the first place - I want to remove some limescale from my humidifier and I want to try using lemon to do that. I'm very sensitive to smells and I don't like the smell of vinegar, hence why I thought I'd opt for using lemon this time (which was also what the sleep clinic suggested) and see how it goes.

So, if anyone can help me with my original question, that would be great - do I use juice, juice and water, do I rub the actual lemon flesh on the limescale? If I use liquid (juice or juice and water) is it best to use it hot or cold?

I've found tips for using lemon to descale kettles etc but that involves boiling the kettle so I'm not sure how that method translates to this. I'm thinking maybe hot water and lemon juice then pour it into the humidifier to soak for half an hour then rinse it all out?

I thought I explained how I would use the lemon juice ..but it probably got lost.

Don't try to use fresh lemons...you will need too many.

Just go buy a big bottle of the cheapest lemon juice you can find at the grocery store and pour it in the water chamber and let it sit and soak for a while.....don't use it all in first soak...might need a second soak.
Doesn't have to be heated.
Slosh it around and let it sit for about an hour...rinse well.
Evaluate results. If some scale is still present do a second soak but do a little bit of rubbing on the areas where the scale still remains...fingers, Q tip for hard to get into spots, some sort of soft abrasive (like nylon scrubber) might be needed.

Rinse well again...dry with paper towel.

Sorry if I missed your lemon-related reply before Pugsy! Thank you for these tips - I will do as you've suggested

As I mentioned before, I use vinegar just because it is handy and I don't notice the smell. We buy it by the gallons at Costco, cheap. My sleep tech also recommended it for use on the hose and mask, and said it would also act as a disinfectant. However if you smell it, at least for cleaning the reservoir, you could try citric acid powder. It is the same acid in lemon juice but probably less expensive without the mess of using lemon. Citric acid is what gives some candies the sweet and sour bite, and is used in some recipes for cooking where you want the sour without the vinegar taste/odour. It is used in home beer making, and you can buy it in reasonable quantities at a beer and wine making supply store. I keep a bucket of it on hand for cleaning the coffee maker, the dishwasher, and our front load washing machine.

That said, I think if I was in the UK and couldn't buy demineralized or distilled water I would buy one of those ZeroWater gizmos. No, they are not the cheapest way to get demin water, but if you can't buy it, then they may be reasonable. I think the economics for filter replacements are in the order of $1.25 per gallon of water. That is not much more than you would pay for it in a store, if you could buy it... Amazon in the UK has lots of them for sale.

ZeroWater at Amazon

Why do people keep pushing vinegar (because THEY use it) to someone who has repeatedly said that they absolutely hate vinegar odor when there is a viable alternative to at least try so that the stink of vinegar can be avoided?

And if I was in the UK...I would go buy the bottled water that Rick suggested...it's cheap and he uses it and it isn't a bad option and for what little clean up might be needed on occasion...lemon juice or vinegar is a cheap easy solution.

Why make mountains out of mole hills and confuse a newbie?

OP - The acid component in lemons is citric acid. Rather than buying lemon juice, you could just buy powdered citric acid in the canning section (I think) mix in water and use that. It is used to descale industrial boilers so it's up to the job, and has no odor at all!

I say vinegar because that's what I use and it works. That doesn't mean that it's right for everybody.

For US and Canadian users, I recommend distilled water. For other parts of the world, I don't know what's available.

D.H. wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 10, 2018 8:00 pm

First of all, I always use plain white vinegar to clean the tank of mineral deposits. Deposits only happen when I travel, as I use distilled water at home. I don't know what's available (or at what price) in the U.K. If you can't get distilled water, the next best choice is purified water. In any case, don't use any water than is unsafe to drink.

Maybe when you travel, you could hire someone to bring you distilled water, and use the vinegar on the food. Jim

Goofproof wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 11, 2018 10:13 am

D.H. wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 10, 2018 8:00 pm

First of all, I always use plain white vinegar to clean the tank of mineral deposits. Deposits only happen when I travel, as I use distilled water at home. I don't know what's available (or at what price) in the U.K. If you can't get distilled water, the next best choice is purified water. In any case, don't use any water than is unsafe to drink.

Maybe when you travel, you could hire someone to bring you distilled water, and use the vinegar on the food. Jim

Goof - how about you STOP saying unnecessary things... 99% of your posts are stupid and uncalled for. You manage to mess up every damn thread. And, if you hadn't noticed, D.H. completely ignores you -- which makes him a lot smarter than you.

Back to removing lime scale--in a pinch, one can crush a few cheap vitamin C tablets.
Then you can mix it with hot water for a soak, or simply scrub with it.
Fruit Fresh will also work--found in the canning supplies.

Pugsy wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 11, 2018 8:31 am

Why do people keep pushing vinegar (because THEY use it) to someone who has repeatedly said that they absolutely hate vinegar odor when there is a viable alternative to at least try so that the stink of vinegar can be avoided?

And if I was in the UK...I would go buy the bottled water that Rick suggested...it's cheap and he uses it and it isn't a bad option and for what little clean up might be needed on occasion...lemon juice or vinegar is a cheap easy solution.

Why make mountains out of mole hills and confuse a newbie?

Because Ron thinks the world revolves around him... he's got a pathologic to dribble into any conversation with his 'expertise'.

Note: I am no expert--just curious, and I like to share what I discover
with people who may or may not care.

I used Vinegar for my hose, craved Salt and Vinegar Potato chips that night.

Hubby loves sardines--I do not!
But when he opens a can, I will have ONE--just so I can stand his breath.