Obsession with distilled water

EPA won't limit toxic pollutant in drinking water
By ERICA WERNER
Associated Press
September 22, 2008

WASHINGTON - The Environmental Protection Agency has decided there's no need to rid drinking water of a toxic rocket fuel ingredient that has fouled public water supplies around the country. EPA reached the conclusion in a draft regulatory document not yet made public but reviewed Monday by The Associated Press.

The ingredient, perchlorate, has been found in at least 395 sites in 35 states at levels high enough to interfere with thyroid function and pose developmental health risks, particularly for babies and fetuses, according to some scientists.

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Ah, the fresh smell of perchlorate in our hoses!

The AP is the one who appears to have an obsession with tap water.
But this is certainly interesting to read -- and think about.

Me, I'll stick to distilled water in my HH.

xyz wrote:EPA won't limit toxic pollutant in drinking water
By ERICA WERNER
Associated Press
September 22, 2008

WASHINGTON - The Environmental Protection Agency has decided there's no need to rid drinking water of a toxic rocket fuel ingredient that has fouled public water supplies around the country. EPA reached the conclusion in a draft regulatory document not yet made public but reviewed Monday by The Associated Press.

The ingredient, perchlorate, has been found in at least 395 sites in 35 states at levels high enough to interfere with thyroid function and pose developmental health risks, particularly for babies and fetuses, according to some scientists.

----------

Ah, the fresh smell of perchlorate in our hoses!

The AP is the one who appears to have an obsession with tap water.
But this is certainly interesting to read -- and think about.

Me, I'll stick to distilled water in my HH.

Just read the article today. If I remember way back when, a toxic fund was set up to deal with this type of pollutant, but this administration's way of dealing with catastrophic failures is to through up there hands and say "to hell with it, nature will take care of it". After all whats good for Corporate America is good for Americans or something to that affect. It's the old supply side trickle down theory at work, aren't we lucky.

Dan

Just my two cents worth, I've been on Bi-pap since May of 06'. I use the Respironics Bi-pap Pro2 with the heated chamber and Hybrid mask. My rule of thumb is using distilled water and topping the chamber off for five nights. I clean my mask, hose and chamber every five days

with Dawn soap and soak in a solution of 1part vinager to 3 parts water. (I don't use dawn in the hose, just vinager/watermix.) So in the time since May of 06' I have washed my equipment around 170 times. There has not been any wear and tear on the chamber(seal) and hose,

using the original equipment, still looks like new. The only thing I have changed is the silicone seal for the mask. I'm somewhat astounded that people go for weeks or months without cleaning. I guess if you are not having any health problems it's what works for you. Just keep in

mind that there is constant air pressure on your sinus cavity and membranes and the more sterile you keep your equipment the better. Before Bi-pap, I seemed to get a bad sinus infection once a year, but since I have not had any (knock on wood). Happy sleeping!

That's it!! I'm taking better control of my health!! No more water for this girl.... I'm switching to Jack Daniel's!!!!

Marsha

Marsha,

Is that the new Pur-Sleep scent?

HA!! Not a bad idea.

Marsha

Hello yes---I'm one of them---I strictly use distilled water!! My water chamber itself as well as the water in it can stay crystal clear and not need "cleaning" for weeks and months at a time. I rarely dump the unused distilled water out. I just add more distilled water every evening before bedtime --works great!!!
Carrie

I guess I should throw in my experiences with the HH and distilled water....

I use distilled water exclusively!!! No deviation from that, but after a few months I note that the chamber starts to get a "sour" odor (especially if I forget to re-fill it and it gets down to near empty) and I have noticed some "floaters" in the chamber. At that point I take it apart, clean it, dry it and then re-assemble -- this only seems to happen about every 5-6 months or so -- but this thread has prompted me to think about using some Control III disinfectant to ensure I kill " all dem little bugs" that may be lurking in there. I also believe that allowing it to dry completely is a good idea!!!
I do have like 4 chambers to rotate through. I just started with #3 as new, so I figure sometime in February it'll need changing again.....each time I get supplies from my DME I always ask for a new chamber -- just for GP......

I've still got the HC150 HH and tank that I've got new in a box until I get space on my table to put it in -- so in the meantime I'm still using the integrated HH in my M-series.....One of these days!!!!

cheers
goose

After conducting a search, I came across this older post as I wanted to know what all the hype was about using distilled water in our humidifiers.

Some of you have stated that you re-use your humidifier's distilled water from the night before and simply top it off as the water level diminishes. If this procedure is performed using a heated humidifier, it can only yield negative results.

Anytime heated stagnant water comes into contact with oxygen, bacteria can develop. This applies to any of the waters we all know of including the distilled type. Varying factors such as ambient room temperature, light and relative humidity also play an important role in determining how long water (distilled or not) can last before spoiling. Remember, distilled water is not sterilized water.

Most of the humidifiers that are used in our devices use the evaporation process. Air simply passes over a body of water and by using some stimulated turbulence, will promote water evaporation. Since our humidity requirements are minor, these humidifiers do not require the boiling of water or using ultrasonic methods to create vapor. Both of the latter methods do however require the use of distilled water to prevent the buildup of mineral deposits and sediment at the bottom of the water tank.

The manufacturer of any medical appliance understands the continuing need for cleanliness and will promote the use of distilled water in their appliance; more so in the event of potential liability towards them.

In my opinion, provided that the user's city water is not laden with heavy mineral deposits, the only advantage of using distilled water over tap water would be to reduce the amount of water tank cleaning frequencies. If the manufacturer's cleaning directions are observed and followed and your local city tap water is considered "normal" with respect to minerals, I personally see no reason why distilled water should solely be used in our humidifiers.

Incidentally, most H20 replacement reservoirs or tubs for our humidifiers run anywhere from $18 to $35 depending on make and model. At this price, I would even consider replacing it annually. My $0.02 worth.

http://www.cpapplus.com/CPAP_Humidifier ... sembly.htm

The manuf recommends using nothing but distilled water. Who has tap water w/o minerals? Yea, right!!!
I think you have a much better chance of growing bacteria from tap water but its your call.

What you read was what people found to work for them. Should you choose to do something different is your choice and will not affect what others will do.