Floating white "scum" in my humidifier

Get one of the newer tanks for the S9 that you can take apart and clean. https://www.cpap.com/productpage/resmed ... amber.html

Get two of the dishwashable tanks. Dishwash one each week, and sit it aside to dry until it's time to dishwash the next one and swap the tanks out.

I understand that all new ResMed S9 tanks are openable, but only one model is listed as dishwashable. If you buy one of the "non-washable" tanks, you might get the older design.

You can actually open up the older "non-openable" tanks as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scg8Nc9LkRo

It's not as easy as the guy in the video makes it look, but I open mine up every other week when it's CPAP washing time. I had to pry on it a little to release the little snap things on the side. You might want to wait until after you buy a replacement tank. I was a little nervous about breaking it.

I dishwash my older style non-washable, non-openable tank, and haven't seen any problems.

Even if you don't dishwash them, the openable tanks are much easier to clean well.

Thank you for those replies!

I will do both.

I did see that video before as well, and attempted to open my tank by prying but even prying hard nothing was happening so gave up before I broke out, so think I will wait until I get the new one good advice

Jayjonbeach wrote:Thank you for those replies!

I will do both.

I did see that video before as well, and attempted to open my tank by prying but even prying hard nothing was happening so gave up before I broke out, so think I will wait until I get the new one good advice

When prying, you need to realize you're trying to lift the slots up over the edge of the little tabs, if that comment makes sense. One corner of the tank is cut off at a 45 degree angle. It works best to start from the opposite corner from that.

ksp wrote:Thanks for the responses. If there is "nothing" in distilled water, then what the heck is that stuff? Seems like I only get that stuff under certain conditions.

The machine has a 2 micron filter. Many things are smaller than 2 microns. As well, if there is a gap bigger than 2 microns due to the quality of the particular filter or the manner it is installed - well bigger things get in.

First they attache to the moving, and therefore static electricity charged fan (move air - get charge). They build up - maybe even grow some mould or fungus - then get too big to stay on the fan and fly off into your tank. For that matter about the same thing happens in parts of the fans air chamber.

The stuff is organic and likely has a good start on growing as I mentioned so - after a few days - scum begins.

I use a bit of soap and water - along with a cloth and some q-tips to scrub it all out - rinse - then the vinegar and let it be in there for at least fifteen minutes - then rinse well.

Have a great week!

Todzo

are you using tap water to clean the equipment ?...this may be where your scum is coming from the hard water....you can use tap water but make sure you rinse or even spray vinegar into your chamber to kill/remove scum cause by hard water and then rinse with distilled water...I have found out that using distilled water for cleaning all cpap is the best...you for sure need to change them filters more often, it will interrupt your air flow and make the machine to work harder to maintain the proper pressure=TKS+FA

are you using tap water to clean the equipment ?...this may be where your scum is coming from the hard water....you can use tap water but make sure you rinse or even spray vinegar into your chamber to kill/remove scum cause by hard water and then rinse with distilled water...I have found out that using distilled water for cleaning all cpap is the best...you for sure need to change them filters more often, it will interrupt your air flow and make the machine to work harder to maintain the proper pressure=TKS+FA

I must be obsessive/compulsive. I flip my chamber out of my machine every morning; leave the door open so that the machine can dry out; take my 2 hoses and mask and wash everything with baby shampoo and tap water. This takes 5-10 mins. tops. Everything air dries. I am blessed to have R/O water at my sink. At night fresh R/O water in the tank; I also have a second set of hoses (accumulated along the way) so I use a different set every night. I also change the external filter (white) every couple of weeks; wash foam weekly.

If I was getting scum in that chamber, I surely would refrigerate the distilled H2O. After you open it, could anything be contaminating it? Animals? I have a fluffy white dog who sleeps with us so I keep an eye on my stuff for any contributions he might be thinking about. I had pneumonia once; I have several auto-immune "contributions" to my body so anything that goes in I would like to be clean. We live across from a creek which is probably mold heaven maybe that's why I'm such a nut-- anyway that's my way. Good luck.

Lynda

The problem with distilled water is that certain bacteria, Psuedomonas, being one, can live in it and use the plastic container for their carbon source. So they don't really need anything to live on except the container. The bacterium grows in a slimy layer on surfaces and the slime protects the colony from soap and even bleach. You have to physically disrupt the slime by scrubbing it in order to get rid of it.

Once you have Pseudomonas growing in a water system they are very difficult to eradicate. Getting a new, humidifier reservoir is probably your best bet. Keep one for use and the other one washed and dry and ready for use, and swap them out periodically. And dump the 3 gallon container and water and buy distilled or deionized water in 1 gallon containers, and don't keep them around any longer than you have to. If you reuse the same container and refill it, it will eventually develop a slimy layer of Pseudomonas or one of the other bacteria and you're back where you started.

Slartybartfast wrote:The problem with distilled water is that certain bacteria, Psuedomonas, being one, can live in it and use the plastic container for their carbon source. So they don't really need anything to live on except the container. The bacterium grows in a slimy layer on surfaces and the slime protects the colony from soap and even bleach. You have to physically disrupt the slime by scrubbing it in order to get rid of it.

Well I got brave last night and managed to pry the tank open without damaging it (it wasn't too hard actually it turned out) and I can tell you that there is likely NO way anything short of scrubbing was going to take the 'scum' off, it was on there but good so I'd agree (or using something so aggressive that it also ruins the tank).

Now it looks squeeeeeeeeky clean and just like new again!

archangle wrote:I dishwash my older style non-washable, non-openable tank, and haven't seen any problems.

Do you also put the part with the gasket on it into the dishwasher.

The dishwasher safe tank has the gasket on a separte piece.
Do you also put that piece in the dishwasher.

I have put my dishwasher safe tank in the dishwasher, but left out the part with the gasket.
I was afraid the extreme heat would do something to the gasket.

Are my fears unwarranted?

StuUnderPressure wrote:

archangle wrote:I dishwash my older style non-washable, non-openable tank, and haven't seen any problems.

Do you also put the part with the gasket on it into the dishwasher.

The dishwasher safe tank has the gasket on a separte piece.
Do you also put that piece in the dishwasher.

I have put my dishwasher safe tank in the dishwasher, but left out the part with the gasket.
I was afraid the extreme heat would do something to the gasket.

Are my fears unwarranted?

The gasket should be fine. It's most likely either neoprene or silicone rubber. To be safe, I think I'd remove and hand-wash the gasket and leave it out to dry while the dishwasher is running.

Slartybartfast wrote:The problem with distilled water is that certain bacteria, Psuedomonas, being one, can live in it and use the plastic container for their carbon source. So they don't really need anything to live on except the container. The bacterium grows in a slimy layer on surfaces and the slime protects the colony from soap and even bleach. You have to physically disrupt the slime by scrubbing it in order to get rid of it.

Once you have Pseudomonas growing in a water system they are very difficult to eradicate. Getting a new, humidifier reservoir is probably your best bet. Keep one for use and the other one washed and dry and ready for use, and swap them out periodically. And dump the 3 gallon container and water and buy distilled or deionized water in 1 gallon containers, and don't keep them around any longer than you have to. If you reuse the same container and refill it, it will eventually develop a slimy layer of Pseudomonas or one of the other bacteria and you're back where you started.

So your telling us that the PAP manufacturers produce scum producing PAPs!

Say it ain't so!!

From time to time I use O3 to oxidize some of the material that deposits in the air handing parts we cannot reach. Especially the first night after doing this becoming less over the next few days I will wake up to find a cloudy tank.

I think the O3, as one would expect, oxidizes the material in the parts and they get moved when the air starts moving again.

The odor from the PAP goes from moldy to fresh.

I have worked with air handling machines for many years. Filters help but...

Have a great week!

Todzo

StuUnderPressure wrote:

archangle wrote:I dishwash my older style non-washable, non-openable tank, and haven't seen any problems.

Do you also put the part with the gasket on it into the dishwasher.

The dishwasher safe tank has the gasket on a separte piece.
Do you also put that piece in the dishwasher.

I have put my dishwasher safe tank in the dishwasher, but left out the part with the gasket.
I was afraid the extreme heat would do something to the gasket.

Are my fears unwarranted?

I've done it every other week for 6 months or so with my disposable S9 tank and also with the dishwashable tank. For a year or so before that with my PRS1 tanks. For several years before that with Legacy Resmed tanks. No obvious damage yet. Some of the older ones have some very slight "frosting" of the aluminum or plastic parts. Nothing that I would worry about.

I do usually not do the heated air dry, but I've accidentally done that a few times. I keep the hot water HOT!! in my house and use the "sanitize" setting on my dishwasher that heats the water.

Actually, both the S9 dishwashable and older style disposable tank have the gasket on an separate plastic piece that forms a flat divider between the plastic and metal parts of the tank. There's no obvious difference other than one gasket is blue plastic and the other one is black plastic. I don't know if that's due to the different tank type, or just that the tanks were made at different times. I do not have one of the newer openable "non-dishwashable" tanks.

On the S9 tanks, the worst you're likely to do is ruin the plastic parts of the tank. All the water in an S9 tank sits inside the metal cup, so that wouldn't make it leak and ruin your humidifier. On the PRS tanks, if the seal between metal and plastic on the bottom was ruined, it might leak.

Get a spare tank, because it's good to have one anyway, and then you can let them dry for a week after cleaning. Then if you do somehow ruin one by cleaning, you have a tank you can use. At worst, you're out the cost of a replacement tank. $40 or so with shipping.

I took one disposable S9 tank disassembled it and put it into a pot of hot water to sanitize it. I think I did the 90C water for 10 minutes, but it may have been 70C for 30 minutes. No obvious damage, and I'm still using it. ResMed does not recommend doing this to disposable tanks.

I wash my tank once a week and only use filtered water and have never had a problem.At present I am in the Philippines and still no problem with the tank. I have had to wash my filter though.