CPAPtalk.com

knightlite wrote:I think it is much higher and you do breathe in the water from the xpap whether you call it mist or not is a Bill Clinton definition debate.

With all do respect, yes there isa difference/debate. There's a difference between misting and evaporating to increase humidity. What do you think water distillation is? It's the evaporating of water and then condensing to remove minerals, bacteria, viruses, and other nasties that may exist in the original water supply. It's not misting of water to allow it to condense. Your humidifier is working by similar evaporation (either with or without the additional help of a heating plate).

The biggest locations for Legionella to multiply are cooling towers, showers, spas, hot tubs, etc where temperature is best for growth as well there is a frequent misting of the contaminated water into the air. You don't catch it because you were near humid, stagnant water that was infected (e.g. a swamp) just because you breathed in. You have to actually inhale the bacteria which isn't present in air humid with evaporated water.

You must agree somewhat as you are replacing the tank often.

I replace it because the metal plate appears to have mineral deposits and the plastic sides start to discolor, not because it looks unsanitary. The mineral deposits ultimately can reduce the efficiency of heat transfer although it's impact probably is negligible in the scheme of things. The discolored plastic is just cosmetic but still isn't attractive.

I swished some RO water in my S9 tank every week or two and replaced it after 2.5 years when my new DME offered it. Still fighting with insurance to pay for it.
My new PRS1 is not nearly as easy to clean so it probably won't happen until a replacement tank is offered.

I rinse with tap water and air dry every day and wash with soap and water weekly. Water here is soft so no build up but I do use distilled in my humidifier. So far that seems fine. I also hang my heated hose daily to drain and air dry it is also washed once a week. Mask every few days. I use reminders so I don't forget.

I answered other as once a week wasn't included in the choice of answers. I use distilled water only as our water here is very hard. As long as the humidifiers were being made as closed construction the water stayed clear forever, but now the newer humidifiers have that back flow valve protection with the slotted cover cap to permit air intake which also permits air-born particles of any kind to enter the humidifier 24/7 I have found the tank will get cloudy which I'm sure is due to mold spores. I rinse it weekly now with distilled water/vinegar mixture & then rinse it again with just distilled water. This seems to be controlling the problem for me. I just wish they'd return to the closed humidifier like they use to make as anyone should know not to tip their machine backwards when the humidifier is engaged & has water in it. Seems they can't protect against everything without creating another problem to take it's place-

I only clean once in a while, which is probably not often enough. I only use distill water, but do get some rain out in my nasal pillow in the winter months (I keep my bedroom pretty cool, usually about 55 -60 or so). When I do clean, I use Dr. Brommer's peppermint liquid castille soap. Just a few squirts in a tub of very warm water. Dunk everything in, tank, mask, tube and all and swish them all around. Rinse with tab water, shake and air dry on a towel on the counter.

I have to try the denture tablet trick. That sounds ingenious.

I clean it on Sunday with Vinegar and water 50 50, rinse let it air dry and use it for a week. Only use distilled water for the entire process.

chunkyfrog wrote:I generally take care of that chore when it appears to be on the brink of harboring sentient life.

-rather than typing it again this year.

Empty and dry daily.

Clean with dish soap and water once a week.

I think doing one or the other is probably sufficient, but it only takes a few minutes to wash the tank along with my hose, headgear, and mask.

This post is old and long. Anyway my 2 cents. I follow the S9 manual to a T and wash my tub daily. I find it interesting that the newer Airsense manual recommends washing it once a week. I attempted to let my tank go longer but eventually I would get a bit of an odor and just went back to daily. I use distilled water and wash it with tap water. I also dry most of it with a paper towel as it seems that even freshly washed towels have some bacteria on them (probably harmless but I still don't want it on my water tub). Also, I once had bad distilled water, which leads me to believe that you may not always get what think you're getting. I was getting a funny odor in my cpap and could not figure it out. I kept washing the mask, hose, tub, and finally realized after about 2 weeks that my distilled water was the culprit.