Water in humidifier

How long does the water in the humidifier last? Mine seems to last about a week. That seems a bit long. I use the CPAP maybe 6-7 hours a night. I have only been using CPAP about 2 weeks so it might even be less than 6 hours since I am still getting used to it. I am trying to do everything right so I will get good results. So far, I don't feel much different the next day.

Jersey girl is correct. You should use only distilled water and empty the humidifier and refill daily. Your unit brochure will tell you to disinfect and clean the humidifier daily hopping you will do it once a month!! from a safety and germicidal perspective I would suggest every 3 days/or at least once a week of real cleaning with distilled vinegar and soap and water, but only if you are emptying and refilling daily...David

It all depends on what your humidifier is set at on how much water it uses. As jersey Girl said you need to use distilled water. Some of us empty and clean the humidifiers everyday and some of us don't clean it very often and just top the water off as needed. What ever you are comfortable with. If you find that you are fine with where your humidifier is set at then leave it. If you feel you need more moisture then turn it up a bit at a time until it feels right for you. Be aware that if you turn it up you can get rain out, which is water leaking from your mask. This can be prevented by lowering your cpap machine, using a hose cover or a heated hose.

Some people feel better right away and it takes time for some of us to start feeling better.

Good luck.

rosie

lorri214 wrote:How long does the water in the humidifier last? Mine seems to last about a week. That seems a bit long. I use the CPAP maybe 6-7 hours a night. I have only been using CPAP about 2 weeks so it might even be less than 6 hours since I am still getting used to it. I am trying to do everything right so I will get good results. So far, I don't feel much different the next day.

It depends.......

On:

a. Whether you use heated humidity or "passover". (sounds like your humidifier is Off / in passover mode)
b. What the humidifier setting is. (warmer air molecules will hold more water vapor)
c. The pressure your machine is set to. (more pressure should pick up a little more water vapor)
d. The relative humidity in your house. (less humid air will probably pick up more water vapor and more will probably pick up less)
e. The size of the humidifier tank on your machine.

The use of humidity (in whatever form or setting) is a personal choice and/or preference. Some people don't even use a humidifier on their machines.

In my case, I use "passover" humidity (no heat) and live in a pretty dry area. My water level goes down about 1/4" per night (about 6-7 hrs.).

Hope that helps.

EDIT: (after reading the two previous posts that appeared while I was typing).....I only use distilled water, but don't dump mine each day.....I go for months before dumping. I just keep adding more (top it off) after about 3 nights. I have never cleaned my humidifier tank and it's still crystal clear (nearly 5 yrs.). I've also never had anything "growing" in my tank, either. Being the frugal person that I am, it always seemed like a waste of money to keep dumping perfectly good water after only a few hours of sleep.


Den

I have been rinsing it out and refilling mine every other day.
i only use distilled water.

When I got my machine 3/17/10, I was told that I the got latest version which is a "Q Series" (started November, December of 2009). They made the tank dishwater safe. I just put it in the dishwasher this morning and then proceeded to rinse it out afterwards. I love that Resperonics did this. Now I feel that its getting a thorough cleaning! What I'm going to start doing is when I fill up my dishwasher, in goes the humidifier also. I also use distilled water, that's what I was told in the very beginning. And I also never throw out the water. I'm also of the mindset that why throw out good water. At the moment with this machine, I'm not going to remove the water from the tank just for the fact that it's getting a fantastic cleaning with the dishwasher. Also, now that I'm not using the white filters, water appears to look cleaner too.

Starlette

Jersey Girl wrote:Dear Lori,
I then dump the vinegar and water contents, rinse well with water and put on a paper towel to dry in a non-sunny area.

yo JG,
why a non-sunny spot for the plastic humidifier unit?

I believe the UV rays and plastic have never been a good mix for plastic. Direct sunlight will degrade plastic over time. Not sure if that i what was referred to.

I'm currently using a third of my tank a night with the humidifier set to automatic mode.
The only thing that goes into my tank is distilled water from Frys (Kroger). Rumor has it that the Walmart distilled is NOT good.

All i have ever done is top off my water each evening and I'm still alive

Uncle_Bob wrote:I'm currently using a third of my tank a night with the humidifier set to automatic mode.
The only thing that goes into my tank is distilled water from Frys (Kroger). Rumor has it that the Walmart distilled is NOT good.

All i have ever done is top off my water each evening and I'm still alive

THAT would be a rumor that is unfounded. I have yet to read of anyone reporting on this forum that they've personally had issues with distilled water from Wal-Mart. I just picked up another gallon today. The source of the distilled water they sell in this area is in Colorado. (I assume they use regional sources) Making generalized statements like that isn't particularly helpful. (FWIW.....I'm not that particularly fond of Wal-Mart and don't own any of their stock.)
The price has also gone up. It used to be about 60 cents a gallon......now it's in the mid-80 cents.


Den

I'm with Den (hi old friend). I use passover and only use a little water every night. I rinse out my humidifier about once or twice a year, lol, no mold growing yet. I also use Walmart distilled water. No infections or problems in my 7 years of use. My word, hard to believe it's been that long. Never, ever, can I go a night or a nap without my beloved mask.