Empty humidifer every day?

FairSpirit · Post by **FairSpirit** » Thu Oct 13, 2005 7:10 am

I may be bad.... but I just top mine off every couple nights. I guess it's whatever you feel most comfy doing.

peg · Post by **peg** » Thu Oct 13, 2005 7:50 am

I have to agree with Will and Snowloft. I empty mine every morning and let it dry then put 3/4 of a cup (200ml, thanks for that tip Will!). Distilled water isn't sterile and I don't want uglies growing in there or blowing up my nose. I understand in some places water is more expensive but here it's pretty cheap. Paying $1.00 for a gallon of water is better than a doctor's visit, antibiotics etc.
But, that's just my personal opinion, it's like a lot of other things. Everybody has one.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful day and Happy Friday Eve!!

Barnaby · Post by **Barnaby** » Thu Oct 13, 2005 8:33 am

Walgreens this week is selling 3 gallons of distilled water for 2 dollars have laid in a supply of 12 gallons..check out your stores..tjis is in south florida

Wulfman · Post by **Wulfman** » Thu Oct 13, 2005 9:46 am

My thoughts about not changing humidifier water:

Couldn't be much worse than what's in the AIR that we breathe when we're not on CPAP.
Looking at tap water under a microscope could make you quit drinking it, too.
I figure is I survive breathing my (non-heated) humidified air through my CPAP, I'll be healthier because I'll have built up a tolerance to whatever is (growing) in there.
Good grief, there's bacteria EVERYWHERE!

In the words of our estemed FORMER Surgeon General, Joycelyn Elders, "We're all going to die of something, someday."

Have a nice day

Den

WillSucceed · Post by **WillSucceed** » Thu Oct 13, 2005 10:03 am

Couldn't be much worse than what's in the AIR that we breathe when we're not on CPAP.
Looking at tap water under a microscope could make you quit drinking it, too.

Oh no? Bacteria, moulds, fungi, etc., are not actively growing in the air that we are breathing. They are vectored by the air, but not actively growing; they need a surface, or welcoming environment on/in which to grow. A warm, wet humidifier tank provides that environment.

So if you had your choice of drinking water that had sat stagnant all day in an open environment or, drinking water that is bottled and (hopefully) uncontaminated, which would you select?

Sure, we are all going to die someday and there is no need to become germaphobic however, why invite problems (stagnant humidifier water) when you can easily avoid them?

WAFlowers · Post by **WAFlowers** » Thu Oct 13, 2005 10:15 am

biggziff wrote:My humidifier is about 1/2 full in the morning (I'm using steam distilled water). Is there any good reason to empty this everyday? I'm thinking you can just leave the water in it and top it off for the next night. I don't want to empty out this water when sould be clean. Only filling it 1/2 way isn't something I feel good about as I don't want the thing to go dry.

I only fill mine partway, estimating how much water I'll need. Most nights I have very little left, so no real waste. On rare occasion it'll run dry which hasn't seemed to be a problem (it did this morning, but I slept in later than I planned).

IIRC, Legionaire's Disease likes to grow in standing water. It isn't the only pathogen that likes a moist environment. Let them dry out and they die.

peg · Post by **peg** » Thu Oct 13, 2005 10:19 am

FairSpirit wrote: I guess it's whatever you feel most comfy doing.

That pretty much says it all.
I feel that I must change the water in the humidifier and let it dry everyday.
But I have a large glass that I keep ice water in at work and every morning I just dump what's left and refill. Go figure.

FairSpirit you are not even close to being bad.

snowloft · Post by **snowloft** » Thu Oct 13, 2005 10:23 am

This is taken from CNN.com, the link has the full article, and I'm posting just a portion of the text:

http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/HQ/00076.html

What are the health risks of humidifiers?

Without regular cleaning and maintenance, bacteria and fungi can grow in your humidifier's tank and may become part of the moist air you're breathing. When that happens, respiratory problems — such as humidifier fever — can result.

Humidifier fever (hypersensitivity pneumonitis) is a hypersensitivity reaction in which your lungs become inflamed from breathing in large amounts of fungal spores that have grown in humidifier water. Humidifier fever is also called humidifier lung.

Signs of humidifier fever include cough, shortness of breath and fever. If you see a doctor for these symptoms and you use a home humidifier, make sure you tell him or her that you use one. Your doctor may ask you to bring in a sample of the water and send it to a laboratory for a culture. Antibiotics aren't effective against humidifier lung. Cleaning the humidifier and a little time may be all you need to get over humidifier fever.

Bacteria that cause Legionnaires' disease also can grow in humidifier tanks, although this is much more common in large industrial humidifiers.

To minimize the growth of microscopic organisms, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission suggests the following for cleaning tabletop humidifiers:

Change the water every day. Don't allow film or deposits to develop. Empty the tank, dry the inside surfaces and refill with clean water. Follow the manufacturer's instructions.
Use distilled or demineralized water. Tap water contains minerals that can create bacteria-friendly deposits. When released into the air, these minerals often appear as white dust on your furniture.

Wulfman · Post by **Wulfman** » Thu Oct 13, 2005 10:27 am

Bacteria, moulds, fungi, etc., are not actively growing in the air that we are breathing. They are vectored by the air, but not actively growing; they need a surface, or welcoming environment on/in which to grow. A warm, wet humidifier tank provides that environment.

Or your lungs?.....or nasal passage?
Have you watched some of the exposes they've done on "bottled water"? A lot of it is just bottled tap water.....yuck!

The humidifiers are almost enclosed (except for the hose connection).....not quite like a glass of water sitting out on a counter.

Den

rock and roll · Post by **rock and roll** » Thu Oct 13, 2005 10:54 am

And don't forget, the manufacturers are the same ones that recommend that we take apart our masks and clean them everyday. They also say they will only last 90 days. Gee, what marketers. I would guess they would like to sell us more humidifiers as well, we all know they have our best interests at heart right.

Oh 2 breathe · Post by **Oh 2 breathe** » Thu Oct 13, 2005 11:15 am

I agree with Will Succeed's post. It doesn't take a biology degree to realize that very nasty things can happen with the combination of unsterilized water, warmth, a small enclosed space and sitting over time. The health effects may not be immediately obvious, just like the effects of living or working in a damp mouldy building over many years, but over time can cause serious non-reversible respiratory problems.

I see it as a positive investment in my own health to take the time to thoroughly clean my humidifier as well as my mask and interface each morning. I use the CPAP spray for my nosepiece and wash everything else in unscented baby shampoo. Once a week I soak my entire hose, mask, filter and humidifier in hot soapy water for half an hour in the kitchen sink, then rinse it all well and hang it to dry. I also have two complete sets of mask-hose-nosepiece which I alternate between every second night to allow each set to dry out completely before next use.

Perhaps this seems like excessive work to some, but it's only a couple of minutes a day and I feel my health is worth the effort.

Take care,

~ OTB

WillSucceed · Post by **WillSucceed** » Thu Oct 13, 2005 11:23 am

If it works for you, great, keep doing it. If not, do something different. Dump the water or don't dump it. It's your health, and your job to decide what is best for you.

I just like to see that people reading this forum, especially new CPAP users, get the benefit of lots of information and observations/opinions. Ultimately, each of us is responsible for our own health and will make 'best' decisions based on info. Had I known then, what I know now, I would have done things differently/asked different questions/purchased different equipment in the beginning, rather than struggling through like I did.

I think that this is the biggest value of this forum -->no matter how much posters might agree or disagree, important information gets shared. I'm still learning stuff.

crazyone · Post by **crazyone** » Thu Oct 13, 2005 11:35 am

WAFlowers,
Isn't it strange that we live in one of the most Humid states, yet we use almost all of the water in our humidifiers every night? I was getting ready to ask if that was normal, then saw you post. Guess maybe it is - I just don't understand it.

frostman · Post by **frostman** » Thu Oct 13, 2005 12:02 pm

Will, you are making me think. What if we boiled it first, would't that make it sterile???

Wulfman · Post by **Wulfman** » Thu Oct 13, 2005 12:04 pm

I think that this is the biggest value of this forum -->no matter how much posters might agree or disagree, important information gets shared. I'm still learning stuff.

ABSOLUTELY!!! WE AGREE.

Best wishes,

Den

Empty humidifer every day?

Re: Empty humidifer every day?