Why replace the humidifier water everyday?

This may be a silly question but... Why did the person instructing on the proper use say that the distilled water to be used in the humidifier must be replaced each day and that it should be filled all the way to the max line each day. Last night was the first night using it and it barely used any of the water. It seems a waste to dump it everyday.. Am I being way too frugal?

I fill mine every other day or so and do not dump out the old water.

I fill mine with distilled water almost every night. I don't like the way the water looks the next morning... kind of cloudy. Probably not a thing wrong with the water, just makes me feel better to change it.

sl33py wrote:This may be a silly question but... Why did the person instructing on the proper use say that the distilled water to be used in the humidifier must be replaced each day and that it should be filled all the way to the max line each day. Last night was the first night using it and it barely used any of the water. It seems a waste to dump it everyday.. Am I being way too frugal?

The answer to the questions is "Because the operator's manual says so." The operator's manual says so because they are covering their own arse. I always use distilled and only empty the basin when I have to move the machine.

Distilled water is pretty cheap.
Even so, I add water each evening to about halfway between the top mark and the the one right below it.
I do dump it out every week or so, clean it thoroughly, and dry well before re-use--with new, fresh distilled water.
That pink slime is really nasty--don't wanna breathe those spores.

Thank you guys for your replies. The water looks totally clear and perfect to me. If it was cloudy or growing pink stuff, it makes sense to change it. Sounds like it's just fine to use it for a couple of days unless it looks like it needs to be switched out before.

And yes, distilled water is pretty cheap.. I'm not sure why it bugs me to throw it out when it looks fine.

Yikes! I am going to wash mine out right now!

We have some users who use distilled water and dump it out maybe every 6 months.

If you're using tap water, it's a good idea to dump it out and refill it daily to prevent mineral buildup.

Me, I top it up during the week with distilled water, and dishwash the humidifier tank once a week.

I bought a spare tank and swap them out every week.

Micro organisms are present in the air. Your machine doesn't filter them out. At low concentrations the body can effectively deal with them and they are a non issue.

The problem comes when you have a warm moist area that can concentrate them and encourage them to multiply. This can give you exposure to a concentration of them.

If your immune system is strong, do whatever is most convenient for you.

However, if you find you are having some issues from congestion, sinus irritation, soar throat, coughing, or any other respiratory issues, you may want to consider cleaning things more often.

HoseCrusher wrote:The problem comes when you have a warm moist area that can concentrate them and encourage them to multiply. This can give you exposure to a concentration of them.

If you use distilled water, there's nothing for the bacteria to feed on in the water. They won't necessarily die, but they'll be unable to multiply.

If you don't ever dump the water and clean the tank, you might eventually accumulate enough dust from the air for the bugs to have something to feed on.

I am one of those that uses distilled water and just tops off the tank each night. My humidity preference means that 3/4 of the tank gets used each night. Every 3 months or so I just dump the little remaining water, rinse out and let air dry. Been doing this for 2 1/2 years now. Lazy. My plastic tanks have never had anything that I could see growing in them and are crystal clear and look as good as new.

I have no other health issues that might perhaps warrant a more rigid cleaning schedule. If I did I might be less lazy.

I keep it somewhere between 1/2 to full. Refill when needed.. total wash and clean out w/ new distilled water once a week.

I'm with Pugsy on this one except I haven't been using mine quite that long.... only a month....

But because my humidity level is high, i use almost half sometimes less than a tank. have to fill mine up every other day.

Pugsy wrote:I am one of those that uses distilled water and just tops off the tank each night. My humidity preference means that 3/4 of the tank gets used each night. Every 3 months or so I just dump the little remaining water, rinse out and let air dry. Been doing this for 2 1/2 years now. Lazy. My plastic tanks have never had anything that I could see growing in them and are crystal clear and look as good as new.

I have no other health issues that might perhaps warrant a more rigid cleaning schedule. If I did I might be less lazy.

I was curious about this too. Glad I saw your post. I also use 3/4 of the tank each night so far. DME told me to wash it each week. But I am doing distilled and will see what it's like if I don't. Only worry is what will happen in the winter if I'm already using 3/4 of the tank!

I am glad to hear this. I have been filling up my tank 1/2 full each night and dump out the remaining each morning. I hate the waste, even if it is only a couple cents worth of distilled water. I would think that since it is distilled water it shouldn't be a big deal to just wash out the tank once every couple of weeks. Every morning that I get up the water is always as clear as when I put it in.

Just curious, what do you all pay for a gallon of distilled water? Everywhere I have looked around Denver is about $.98 a gallon. Just seems really high to me.

Rome