CPAPtalk.com

tomjax wrote:Night Hawkeye,
You are talking apples and oranges. The 2 cases are not remotely similar.
The mold and mildew depend on nutrients to grow.
This is not the case with a humidifier tank.
Even if a pathogen by chance gets into the tank, there are no nutrients to sustain it and the heat is not very helpful either.

Even if some were there, check the posting on another thread for fisher and paykel.
Pathogens are far too large to hitch a ride on water vapor.

Actually, I don't believe the concern was about pathogens, Tom. Like most living organisms the mold and mildew release gaseous byproducts, some noxious. They also could release spores. None of this stuff is good for the lungs. This, I believe, is the primary problem encountered in houses which have been underwater for a little while.

As for lack of nutrients, your point is well taken. That's probably the primary reason why folks seem to get by without needing to clean their humidifiers.

All the same, I intend to "blow dry" mine every morning.

Regards,
Bill

Guest wrote:My experience is that after 3 1/2 years of simply topping off the water in my humidifier with distilled water every night, the tank still remains spotless and odorless.

HappyHoser wrote: This has kind of turned in to a poll so I'll add my two cents. I have washed my tank maybe two times in about a year and not quite a half. I have always used distilled water and like many posts above, the tank is crystal clear and my health seems to be as normal as it ever is.

Same here. I don't dump the water out...I just add more distilled each night. I've been doing it that way for two years with no problem. Might not be a good idea for some people, but works for me.

RG: How often do you do a cleaning?

Mask, hose, HH, filters?

tnx,

Tom