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Scootergirl wrote:I dump what is left every day - I don't have much left as I figured out how much to fill it each evening. I do rinse the tank and let it dry. I don't see the point in taking a chance with something growing in that water - I have allergies, asthma and now sleep apnea - a few cents of water each day isn't going to be the thing that breaks my bank. I've had too many Sinus infections, bronchitis and pneumonia - Taking the precaution of having the cleanest equipment is worth it if it avoids infection or aggravating my allergies or asthma.

I totally agree. The water itself isn't expensive and to the poster who posted about the water sitting on the shelves a long time at Walmart I always check the expiration date on the water; Walmart sells so much water I don't think there would be a problem with their private label bottled distilled water as long as you check the water's expiration date. There's a production date as well as an expiration date printed on the bottles of the Great Value distilled water I buy at my local Walmart.


Stevoreno_55
04/30/14

I seldom have enough water in the tank in the morning to dump it.
I make absolutely sure to wash the tank every year or two unless the DME insists on sending me a new one, in which case I just switch out the tanks instead of washing the old one.

I use reverse osmosis water. Not quite distilled, but it comes out of the little faucet and I don't have to worry about buying bottles and storing them, or spilling while filling from a full bottle.

Normally I let it be, top off at bedtime if need be (if it's under half, I use 3.5 setting for my h5i) and dump every 2-3 days regardless in the morning, but while I'm on crutches (tripped and fell a week ago, about to get an MRI scan to see what's up as I still can't put weight on half my foot...)...I'm just topping off the tank. It's hard enough to move the jug of water that I keep under the nightstand my CPAP's on right now, not going to make it easier to have extra mess to clean if I drop it or fall again : / Though when I have family visiting for other help around my apartment chores on the weekend I ask for a bit of help dumping the tank and refilling it properly. If I had an easier time of the logistics of A) getting distilled jugs into my 2nd floor apartment and b) getting the tank across the room to the sink and back with the crutches I'd be on usual schedule, but I don't so I'm letting a bit of slack go for now. Not a lot though. Weirds me out.

Glad I have some of those cleaning wipes hanging out around my apartment that I bought when I had the sinus thing back in February, or my mask would be just getting progressively ickier in the meantime >.>

Though in any case, I at least weekly dump the water out and start fresh. I dunno. I wouldn't drink water that sat on the counter open for over a week, this isn't different in my head.

SleepyStar wrote: getting the tank across the room to the sink and back with the crutches

Sorry to hear about the crutches situation, hope you will get better.

You could pour some distilled water into a smaller bottle, 32 oz for instance, and keep that bottle by your bedside to fill in the humidifier tank for a few days.

bwexler wrote:I seldom have enough water in the tank in the morning to dump it.
I make absolutely sure to wash the tank every year or two unless the DME insists on sending me a new one, in which case I just switch out the tanks instead of washing the old one.

I use reverse osmosis water. Not quite distilled, but it comes out of the little faucet and I don't have to worry about buying bottles and storing them, or spilling while filling from a full bottle.

You make absolutely sure to wash your tank every year or two? Did I read that correctly?


Stevoreno_55
05/01/14

I try to clean my tank out every week; more likely every other week.
Otherwise, it gets cleaned ASAP the minute I suspect it is supporting life.
(---can't help thinking of Lisa Simpson's science project.)

In the lengthy time since I've been using CPAP (almost 2 weeks now) I have, and continue to, try to guage the amount of water I use each night and only poor that amount. I dump the remaining water each night and wash the tank and my nasal pillow with warm, sudsy water and let air dry.

It's been very easy but I'm not sure when/if this process will begin to wear on me and I start washing them every 1-3 years or so.

JCWarrior wrote: It's been very easy but I'm not sure when/if this process will begin to wear on me and I start washing them every 1-3 years or so.

It took me about 6 months before my then rather rigid cleaning schedule for everything started to get old real fast and I started letting things slide. Some people would cringe, I am sure, with my current cleaning schedule which is very lax...and that's okay...I just roll my eyes when I see someone who still feels the need for a rigid schedule. Each to their own and what makes them happy and sleep well. I could care less what someone else wants to do. It's their life and their equipment and just like I wouldn't think of dictating to them how to run their life...I don't see the need for them to dictate how to run mine.
Now if I had some sort of compromised immune system then I would take a little more precautions but I am generally healthy and simply don't see the need to maintain a rigid cleaning schedule for anything at this time.

I just open the lid over the tank in the morning. Top off the tank and close the lid each evening. I dump remaining distilled water when I do a weekly wash and rinse. Easy peasy.

I have been on CPAP for I 4 years. At the beginning I used empty the water and to clean the tank each week as demanded by the hospital to whom the machine belonged. Once I bought my machine I continued doing the same thing for a couple more of months (a total of 6 months). After that I stated only adding more water each day and washing the tank each week.

But with the time I noticed nothing changed if I only cleaned the tank each 2 or more moths and I refilled the tank. So, I don't waste my time cleaning that famous tank often. I do clean it once a month or so if I remember and I have never found anything floating in the water of have had any problem at all with bacteria or whatever. What I do is I never use other water than distilled and if I do that I for sure clean the tank letting it soak on a mix of vinegar and tap water which is the mix I use to clean all my masks, hoses, etc.

I don't see what is the logic of letting dry the tank each day or to take the tank from the machine, etc the possibility to have dust etc coming into the tank are higher if you take the tank from the humidifier, also what is the use to let it dry? The mold even dried up will start growing again once in contact with humidity if that is the reason to let the tank dry.

But as Pugsy so clearly stated to each one his way to clean or not to clean.

I strike a balance: most mornings very little water left so I top it off before bed. About every two weeks I wash out the tank and lid with dish siap and warm tap water. I only use dustilled water since our tap water us highly mineralized. My reverse osmosis unit leaves some minerals, toi, for flavor. Don

Pugsy wrote:

JCWarrior wrote: It's been very easy but I'm not sure when/if this process will begin to wear on me and I start washing them every 1-3 years or so.

It took me about 6 months before my then rather rigid cleaning schedule for everything started to get old real fast and I started letting things slide. Some people would cringe, I am sure, with my current cleaning schedule which is very lax...and that's okay...I just roll my eyes when I see someone who still feels the need for a rigid schedule. Each to their own and what makes them happy and sleep well. I could care less what someone else wants to do. It's their life and their equipment and just like I wouldn't think of dictating to them how to run their life...I don't see the need for them to dictate how to run mine.
Now if I had some sort of compromised immune system then I would take a little more precautions but I am generally healthy and simply don't see the need to maintain a rigid cleaning schedule for anything at this time.

I bet if you removed your water chamber from your machine each morning and held it up to the light and noticed particles floating around in the water you would empty it and rinse it out every day. I've been doing that and cleaning mine with mild dishwashing detergent once a week; place it on paper towels and let it dry out during the day. I have not seen anything floating around in my water chamber lately. Could brand name bottled distilled water be better than store label bottled distilled water? I've never paid more than $1.00 for a gallon of distilled water.



Stevoreno_55
05/02/14

I top mine off every night as I go through a lot of water. I have it set at 5 out of 6 for humidity and sometimes 5.5.

I also tend to run it dry at least 2-3 times a month, and empty it completely and rinse it out at least once a month. I gave up trying to let it dry as it was never dry by night time anyway.

I have been sick less often during the last 2 years than before cpap, so I don't see anything bad being caused by the cpap usage or the cleaning routine.

I will fill to the second line more or less as the weather goes. Just have a little left in the morning,an ounce or less. I don't dump it. I will refill it at bed time. I try to remember to wash it every other week with everything else. This has been working well for me. Note; When we travel I will dump out the remaining water every morning as I put the unit away. I will dump out the water then return the tank to the H5i and turn on the warm up for two or three minutes then turn it off. After setting for about a half an hour its dry. Its good to go moisture free.

Stevoreno_55 wrote:I bet if you removed your water chamber from your machine each morning and held it up to the light and noticed particles floating around in the water you would empty it and rinse it out every day.

Nope, not every day even if I did spot something...I would wash it out that day but I sure wouldn't get all in a panic and start washing every thing every day. You would loose that bet for sure. Cleaning the tank daily ....never going to happen.

Most of my water is used up during one night due to my preferred settings...very little is left. Right before bed I take out the tank and top it off. While I have it out in the air I often will take a peak at the water to see if any lizards or bugs or fungi are swimming in there...never ever found even 1 mold spore, or lizard....the worse I had was a cat hair and probably fell off me...heck it might have been one of mine.. I did wash the thank then....Don't get me wrong....I do wash the tank sometimes....sometimes when I think about it and sometimes get around to it.
This particular machine...I have been using since first of January of this year. It's been washed.....once.
THis particular machine and tank have over 3000 hours on it. (obviously use by someone other than me)...the tank is still looking almost brand new. No pink slime on the bottom of the tank....no bugs doing the breast stroke across the water..

No one is going to scare me into doing any thing different. Save your typing fingers. I am a Taurus (birthday coming up)and I am stubborn and bullheaded and all that ....so don't try to "what if" me. What if I found so and so...well I wouldn't panic and I wouldn't change my non routine just because of 1 isolated thing.

Now I will say it again.....whatever floats your boat....use it/do it.....I don't care. I really really don't care how anyone takes care of their equipment. That's not my job anyway. It's not my job to setup cleaning schedules...and it really isn't someone else's job to try to set up a cleaning schedule that they think I should do and try rationalize the need to me.

That won't fly...I don't want to do it and I don't do stuff that I don't want to do. Simple as that. Hubby knows that.
When it comes to personal stuff like cleaning and not actual therapy pressure stuff....I rarely comment on cleaning just because I don't want to get the flack from "clean freaks"... Some people just can't mind their own business...and sigh...I get private messages telling me that I "NEED" "Should" do this or that because that person thinks its a better way to do something.

So that's way I avoid cleaning threads for the most part except to point people to the Novel size threads where it has been discuss ad nauseum. Someone invariably tries to change my mind by TELLING me what I should do....And that goes over not so well.
And that's why I don't go into great detail about what I do or don't do. Yeah..I am lax...but I am not a pig and I do look at things to make sure no critters are anywhere they should not be.