[CPAP] Water and the different type of water

[trish6hundred]

Hi Twoeagle,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
I wish you good luck as you start CPAP therapy.

[Sleeprider]

I just use tap water Twoeagle, but then I am in North Scotland where there is not much minerals or lime in the water.
If I go to England I buy a bottle of water from Scotland out of a shop and use that.  If I go abroad I use bottled water usually, but not always, I have found most of Europe ok for just tap water.
I honestly do not know what I would use in Canada or USA, maybe just bottled water.
If I was in New York I would be using bottled water for sure.
I don't think I have ever used distilled water in my life, except to put in batteries  

If you see any build up or deposit on the bottom of your humidifier change your water to something better.
That is the guide I use, otherwise it is tap or bottled water for me.

You might get a pink slime build up, this is an airborne bacteria, just wash the humidifier out and if you want use diluted vinegar to get rid of it do so, but this does leave a bit of a smell.
It will normally return in no time, as it is airborne and you can find it on shower walls and anywhere where there is warmth and humidity.
I have had it in my humidifier since I started more years ago than i care to admit, wash it and it is gone, a few nights later, there is a hint of it returnong.
All you can do is keep things as clean as you can.

I have found ordinary hydrogen peroxide removes pink slime very effectively. The foaming really assists in removing the biofilm, and you can use a Q-tip to get all remnants.

[JesseLee]

I use distilled water. 89 cents a gallon and it lasts about a month. I use tap water when I forget to get a gallon of distilled. 1 night of tap water use leaves deposits, but I clean immediately. I have spares of every part too. Humidifier tub, I have two spares. I'm still using the same on that came with the machine which has been way over a year. I imagine if I kept on using the tap water I would probably be replacing humidifier tub and hose more often. I'm not a clean freak, but I do prefer clean stuff. I believe the distilled water is far better than the tap water here at home for cpap humidification, and the tap water is better to drink. Good luck with your treatment!

[ghstudio]

When I started on xPAP therapy, I obsessed about using distilled water. That was six months ago. Since then I've realized that a) I use almost no water during the night, presumably because our home is generally around 50% humidity and I have my xPAP on automatic humidification, and b) the water container sits between the blower and the flex pipe so should there be any problem due to residue/etc, just replace the tank which is pretty cheap. Over the six months, I just rinse out the tank every few days, I've used Hydrogen Peroxide once and used a Qtip to clean off the film...and I don't seem to be anywhere close to needing to replace that plastic water chamber. When I travel, I now get a bottle of purified drinking water just to avoid breathing in chlorine or anything else that might be in plain tap water.

Don't stress over the water....I think any purified bottled water is fine.

[AshSF]

I have used:
1) Distilled water
2) Deionized water (typically sold as battery water) in Europe.
3) Aquafina brand bottled water (its 4ppm water so pretty close to distilled).

Never had any slime or salt deposits in my water tray.

[OpalRose]

I use distilled water and occasionally bottled water if traveling.

I have never in the 3+ years using the same machine experienced pink slime or bio film, nor  have I had to use any chemicals or harsh cleaning.  I just don’t have the time or patience for that.

I empty the tub every morning, let air dry, and refill with distilled at night.  Once a week I wash with Dawn liquid, and an occasional vinegar rinse.

[dwsherwin]

I use tap water in my cpap. I was concerned about being exposed to the brain eating amoeba that netipot users can get from not using distilled water. Every site on the net advised me that since I am not in contact directly with the water I was ok. Our water comes from an underground aquifer and is a good quality. The biggest concern I guess is the small amount of calcium that plates out on the reservoir heat plate.

[Melman]

your much more at risk of infection with the brain eating amoeba from a refreshing swim in the lake than from contact with water from your humidifier.  Netpot users inject about 200ml of water and cases from netpot use are extremely rare. Most cases  are associated with swimming in fresh water. They are also rare. I worked with this amoeba in grad school. It hasn't kept me from swimming.

[OMyMyOHellYes]

I use distilled water (not because of any magical properties). Water is water. I drink a lot of it. Most from the tap. Many in my city seem to dislike the taste but I'm good with it. The reason I use distilled water in the tank is because the tanks seem to last forever. I throw it in the dishwasher every couple of months. Good and clean as the day I unboxed it. Never a chemical soak (hydrogen peroxide H2O2 solution or vinegar CH3COOH solution).

The only thing the water should be doing is increasing the humidity, not providing electrolytes or alkalines or whatever. It is in vapor form so what you should be getting is pretty pure water anyway, even if you use tap water (excepting whatever dissolved gasses are in that water).

OMMOHY

[mamazipp]

I live in Victoria BC and my DME told me I didn’t need distilled water as our water is soft, with few deposits. When I travel I’ve used tap water as well, but in Florida I was advised to use distilled water.  I do periodically soak my chamber in dilute vinegar water and rinse we’ll.  There’s is no lingering odor, no slime or deposit buildup.