RE: Slime in the CPAP machine!
(01-03-2013, 02:30 PM)zonk Wrote: here distilled water cheap and readily available in supermarkets, cpap and auto parts/repair shops
Interesting. I thought I'd heard Aussies complaining about distilled water being unavailable.
Maybe it's more easily found in Woolloomooloo because of the university.
Get the free OSCAR CPAP software here.
Useful links.
Click here for information on the main alternative to CPAP.
If it's midnight and a DME tells you it's dark outside, go and check it yourself.
RE: Slime in the CPAP machine!
(01-03-2013, 05:03 PM)archangle Wrote: Maybe it's more easily found in Woolloomooloo because of the university. not just in woolloomoo
you should be able to get distilled water in the laundry aisle of the supermarket and K mart
apparently good for hair washing too
RE: Slime in the CPAP machine!
(01-03-2013, 05:03 PM)archangle Wrote: (01-03-2013, 02:30 PM)zonk Wrote: here distilled water cheap and readily available in supermarkets, cpap and auto parts/repair shops
Interesting. I thought I'd heard Aussies complaining about distilled water being unavailable.
Maybe it's more easily found in Woolloomooloo
Probably, but only if you can spell it first.
RE: Slime in the CPAP machine!
(01-03-2013, 01:54 AM)archangle Wrote: (01-01-2013, 03:43 PM)jgjones1972 Wrote: The tank in my H5i is stamped "Distilled Water Only".
That's only on the US-only, non-washable tank. The washable tank doesn't have this.
No, it is the "washable" tank. The one I'm currently using and a spare "washable" one I got from Supplier #2 as well as the "non-washable" one that came in the spare H5i humidifier I bought from Supplier #2. All three of these tanks have "DISTILLED WATER ONLY" stamped in the clear plastic right beside the hole where you pour water in.
RE: Slime in the CPAP machine!
(01-03-2013, 08:43 PM)jgjones1972 Wrote: No, it is the "washable" tank. The one I'm currently using and a spare "washable" one I got from Supplier #2 as well as the "non-washable" one that came in the spare H5i humidifier I bought from Supplier #2. All three of these tanks have "DISTILLED WATER ONLY" stamped in the clear plastic right beside the hole where you pour water in.
Very interesting. My dishwashable tank doesn't have that, only the non-washable tank.
You do know that the newer "non washable" tanks do have the plastic snap plastic piece like the washable ones do, but they don't have the polished stainless steel bottom and third plastic baffle piece the washable ones and older non-openable tanks do.
"Distilled only" on the washable tanks would be interesting because much of the world doesn't have that option, and that used to be one of the distinguishing factors about whether you got the disposable tank or the dishwashable tank.
Get the free OSCAR CPAP software here.
Useful links.
Click here for information on the main alternative to CPAP.
If it's midnight and a DME tells you it's dark outside, go and check it yourself.
RE: Slime in the CPAP machine!
Both local supermarkets I go to only have deionised water, neither of them sell distilled water
RE: Slime in the CPAP machine!
RE: Slime in the CPAP machine!
(01-04-2013, 04:35 AM)archangle Wrote: "Distilled only" on the washable tanks would be interesting because much of the world doesn't have that option, and that used to be one of the distinguishing factors about whether you got the disposable tank or the dishwashable tank.
It may be that the "distilled only" stamp appears only on units intended for sale in the US or other parts of the world where either distilled water is readily available or municipal water supplies are either unavailable or not trustworthy.
Sleepster
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
01-04-2013, 11:54 AM
(This post was last modified: 01-04-2013, 05:20 PM by Sleepster.)
RE: Slime in the CPAP machine!
(01-04-2013, 10:20 AM)hunningsedaniel Wrote: Even though your tank says distilled water, there is no reason that you cannot use deionised water. it is more pure than distilled water and you will get the same humid effect from it.
You're right in that water is never pure. It always has other stuff mixed in with it. If you could somehow come up with pure water it would quickly pick up stuff from the walls of its container or piping and no longer be pure. I'm not sure that deionized water is more pure than distilled water.
If you have hard water it's because there are calcium and magnesium ions in the water. Household water softeners remove most of these ions. More sophisticated systems are used in commercial applications that remove even more. If you've ever taken a chemistry class they often used deionized water in place of distilled water as it's cheaper and easier to produce in many settings.
Distilled water is water that's been vaporized and then condensed. Distillation theoretically removes all impurities except for those that get introduced during the distillation process itself.
I have used both distilled water and deionized water in my CPAP humidifer and had problems with both. As we have discussed earlier in this thread keeping the tank clean by not letting water stand in the tank is probably the best way to prevent the bacterial slime build up that causes the bad odor.
If your tap water or softened water doesn't leave hard water or iron stains in your tank it's probably ok to use it instead of distilled or deionized water. It all comes down to cleaning habits and personal standards of cleanliness.
Sleepster
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
RE: Slime in the CPAP machine!
(01-04-2013, 09:34 AM)Allen Wrote: Both local supermarkets I go to only have deionised water, neither of them sell distilled water
This is a MEDICAL situation. Although you can get distilled water in supermarkets here, they are also available at the pharmacy. Try your local drug store. I admit not all pharmacies around here have distilled water - only the "full service" ones that sell a full range of "bathroom" items, cosmetics and simple grocery items as well as medicines.
But you raise a good point. They often have "de-ionized" water (often "spring" water - sometimes straight from the tap according to a few "exposé" TV shows) as well as distilled so it's important to read the label carefully.
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