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[Treatment] Got a cold......can i put something in the water ????
#21
RE: Got a cold......can i put something in the water ????
(12-04-2012, 09:18 PM)Ugly Wrote: As an aside to that - there is often the recommendation to only use distilled water. Believe it.

Long before I had a CPAP I had a humidifier that pumped "steam" into the air. Okay it's not really steam since the water wasn't hot, but let's not be technical for just a moment. Distilled water worked great.
But when I ran out of the stuff I tried using tap water - and around here we have what they call "hard" water. When I woke up in the morning there was a white film over almost everything in the room. That tap water really made a mess of things! Imagine what it can do for your lungs if you breathe it in through a CPAP. Take my word, only use distilled water. Been there, done that. As for adding anything to the water - I wouldn't but the others on here may have more insight. But I thought I should offer up a past experience.
Sad

The white film was from something else, not the water from the humidifier.

Distilled water is from water that is turned to steam which is trapped and allowed to re-condense. Minerals cannot travel in the steam which is why distilled water is recommended for CPAP machines.

So the steam from your humidifier was, essentially, letting distilled water into the air. Which is why the white film was from something else.
PaulaO

Take a deep breath and count to zen.




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#22
RE: Got a cold......can i put something in the water ????
(12-04-2012, 09:44 PM)PaulaO2 Wrote:
(12-04-2012, 09:18 PM)Ugly Wrote: As an aside to that - there is often the recommendation to only use distilled water. Believe it.

Long before I had a CPAP I had a humidifier that pumped "steam" into the air. Okay it's not really steam since the water wasn't hot, but let's not be technical for just a moment. Distilled water worked great.
But when I ran out of the stuff I tried using tap water - and around here we have what they call "hard" water. When I woke up in the morning there was a white film over almost everything in the room. That tap water really made a mess of things! Imagine what it can do for your lungs if you breathe it in through a CPAP. Take my word, only use distilled water. Been there, done that. As for adding anything to the water - I wouldn't but the others on here may have more insight. But I thought I should offer up a past experience.
Sad

The white film was from something else, not the water from the humidifier.

Distilled water is from water that is turned to steam which is trapped and allowed to re-condense. Minerals cannot travel in the steam which is why distilled water is recommended for CPAP machines.

So the steam from your humidifier was, essentially, letting distilled water into the air. Which is why the white film was from something else.

That's what I would have liked to believe - but it put SOMETHING in the air. After that I only used distilled water. I think I got 15% as a final mark in chemistry in high school (you read that right) so I really know nothing of how it all works.
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#23
RE: Got a cold......can i put something in the water ????
These so-called cool humidifiers atomize the water (make tiny little droplets of water) and spray it into the air. They don't shoot steam (distilled water) into the air.
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.
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#24
RE: Got a cold......can i put something in the water ????
(12-04-2012, 09:23 PM)zonk Wrote:
(12-04-2012, 09:11 PM)2Tim215 Wrote: Does anyone know if most insurance covers cleaning materials like, Control III wipes and the Hose Brush? If not where do we find the Control III wipes?
Supplier #1
mask wipes, tube brush and control III disinfectant solution 16 oz concentrate bottle

Thanks Zonk! They were very good to me, appreciate the reply!
Tim
Finger Lakes Region, NY
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#25
RE: Got a cold......can i put something in the water ????
(06-13-2012, 10:52 PM)TorontoCPAPguy Wrote: The key is that you do not want to introduce into your lungs, which are finely tuned organs, anything that is not supposed to be there. Vick's Vaporub IS intended to be there, obviously, but the key there is that it is intended to be there in very low concentration and not blown into the lungs in quantity or concentration. I can remember being in public school in the 50's and 60's when they were blowing asbestos onto the water pipes to keep them from sweating and insulate them. NOTHING was thought of it at the time; even parents who were Dr.'s were not concerned. Now we are finding that those that were exposed closely are paying the price bigtime.

I have to say that I am a believer in the saying that "you cannot put an old head on young shoulders".... I spent some time in Surgical Critical Care not long ago (my problem was resolved in a 20 minute procedure after three or four days of incredible pain... and, in fact, I am going back for 'the Presidential' at the hospital in the AM....the fellow in one of the beds was telling me that they had been looking for the cause of his lung problems for some time and finally discovered that he had 'things' growing inside them. Most of his lungs had been removed and he was on the list for a double lung transplant. His transgression? He burned rotting wood from his hunt camp and in doing so disturbed spores that had been lying dormant for many years. They were heated, dispersed, inhaled and twenty years later ravaged his lungs in revenge to the extent that they had to keep removing chunks. We cannot ever be too vigilant in taking care of what we allow into our lungs. SMOKERS BEWARE! I was a smoker many years ago.... I have absolutely no pity on anyone that willingly and knowingly smokes. You are killing yourself. Please don't ask me to pay for it..... in any event, keep what you don't absolutely need in your lungs OUT OF THEM. I am off to bed shortly and it will be to a clean mask that has been partially disinfected using Control III wipes (odorless). There are several solutions intended for airway support gear and I cannot recommend to your consideration strongly enough that you use one of them to disinfect (and I mean KILL THE GERMS and not just get the gunk off) your masks daily; your hoses and tank weekly. And I do a thorough cleaning on each of my masks after a week of use. First an odorless detergent soak and wash with agitation using a soft bristled paint brush; a good rinse with hot water; then a good soak with Control III (one or two oz. per GALLON) including mechanical agitation with the paintbrush and a good rinse with hot water.

The sinus rinses I hear are good but I do not tolerate them well. So I use a reputable (medical grade) distilled water in my humidifier (because it is being BLOWN into my lungs) and crank it up when I have a cold. During the day I use a nasal decongestant spray (long story) and try to keep it in my sinuses and not inhale it. (If you have aFib, PVC's, etc. you do NOT want to get some of this stuff into your system and the lungs are straight into the bloodstream).

Anyway, nuff said from this OSA sufferer. Hoping for a good night of sleep. Not just OSA to trouble me. I am like a dog chasing its tail. Last night was terrible sleep and I was a basket case today but got some work done for a prominent client and then went shopping with my wife for a new BBQ (steaks on the barB tomorrow!!). I checked my data this AM after such an awful night. AHI=0.3 and SpO2 was 95%+ all night with a pulse rate under 70... I was indeed calm and could see where the pressure on the XPAP went up due to shallow breathing and obstructive incidents during the night... the S9 also records your airflow 'snoring'. None. Did note some leakage off the normal mask specs, so I suspect that I smooshed my face into the pillow and had air blowing into my eyes off and on. Tonight I will be more vigilant setting the headgear.
I understand your serious concerns about proper cleaning! I have OCD and quite often teased about it, but I'm okay with it! QUESTION: I just bought the wipes, cleaning hose, and Control III. When mixing the Control III do I use Distilled Water only? Just want to be sure I get it right! Thank you, Tim

Tim
Finger Lakes Region, NY
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#26
RE: Got a cold......can i put something in the water ????
(12-04-2012, 10:02 PM)Sleepster Wrote: These so-called cool humidifiers atomize the water (make tiny little droplets of water) and spray it into the air. They don't shoot steam (distilled water) into the air.

OK yes it was a cool mist as you describe. It didn't heat the water like the modern CPAP humidifiers do. From your description it also would have been more along the lines of the Healthdyne "humidifier" I used. You filled the chamber with distilled water. The CPAP blew the air into the humidifier and another hose went from the humidifier to your mask. And you get to breathe it all in! There was no heating of the water or anything like that. I'm sure that my lungs would be well coated with that white stuff I wound up wiping off everything in the room. Again, I flunked chemistry. I didn't really know how or why it worked the way it did but that sounds a lot like my experience. Thanks.
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#27
RE: Got a cold......can i put something in the water ????
(12-04-2012, 10:44 PM)Ugly Wrote: And you get to breathe it all in!

It's the same stuff you swallow every time you drink that water.
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.
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#28
RE: Got a cold......can i put something in the water ????
(12-04-2012, 09:44 PM)PaulaO2 Wrote: The white film was from something else, not the water from the humidifier.

He's talking about a room humidifier. They spray tiny droplets, which dry into microscopic mineral dust particles and leave white dust all over everything. It's a very common problem, and some room humidifiers have special filters to remove the minerals first.

It's much worse if you get an "ultrasonic" humidifier because they make microscopic mineral dust that gets everywhere, especially on electronics.

(12-04-2012, 11:55 PM)Sleepster Wrote:
(12-04-2012, 10:44 PM)Ugly Wrote: And you get to breathe it all in!

It's the same stuff you swallow every time you drink that water.

The airborne mineral dust will get deep into your lungs. Tap water won't get into your lungs, and when it does, it's very unpleasant. Also, the dried dust might have some sort of affect on the alveoli because it's a dust, not a liquid. Also, germs grow in room humidifiers more than they grow in CPAP humidifiers. The room humidifier tank gets really nasty and slimy after a while.

I'm not that worried about it, but it is different from drinking the water.
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#29
RE: Got a cold......can i put something in the water ????
(12-04-2012, 11:55 PM)Sleepster Wrote:
(12-04-2012, 10:44 PM)Ugly Wrote: And you get to breathe it all in!

It's the same stuff you swallow every time you drink that water.

Our city's water supply never did get raving reviews. But I'd rather drink it than breathe it in. The Brita filter helps with the drinking water end of it.
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#30
RE: Got a cold......can i put something in the water ????
Mmmmm, it's all down to particle size, most (Humidifiers use the 'Pass Over' method) therefore the particles of water are sooooooo small they cannot carry contaminant's, water 'Smell' is another issue and some is decidely 'ropey' but this is why the Olbas Oil on a tissue works a treat (I have tried most stuff and highly recommend Olbas Oil 100%)

It is a question I asked once after seeing all the 'Crud' that collects in the humidifier tray, keep it clean and change the water every day.
In the UK Distilled water is a rarity, unlike the US, so most of us 'Limey's' use either Tap/Filtered or Boiled water.
OMG, is that why we are called 'Limey's'

In case you are interested:

Water Vapour (Pass-over Humidifier) Particle size 0.0001 microns

Bacteria 0.2 to 10 microns

Virus 0.017 to 0.3 microns

Hope this helps
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