Distilled vs. purified water

[Rcgop]

The store i buy my distilled water has not had any in stock for several weeks. Instead they started selling “purified” water. I have always used distilled because of the lack of minerals and the minimum amount of maintenance on the water tub. The label on the container says it can be used where distilled water is used. Not concerned about health issues, just the mineral buildup. The label mentioned filtered by osmosis if that makes a difference. 

Does purified water contain minerals that can buildup in the tank?

[Big Guy]

I started out using distilled water initially. I did dos for about 6 months. I got tired of running out and paying about a buck a gallon for it. 

I then started using tap water and did just fine. I'd empty the water reservoir each morning and wipe it dry with a paper towel. I never had any issues what-so-ever with any build-up. I'd use white vinegar about once a week to make sure the reservoir was clean. It worked great. 

Using distilled or purified water in my opinion is a waste of money. 

[Mark Douglas]

If your water is chlorinated is that something you want to inject into your lungs? What about the other stuff in water?

[mecutl3r]

Along the same lines, I just bought some distilled water that says "electrolites added." I assume that is for the benefit of people who buy it to drink it. But do the added electrolites result in the very mineral deposits I am trying to avoid by using distilled water? (My home uses well water that is very high in mineral content, so tap water is not an option for me.)

[clownbell]

We live in an area of VERY hard water, using USGS criteria. I use tape water and clean weekly with a solution of 10% distilled white vinegar and 90% water. Removes the minerals. Sometimes I used a used machine filter if I feel like it needs a little more oompf. Then I soak my double edge razor in the vinegar solution to remove soap scum and minerals. Cheap. Works well.

[mesenteria]

If your water is chlorinated is that something you want to inject into your lungs? What about the other stuff in water?

Mark, you would only worry if the water is aerosolized.  It isn't.  Instead, it is only evaporated.  I have been using local potable tap water, the kind meant to be ingested, for seven years and have not managed to detect any deleterious changes in my lungs, trachea, or nose.  If I were but one among many users of evaporators in PAP machines who uses tap water, that would be one thing.  However, a great many/most of us have done just that for years to no ill effect.  In fact, there are no proscriptions for the practice in the literature or in the instructions that come with the machine.

[mesenteria]

Along the same lines, I just bought some distilled water that says "electrolites added." I assume that is for the benefit of people who buy it to drink it. But do the added electrolites result in the very mineral deposits I am trying to avoid by using distilled water? (My home uses well water that is very high in mineral content, so tap water is not an option for me.)

By virtue of what happens during evaporation, anything dissolved in water will be left behind once the process of evaporation has reached its physical limits for the quantity involved.  What will be left behind are deposits of salts.  They can be re-dissolved, or removed, as needed.

[mesenteria]

To the OP, if the product you mention is potentially ingested by the typical user, it's ingredients must be spelled out on the label.

Distilled water is made by two methods, distillation and reverse-osmosis, with the latter the most common because it is the most economical and eco-friendly.  Purified water, depending on the jurisdiction, might only be filtered, or a chemical might be added, say bromine, to 'purify' it to make it safe to drink.  It won't necessarily be distilled.

Want some helpful advice? Use tap water.  You are provided it cheaply at the tap, and you are meant to guzzle two liters of it daily.  It can't be bad for the machine, except perhaps that it contains some salts that will eventually build up as deposits.  In that case, either soften the water mechanically, or just rinse your reservoir daily with a fresh supply from the tap.

It's really that simple....and cheap.

[Sleeprider]

Purified water is likely water passed through osmotic filtration which worked effectively to minimize dissolved solids that might cause deposits in the humidifier. It also removes most organic bacteria and produces a safe water. I have used the Zero Water filter for this purpose at the cottage and it effectively treats the well water to be suitable for use in the machines, as well as producing good drinking water, ice cubes and water for the coffee maker. I'm a fan of purified water and have never thought the use of distilled to be necessary.

[Rcgop]

Thanks Sleeprider, that is sorta what I was looking for. Distilled water costs 1 penny an ounce and I use 2-3 once’s per day. So adding 2-3 cents per day to my already exorbitant water bill is not a game changer. And, I don’t have to buy $$$ vinegar. And, my water tub stays looking like new (at least 6 years).  And, I do not have to take extra steps cleaning. 

Further research on the purified water label has this to say. 

One brand had this:
“Deionized and ozonated for distilled water uses. “

A different brand has this on the label:
“Purified by reverse osmosis and ozonated.”

I will pay double for distilled water if I don’t have to buy vinegar. I buy my water when I buy groceries and don’t want to make a special trip if purified water does not leave the deposits in the tub.