What water do you use to fill the humidifier tank?

[cbramsey]

I live in a 70 year old house and we have a mixture of water distribution piping. Some galvanized steel, some PVC, some CPVC piping, and our new renovated bathroom will have a mixture of CPVC and PEX.

To make a long story short, I use distilled water.

[zonk]

I've always used tap water since started over a year ago
What comes out of the tap doesn't leave any deposits or residues and the water tank remains in a good nick

[breath]

I found using Brita water filters works and the cost is lower than purchasing distilled water. I live in a hard water area, minerals can deposit inside the humidifier. I was advised to filter tap water.
The exchange ion resin in the filter lowers the concentration of calcium carbonates, accordingly softening tap water.

[Dawei]

Since I have one of the sealed H5i water tanks, I have been using distilled water and dumping the leftover each morning as well as rinsing out the tank with warm water mixed with a little ivory soap and then rinsing out the soapy water. Sounds a lot more time-consuming than it actually is. So far, no smell or mineral deposit problems.

[pssnn]

I always use distilled except when traveling and then I just use bottled drinking water. I pretty much know how water I will use in a night so I only fill the humidifier to the level needed.

[GrammaBear]

I use bottled distilled water as we live in a rural area where our well water is considered hard. We have a water softener for both hot and cold water, but not for our "drinking water" faucet. One time when filling the humidifier on my old CPAP machine I grabbed the jug of white vinegar by mistake. I was really tired that night and it took me quite a while to realize the reason why I kept smelling vinegar. I was really annoyed with myself then as I had to switch out humidifier tank, hoses and nasal pillows and start all over again with clean equipment. Will not make that mistake again.

[Sleepster]

I was really tired that night and it took me quite a while to realize the reason why I kept smelling vinegar. I was really annoyed with myself then as I had to switch out humidifier tank, hoses and nasal pillows and start all over again with clean equipment.

But your equipment was really clean!

[oldteddybear]

It all comes down to your routine and your insurance coverage. If you are the one who is paying all of the bills then I would recommend distilled water as it will promote the longest life of your equipment, reducing deposits on the tank and tubing, but you have to pay extra for the water. Filtered tap water is quite acceptable if your insurance pays for frequent replacement of equipment, but has a much higher possibility of water borne impurities being directed into your lungs and deposited on the humidifier and equipment. The deposits then also provide a protected area for growth of bacteria and require a much more vigilent cleaning regimine.
For myself, I use the cleanest water that I have available at the time which is normally distilled because if I am going to breath it in I want it as clean as possible. (my stomach is designed to handle the junk that I eat, my lungs are not)

[PaulaO2]

There are very few impurities that will make it from the humidifier tank all the way to your lungs. It is so minute a risk it is a non-issue. Unless someone is using water from a mud puddle, that is.

The greater risk, and one that is over looked far too often, is the stuff that can grow in the hose. A mold growing in there can be transferred to you via air.

This is my opinion, of course. I have only personal experience and what I have studied as what I use to make my decision.

[Sleepster]

It all comes down to your routine and your insurance coverage.

And the quality of your tap water. This varies widely, so use common sense. If your tap water stinks or leaves a cruddy residue in your humidifier tank, it's best to use either softened, filtered water or bottled distilled water.

I was forunate enough to be able to install a water softener in my home a few years back. I also have a sediment filter before the water softener. Under my kitchen sink I have a reverse osmosis filter that sends water to a tap at the sink and to my ice-maker.

So, the water I put in my humidifier passes through the sediment filter, the water softener, and the reverse osmosis filter. Other people don't need anywhere near this level of water treatment and could use tap water with no problems.