Plane travel and the water for your CPAP

[moondoggy]

Everyone,


In the past while traveling by air I have transportation available to when I get there so I can run out and get distilled water for my CPAP machine.  This time I'm taking a trip to San Antonio and I'll be riding a shuttle to a downtown hotel so running out to get some distilled water might be a challenge.  Can anyone share any method they have for carrying distilled water on the plane and not running into an issue with the TSA?  Any help will be appreciated.

[mesenteria]

If the water out of the room's sink's tap is potable, and it certainly is, then forget distilled water; you don't need it.  Not even back home.  You fill, use overnight, discard what's left, rinse, and refill next night.  That way, you'll never have to worry about deposits.  Distilled water is as unnecessary as ozone cleaners.

[DeepBreathing]

I agree with Mesenteria - if the tap water is safe to drink, then it's safe to use in your CPAP. If you're in a developing country where you wouldn't drink the tap water, then use distilled if you can get it, otherwise normal bottled water.

If you live in an area of hard water (as I do) then distilled is an easy way to prevent mineral deposits - my humidifier tub is now nearly 6 years old and looks like new.

[Sheepish]

If you live in an area of hard water (as I do) then distilled is an easy way to prevent mineral deposits - my humidifier tub is now nearly 6 years old and looks like new.

It's convenient for those of us who are lazy about constantly keeping mineral deposits at bay.

[bluesboybob]

On the other hand, if you are OCD like I am, an easy alternative is purified drinking water such as Aquafina which is purified by reverse osmosis. It's easy to get anywhere and easy to travel with. I get 2 nights from a 16 oz bottle. It may be unnecessary, but if I didn't obsess about humidifier water it would just be something else.

[SarcasticDave94]

If it were me I'd just run tap water in it. Yes the possibility you may need to wash the tub from mineral deposits exists, but it shouldn't be much extra effort. Assuming the tap water is drinkable, it's also humidifier ready.

[SueAnn]

Interesting discussion. I have always used distilled water in my CPAP machine. I now have a water softener, so I guess I don’t need to use distilled water any more.

[mesenteria]

SueAnn, even if your water is hard, you can safely use tap water.  It's all treated, so it's safe from the point of view of pathogens.  It can still be quite hard, though, and would need treatment in some cases...such as demineralization via a salts-using treatment system.

The idea is that, as water evaporates, only water molecules lift off the surface.  What gets left behind, and what begins to concentrate in the remaining volume of water, are soluble and non-soluble materials.  Bug carcasses, if there were any, and sawdust, rock grit, would be insoluble and easily seen.  Salts and other chemicals would not be seen until they reach a saturation level in the water that's left and begin to precipitate.  They'll begin to form a sludge at the bottom of the tank or they'll begin to form a crust near the surface of the water, but at the walls of the retaining vessel.  This is what you don't want.

You avoid the encrustation by simply discarding the remaining water each morning, rinsing once, and then refilling for the next night's use.  Very simple, very effective.  And cheap. 

[Big Guy]

As others have made very clear, tap water is fine. I started out using distilled water, but gave it up for tap water. 

Since having done so, all has been fine. I empty my reservoir each & every morning to avoid any mineral deposit build-up.

[Melman]

An if you do see any mineral deposit it is easily removed with vinegar.