Storing water for CPAP humidifier

[Otil]

2 days ago I started to use a humidifier together with my Dreamstation. Even though there are some practical tasks necessary to use the humidifier to avoid unwanted bacterias, I have decided to give it at try.

However, I am wondering if it is okay to boil water for 2-3 days and keep the remaining water in a  clean bottle either on the desk or in the  refrigerator.

Let me know if You have any experience or thoughts and also if you have ideas to reduce the time needed for cleaning without jeopordising safety and maintenance.

Cheers

[DeepBreathing]

You'll get a lot of different opinions on this question. However in my view there is no need for any special treatment of humidifier water. I choose to use distilled water because my local public supply has a fairly high calcium content. Otherwise I'd just use tap water. When travelling I use tap water where it's OK to drink and bottled water otherwise.

I have seen opinions that the because the humidifier creates a vapour, not an aerosol, it can't transmit any bacteria from the water up the tube.

[1holegrouper]

I use distilled water at home and when traveling short trips (long trips will buy a gal of distilled water) use bottled water like Aquafina, as an example. Once a month I soak the tank with 1:1 ratio of white vinegar and distilled water for 30 minutes to help remove any seen/unseen deposits. I also do this with the hose and mask. This is probably overkill but it does make me feel better and that has weight in the total experience.

[Melman]

As a former medical microbiologist I agree with DeepBreathing that there is no need for special treatment of humidifier water. The bacterial content of tap water and bottled water is low and comprises non-pathogenic environmental bacteria. Every activity involving water creates aerosols. We probably inhale much more aerosolized water while taking a shower than in a night of CPAP use. There is little or no value to using inexpensive distilled water except to avoid mineral deposits.. It is not sterile.

[Mosquitobait]

If you question your water source, boiling for 5 minutes is perfect. Then pour into clean and DRY container. There is no reason to reboil it. You've already eliminated pathogens when you boiled it.

The sole reason why distilled water is recommended is for the mineral buildup. Too much mineral buildup on the heater plate reduces the humidity at the level you've selected.

[mesenteria]

I don't have Melman's credentials or experience, but I have to agree with him; everyone runs taps in their homes, takes showers, flushes toilets, we spray from garden hoses in the wind, sometimes into the wind, and essentially nobody develops sickness.  There is always a risk from Legionella, but only for the infirm, aged, very young, and only when the water is left to stagnate, is untreated properly, and left exposed to unclean and poorly maintained ventilation systems.  There was an outbreak recently in southern British Columbia, in a town called Surrey, but it had NOTHING to do with CPAP.

To be scrupulously honest, I finally saw a small bit of growth in my reservoir two days ago.  This is after no treatment for eight months of use and with a single change in the outer primary air filter back in April.  I keep mine filled and installed in the machine 24/7.  So, that's a serious test.  I only use tap water, too.  

I rinsed my reservoir with hydrogen peroxide first, the sludge turned pink, and it rinsed out easily.  I then turned to my trusted postassium metabisulphite and rinsed the reservoir and the silicone gasket (removed it so that I could clean it with a brush).

All this to say that the filters cannot possibly clean the air fully that flows over the water surface in the reservoir.  There will necessarily be some aerosolisation and material transfer between the air and the water surface. In time, the interior of the reservoir WILL need to be cleaned and sterilized. Happened to me...finally.  But, my point is that I'm not sick as a result of the growth in the reservoir. But, could I be, or could I become ill? Yes, we never know.  Better to be safe and do the right things.  Meanwhile, don't worry...be happy...and treated.

[CB91710]

If you question your water source, boiling for 5 minutes is perfect.  Then pour into clean and DRY container.  There is no reason to reboil it.  You've already eliminated pathogens when you boiled it.  

The sole reason why distilled water is recommended is for the mineral buildup.  Too much mineral buildup on the heater plate reduces the humidity at the level you've selected.

Bingo.
I'll use bottled drinking water when I'm on the road (been in a few motels where the tap water was a color that I wouldn't even use it to brush my teeth).
Both on the road and at home, I don't allow the tank to run dry, but I do use distilled water at home to avoid mineral buildup... my tap water could be used to add another face to Mt. Rushmore.

Distilled water is only a buck a gallon at Walmart, and a gallon lasts the two of us close to a month.
I just store it on the bedroom floor next to the bedside table.  It really does not require any rocket science.


Short story - If the water is safe to drink, it is safe in the humidifier.