[Treatment] Got a cold......can i put something in the water ????

[zonk]

Can germ pass from the humidifier to me ?

No, using a heated humidifier in line with your CPAP device will not cause you to become sick or give you germs.
Fisher & Paykel Healthcare's heated humidifiers are pass-over humidifiers that do not produce aerosols
(the fine water droplets that are visible to the eye such as steam from a kettle)
Pass-over humidifiers add moisture in the form of water vapor.
Water vapor particles are smaller than bacteria or viruses so it is impossible for them to be transported up to the mask (and then to you).
Even if pathogens (germs) were able to exist in the chamber, they would not be able to be transported to you.
The important thing to remember is that all equipment (especially your mask) needs to be cleaned thoroughly on a regular basis, so that it does not become a desirable environment for bacteria to live and grow.
Follow the cleaning instructions for all equipment to ensure proper hygiene and cleaning.

[2Tim215]

I just bought the Control III, it hasn't arrived yet but I'm wondering if we have to mix that with distilled water or do you use tap water when you mix it? Also where do you find hospital grade distilled water and what is the price difference compared to regular distilled water?

[Sleepster]

'Smell' is another issue and some is decidely 'ropey'

After a year of refusing to believe that my household water could be the source of that nasty odor, I finally gave up and tried distilled water. Odor gone!

Ever since we moved to this area I thought the water tasted terrible. After years of messing with bottled water I invested in some water treatment. We have a sediment filter followed by a water softener where the water enter enters the house. Then, at the kitchen sink and the ice maker we have a reverse osmosis filter. This eliminated the need for bottled water. I can't taste the difference between my filtered water and bottled water.

But for some reason it sure makes a difference in my CPAP machine. If I washed the hose the odor would go away but it would come back within two or three days. I even bought a hose brush. That was the last straw.

Now with the distilled water I get no odor at all.

The only downside is that I've lost one major motivator for keeping my hose clean. I used to do it every few days. Now I go two weeks sometimes without washing it.

[Ugly]

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

Reminds me of the old scientific statement:

Bacteria are small
and amoeba are small
but viruses are smaller than both of them put together!

[archangle]

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

Unfortunately, not necessarily correct. The airflow can be sufficiently turbulent to produce water droplets. S9 humidifiers are bad for spitting water at you if you fill the humidifier too close to the top. Also, some kinds of growth like mold do reproduce by "throwing" spores into the air.

By the way, we've also mixed in room air humidifiers in this discussion, most of which DO deliberately produce water droplets.

[Podd]

Unfortunately, not necessarily correct. The airflow can be sufficiently turbulent to produce water droplets. S9 humidifiers are bad for spitting water at you if you fill the humidifier too close to the top. Also, some kinds of growth like mold do reproduce by "throwing" spores into the air.

Ahhh, S9 Humidifiers (I use one), I think 'everyone' who has used one of these has overfilled it 'Once', not a lesson you would want to repeat unless you have 'Gills' or are related to Aquaman?.

I do think in normal use i.e. not overfilled, they are ok though.

I used an early humidifier on a Sullivan S6? once, it had two chambers and connecting pipes, it was noisy and bubbled and gurgled in use (I should have taken a picture!). I couldn't use it as I felt like I was drowning (I probably was!) after that the S9 one is pretty good!

I really don't know about Mould and Spores as I have never (knowingly) encountered a problem and would be interested if anyone else has?
But again in 'normal use' i.e. the Humidifier cleaned regulary, is this an issue?

[Ugly]

Unfortunately, not necessarily correct. The airflow can be sufficiently turbulent to produce water droplets. S9 humidifiers are bad for spitting water at you if you fill the humidifier too close to the top. Also, some kinds of growth like mold do reproduce by "throwing" spores into the air.

Ahhh, S9 Humidifiers (I use one), I think 'everyone' who has used one of these has overfilled it 'Once', not a lesson you would want to repeat unless you have 'Gills' or are related to Aquaman?.

Aquaman was a mortal. But instead of like us, not taking a breath for a ridiculous period of time, he could HOLD his breath for a ridiculous amount of time. And communicate with marine animals.
I've never overfilled my humidifier. I'm careful not to. But a while back the condensation accumulated in my tube and made a weird noise. I was examining the mask and all connections before I found the water build up. Today I made a request for a heated tube which is rumoured to eliminate the problem.

I do think in normal use i.e. not overfilled, they are ok though.

But again in 'normal use' i.e. the Humidifier cleaned regulary, is this an issue?

Probably not an issue. But the thought at hand was all the "stuff" in standard water as opposed to distilled water.

[archangle]

I don't think crud growing in the tank is that big of a problem, unless you let it get really dirty, but I want my stuff clean.

Plus I don't like breathing the stink, even if it's not harmful.

[2Tim215]

It only makes sense to clean our equipment on a regular basis. I don't believe any of us can be to careful when it comes to our health and maintain the best therapy possible. I'm sure all of us at times get side tracked at times from unexpected life's interruption's but I don't believe I can emphasize enough the importance of using clean machines, hoses, filters, tubs, and masks when it comes to our health, especially when in light of some of the other medical conditions members have included in their signature lines. Yes we are all different with different circumstances but keep in mind all of the new people that will read this thread while not knowing their personal health issues that might not have been posted! Just my humble opinion, I hope the best for everyone!

[Kristen]

I really don't understand why if we are using distilled water, we need to clean the humidifer chamber or the tubing.
I've also noticed bacteria filters for sale that fit between the humidifier and the tubing? Anyone have any experience with these. I bought one but haven't used it yet because I read they might change the pressure.