Humidifier - Leave In Excess Water ?

[PaytonA]

the water that sits in the bottle in the store has not been cycled through a humidifier hose and it is recommended to dump the water and let the tank dry and refill it before using the cpap machine next.

Correct me if I'm wrong but the pan heats up the water to get vapor nothing is cycled. Air blows over the top and picks up the vapor on its way to the mask. I guess I need to go read instructions again.

if there is bacteria or nasty stuff in the water, it will get carried through the hose to the person connected to the other end of the hose. whatever is in the tub goes to the person on the other end of the mask and that is why the water level decreases with use (unless there is a problem with the humidifier). I just prefer not to take the chance of getting nasty stuff traveling through the hose, mask and into me.

I think that me50 prefers to be extremely cautious with respect to contaminants that may get into the water and that is fine. Actually, one is really more at risk from breathing the air in an airplane or at a shopping mall. I think it all boils down to personal preference.

Best Regards,

PaytonA

[me50]

I don't want bacteria, etc. growing in water that has been in the tank for a few days. Many members dump their water daily. I am of the school of thought, better safe than sorry and it takes very little effort to dump the water, rinse the tank and let it dry.

It is personal preference and if members are okay not dumping their water daily, then that is what works for them.

[Shastzi]

when in doubt, dump it out.
(actually I dump it into my razor bath. Since I have such hard water the
crud really builds up in the shaving razor so I rinse with that and get one last use out of it before tossing it)

[vsheline]

Just top it off. It sits in the bottle at the store longer than the time it takes to use it up.

After being properly distilled and sealed, water on the store shelf may be slowly absorbing plastic from the bottle but it is not growing anything.

After one night in the CPAP humidifier bowl, however, it has picked up contaminants from the air blowing over it, a portion of whatever dust and germs and spores the CPAP filter did not filter out. It is these contaminants which may eventually lead to growth of mold and bacteria. (ResMed recommends to change the regular air filter at least every 6 months, but I use the fine hypoallergenic filters and change the filter monthly.)

When my water level gets low (usually every morning) I dump the water into a separate container for watering my house plants. Unless the humidifier bowl is dry, I do not leave it in the machine during the day, because I do not want the hose and machine to have a humid environment during the day. (Dust and other contaminants which get past the filter will also tend to finely coat the inside of the machine and hose, and dampness would allow growth of nasty stuff in the hose and machine.)

I think the manufacturers recommend removing the hose from the machine daily and hanging to dry thoroughly before re-use. Sounds like the safest way to do it.

What I do is use ClimateLine heated hose and (if hose is dry) leave it on the machine during the day, but I always remove the water bowl from the machine (and cover with a small towel to keep dust off of it) during the day unless the bowl is bone dry.

Perhaps once a month I'll wash the hose and bowl.

[Lukie]

Because it is not chlorinated, distilled water is a perfect medium for bacteria etc to grow in. I have no problem just emptying and washing my humidifier along with my mask daily. It takes no more time than brushing your teeth. Let the stuff air dry.