ResMed Airsense 10 Humidifier reservoir maintenance

[Josiah]

Is it really necessary to washout the reservoir after every use, assuming distilled water is being used? How about washing out the reservoir every fifth day and on other days topping up the remaining distilled water?

[prodigyplace]

I use distilled water and usually just add water to top it up. Occasionally I will drain it before refilling.
I have been using mine for over a year with no apparent issues.

[Okie bipap]

We just top ours off every night, then they get cleaned once a month (first Monday of the month). Mask cushions get cleaned every Monday, water chambers and mask pads get cleaned once a month. I check the filters when I clean the water chambers and change them when necessary.

[Bill44133]

I clean mine every couple of weeks.

[LSAT]

I clean mine every couple of weeks.

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I have been using the same reservoir for 4 years and it is clear as when it was new. I don't think it has actually been washed more than 5-6 times in that period. I have used distilled water every night since new. I just top it off every 2-3 nights.

[HoseCrusher]

I am the outlier when it comes to humidifier use.

I love the fragrance of the ocean. Some people prefer using essential oils outside the machine but in the intake air flow so they can catch a wiff of the scent. I add salt to my humidifier water and enjoy the slight fragrance of salt water.

Please note this is not a recommendation, it is just what I do.

My last machine lasted about 9 years and had a little over 30000 hours on it until it became flakey and I replaced it. During that time I used 2 humidifier tanks. The first on came with the unit and the second one was one that I could take apart so it was an upgrade.

I use distilled water and add the salt to that. Everything is good unless the humidifier runs dry. Then I end up with salt crystals inside the humidifier tank. However, a rinse with water quickly takes care of that. During the 9 years of use I was lucky to clean the humidifier more than once a month. I do swish some water in it prior to filling it up, but that is just to remove any salt concentration.

I am using the same water in my current machine and after 2 weeks there is no sign of build up or any slim or anything else.

WARNING: spilling salt water into your machine is worse than simply spilling water into it. If you regularly spill the water, don't add salt to it.

[mesenteria]

If the water really is distilled, it is free from minerals. As air is drawn over it, even the nicely filtered air drawn through our units, it will have contact with some minor bits of airborne impurities that will build up over time if you simply add more water each morning. You'll eventually get something akin to pond scum or bacterial buildup, molds, etc. You HAVE to clean your water reservoir regularly. Not every day...maybe not even every week, but I would recommend cleaning it once weekly for the cheap insurance that regimen affords you.

If the water really is distilled (and the purveyor can withstand the vagaries of the odd lawsuit insisting that it isn't), you can safely top up the reservoir for several mornings. I wouldn't say 12 or 20, but maybe 8-10...before you should flush the unit at the very least to reduce the increasing concentration of airborne impurities. It happens that I have used tapwater since the end of the first month when I declined to purchase a second gallon of it. Now nearly five months into my own therapy, my reservoir looks brand new. I fill it, use it over three nights with my lowest possible humidity setting (1), and then flush/rinse under a running tap, fill, and re-insert it.

Why pay for high test when plain or 97 octane will do the job?

[palerider]

If the water really is distilled, it is free from minerals. As air is drawn over it, even the nicely filtered air drawn through our units, it will have contact with some minor bits of airborne impurities that will build up over time if you simply add more water each morning.

Science doesn't back up your allegations:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5611769/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3716664/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16236866

[mesenteria]

You misunderstood me. I didn't say a person will get infected him or herself, I said the pond scum will eventually develop in the reservoir (the subject)because no filter currently used in a PAP device can possibly filter out every spore or airborne pathogen or organic matter that might eventually build up and provide a medium for pathogenesis....in the reservoir. Obviously, evaporating water that is not also aerosolized will not present problem for the user, as one of the studies purports.

A healthy immune system, getting good CPAP treatment, should do fine even with less than 100% filtered air.