distilled-demineralized water - Are they the same thing?

[Hawthorne]

I usually buy distilled water at our local supermarket in the Pharmacy department. Today my husband picked up a new bottle for me. it was exactly the same bottle ( shape, etc) as we usually get but it was called "Demineralized Treated Water". It also said " by deionization and microfiltration" on the bottle.

My husband questioned the Pharmacist and he said it is the same thing as distilled water.

Is this correct? Is it okay to use in my cpap humidifier??

[TheDreamer]

Well, if you go Wikipedia....its not quite the same process....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distilled_water

And, treated might mean they took care of the other stuff....

It is probably alright....says the guy that has used PuR filtered tap water when he doesn't have distilled water handy.

The Dreamer.

[tomjax]

i AM SORRY THIS PHARMACIST GAVE YOU INCORRECT INFORMATION.

The answer is NO NO NO.

[billbolton]

Is this correct? Is it okay to use in my cpap humidifier??

In most countries demineralised water is produced for non-potable purposes (such as using in steam irons, or for industrial processes etc), and there is a specific warning that it is not for drinking.

You should check the lable on the product and see if it says it is either potable or fit for human consumption. If it does say that I would happily put it in my humidifier, but if it doesn't say that, I would definitely not put it in my humidifier.

Cheers,

Bill

[kopoloff]

Demineralisation is simply the removal of minerals,probably by ozmosis, whereas distillation is the process of extracting pure water from any solution, which may be sewerage, seawater, tapwater etc. The difference is that demineralisation produces water that has just been, effectively, filtered. It may be full of virii, bacterii and other pathogens, whereas the only component in distilled water is water. Distilled water will be sterile at the time of creation, although it may not stay that way, depending on how it is handled.

This is one of kopoloff's pet subjects, don't get him started

K

[Paul56]

I usually buy distilled water at our local supermarket in the Pharmacy department. Today my husband picked up a new bottle for me. it was exactly the same bottle ( shape, etc) as we usually get but it was called "Demineralized Treated Water". It also said " by deionization and microfiltration" on the bottle.

My husband questioned the Pharmacist and he said it is the same thing as distilled water.

Is this correct? Is it okay to use in my cpap humidifier??

In my neck of the woods, Ottawa Canada, demineralized is not the same as distilled and is usually indicated in fine print on the bottle in the form of PPM analysis... the distilled will always have a ZERO in that respect.

[Hawthorne]

Paul56 - Thanks. Being Canadian as well, it's helpful to hear from someone who sees the same products and brands.

The Demineralized Water I have says (in the fine print at the bottom of the label) "0ppm Flouride Content. 10ppm Mineral Salts content".

It also says "sodium free" and " Ozonized".

I have no idea what this all means but have decided not to use it in my cpap humidifier - or for anything else that I might have that might use that kind of thing!

[NeurosurgeryNP]

Ozonized - means they put it through an ozone process which is supposed to "treat" the water to remove pathogens. LIke PP said - if it doesn't say it is fit for human consumption, I would not use it in my machine.

[Hawthorne]

Thanks all, for your responses.

I went out today and bought another jug of "DISTILLED WATER" and poured the $1 and some cents demineralized stuff down the drain. I have always used distilled water in my humdifier and I was not about to use anything I didn't know about. When I searched the net, I was really not much wiser, so came here.

Thanks again!