Descaling humidifier using lemon? Tips please!

My Resmed machine has a built in humidifier. I use bottled mineral water in it - I change the water daily and dry it out and let it air every morning when I empty it.

There’s now some limescale in it and I’m not sure the best way to descale it. The sleep technician who first gave me the machine suggested descaling it with lemon so I thought I’d do that but now I’m needing to do it, I’m not really sure how!

Do you use lemon juice? Lemon juice in water? Actual lemons??
Do I wipe it round with actual lemon?
Or let it soak in juice/juice and water? And, if so, hot or cold?

Sorry...I feel a bit stupid posting this but any advice would be much appreciated!

Take out the seeds, don't add sugar! Jim

How do you get the ice cubes in that little hole?

Lemons cost more than Distilled water!

Hi Kipster,

Distilled malt vinegar is cheaper than lemons.

You dilute it one part to three parts ordinary tap water, and soak for at least 15 minutes - altho' 30 is better.

You can get distilled malt vinegar at Sainsbury's. A pint (or 568 milli-litres) is 45p - and will do at least five soaks. Three fresh lemons at Sainsbury's is £1.05 - and although I've never tried it, I imagine they will only do one clean.

As long as it's something mildly acidic, that will dissolve the residue in the tank.

kipster wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 10, 2018 12:08 pm

There’s now some limescale in it and I’m not sure the best way to descale it.

Fill it with a 50:50 mixture of water and white vinegar. Let sit for 30 minutes or so. Rinse well to remove the vinegar smell.

kipster wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 10, 2018 12:08 pm

I use bottled mineral water in it - I change the water daily and dry it out and let it air every morning when I empty it.

Bottled water contains minerals. It's best to use distilled water because it does not contain minerals. If you use distilled water, there is no need to dump the leftover water every morning.

White vinegar is way cheaper, and probably easier to rinse away.
Mix equal parts vinegar and water.
Microwave in a microwaveable bowl until hot.
Fill tank. Soak for a few minutes.
Drain. Rinse. Reuse.
Lemon juice? Nope.

Hi again Kipster,

"Bottled water contain minerals" - yes, it does. But some bottled waters contain much less than others.

Many people in the US don't realise that getting the kind of distilled water that's safe to use and which they can buy easily and cheaply is very, very expensive over here.

So bottled water is the next best thing.

The bottled water I use (I'm in Gloucestershire) is Sainsbury's Still Scottish Mountain Water. It has a very low level of calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate (the two minerals that make up most of that 'limescale' deposit). It does leave some residue - but way, way less than tap water and most other bottled waters.

From Sainsbury's (and no, I do not get commission ) a family pack of 8 litres for £1.40.

I hadn't ever thought of lemon juice. I just used vinegar/water solution.
Lemons smell so much better than vinegar though.

I don't know how strong the lemon juice might be but just use bottled lemon juice (no need to be fresh squeezed as it will take way too many lemons) and make a solution about half water and half lemon juice ...maybe about a half a cup (or whatever you have that equals a cup in the UK) and slosh it around for a bit and let it sit and see if it removes wherever you are seeing the mineral build up.
Might try rubbing the area a bit with your fingers or some sort of soft abrasive type of pad. Not steel wool though.
If half and half doesn't do the trick...try straight up lemon juice.
Won't hurt anything and you will rinse it all out anyway. Just don't use anything harsh to scrub with because you don't want to scratch the inside of the chamber. Most of the time just a little sitting in a solution will dissolve the minerals enough so they can be easily wiped away.

So if you have lemon juice in the fridge...give it a try or the vinegar as others have mentioned. Either should work well.

There is a reason Bottled water isn't called Distilled Water, it because it isn't, DUH! Jim

Distilled Water is H's, 2's, and O's, Bottled Water is Anything they can get in the bottle!

I wouldn't be afraid to use bottled water and do a little limescale removal if need be.
Yeah, distilled is easy and cheap here in the US and even then I don't always use it.
I have run out of distilled (bad weather and poor planning) or the store is out or I forget...and I use my tap water which is loaded with minerals since I am on a well.

Most of the time I do have bottled water handy though. I use it in the Keruig because my well water kills coffee makers quickly and the Keurig is too expensive to see it die early.
I remember the need for coffee long before the need for distilled water in the humidifier.
If I am short on bottled water....the humidifier water chamber gets tap water if I have run out of distilled. I can't be killing my Keurig and doing without coffee. I am sure the world would come to a bloody end if that happened.

ChicagoGranny wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 10, 2018 12:17 pm

kipster wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 10, 2018 12:08 pm

There’s now some limescale in it and I’m not sure the best way to descale it.

Fill it with a 50:50 mixture of water and white vinegar. Let sit for 30 minutes or so. Rinse well to remove the vinegar smell.

kipster wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 10, 2018 12:08 pm

I use bottled mineral water in it - I change the water daily and dry it out and let it air every morning when I empty it.

Bottled water contains minerals. It's best to use distilled water because it does not contain minerals. If you use distilled water, there is no need to dump the leftover water every morning.

I just fill with straight food grade white vinegar the after 1/2 hour rinse a few time, let dry and let the mask fit test run a bit before using. And like he Granny says mineral water is the worst thing you can use. Well maybe mud puddle water is worse, but it's not a very good idea t use mineral enhanced water then worry about mineral build up.

Goofproof wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 10, 2018 12:35 pm

There is a reason Bottled water isn't called Distilled Water, it because it isn't, DUH! Jim

Distilled Water is H's, 2's, and O's, Bottled Water is Anything they can get in the bottle!

There are no 2's in water, just twice as many hydrogens as oxygens.

Hello a third time, Kipster,

"Might try rubbing the area a bit with your fingers or some sort of soft pad.'"

If you need to get into the tank's corner, or any bit of residue needs a little push to free it (after the soaking), I can recommend the 'cleaning sticks' from Lakeland.

Lakeland are everywhere now - "68 shops nationwide", they say. But you can also call them, on: 01 539 488 100, and they're also on-line.

The cleaning sticks are a wee bit pricey - £7.99 for 35. But you can use each stick quite a few times.

Product number 23618.

kipster wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 10, 2018 12:08 pm

My Resmed machine has a built in humidifier. I use bottled mineral water in it - I change the water daily and dry it out and let it air every morning when I empty it.

There’s now some limescale in it and I’m not sure the best way to descale it. The sleep technician who first gave me the machine suggested descaling it with lemon so I thought I’d do that but now I’m needing to do it, I’m not really sure how!

Do you use lemon juice? Lemon juice in water? Actual lemons??
Do I wipe it round with actual lemon?
Or let it soak in juice/juice and water? And, if so, hot or cold?

Sorry...I feel a bit stupid posting this but any advice would be much appreciated!

A couple questions/thoughts come to mind......

Why on earth would you use "mineral" water in your HH tank?
The purpose of using "distilled" water is to avoid the minerals. Now, maybe you don't have distilled in the UK, but something else would still be much better than mineral water.

Why are you trying to bother removing the scale from the tank?
It's not going anywhere and isn't going to have any adverse affects on anything. Wasted efforts.


Den

.

I use straight vinegar, and save my lemons for drinks. If you can't get demineralized water, distilled water, or reverse osmosis purified water, you are probably best just to use tap water. If you use tap water just dump out the residual water daily, rinse it out, and fill with fresh tap water.

kipster wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 10, 2018 12:08 pm

My Resmed machine has a built in humidifier. I use bottled mineral water in it - I change the water daily and dry it out and let it air every morning when I empty it.

That's missing the whole point. Mineral water has minerals... the whole point of using distilled water is to avoid minerals.

Just use tap water and stop wasting money.

kipster wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 10, 2018 12:08 pm

There’s now some limescale in it and I’m not sure the best way to descale it.

Because you've been using mineral water.

kipster wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 10, 2018 12:08 pm

Do you use lemon juice? Lemon juice in water? Actual lemons??
Do I wipe it round with actual lemon?
Or let it soak in juice/juice and water? And, if so, hot or cold?

Sorry...I feel a bit stupid posting this but any advice would be much appreciated!

Put a paper towel in there, and pour in enough vinegar to get the towel wet, poke it into the corners and sides so that they stay wet with the vinegar. Come back later, and wipe off any remaining minerals. If it's a thick enough coat, you may need more than one treatment.