HELP!!! - Tap water or no water?

I'm on my first road trip with my S9 and can't find any distilled water in the fine town that I am in. Am I better off with no water, or can I use tap water? I just don't want to damage this wonderful machine (or me)!

TIA,
Mike

How long are you out of town for? Tap water is fine, just clean your humidifier when you return home.
I also just bought bottled drinking water when I was at the beach.
Rest Well
Susan

Assuming you are somewhere where the tap water is drinkable, you can use it.
Empty the humidifier thoroughly after each night, and when you come back home rinse it in a solution of 1 part vinegar to 10 part water. That should take care of mineral that the tap water may have left in the humidier.

Just one night... Will be back home tomorrow night. Thanks for your input!

Mike

When I travel, I sometimes take an old machine without a humidifier and have no problems. Depends on how much you need the humidity. If you do use tap water, maybe boil it or microwave it so as to not introduce unnecessary bacteria into your chamber. I doubt a night or two would be enough to have any mineral buildup.

Remember that air blows from the machine into the humidifier and then out the hose into your mask. Even if the tap water did something nasty, it could only affect the humidifier tank, the hose, the mask, and the patient.

In practice, it will only hurt the tank, which is replaceable. Even then, it probably makes it look yucky with white scale stuff, but doesn't do any real harm unless you don't clean the tank often. You'd also have to use tap water for a long time to see any problems.

Fill the tank completely every night and dump all the water out in the morning. If there are minerals in the water, this keeps them from building up.

You may find that chlorine or other smells in the water bother you a bit, especially if you're using tap water from somewhere other than your home town. It's unlikely to be harmful to you.

I just use filtered water from the kitchen.

My DME says tap water isn't that big of a deal, it is just the issue of mineral deposits. So, I rinse out my tank frequently when I am stuck using tap water.

kteague wrote: I doubt a night or two would be enough to have any mineral buildup.

That depends on the amount of minerals in the tap water,

I was gone for 10 days last month and forgot to bring distilled water so I just bought a couple of bottles of drinking water and then washed my tank out when I got home. NO problems.

In my opinion the distilled water sold in U. S. stores is too acidic compared to pharmacy used distilled water. So I been using tap water instead. Especially, since the water in the water supply in my local is not "Hard". I would not mind using drinking water sold in stores. Every evening, I first empty the humidifier chamber. Next, I rinse it twice while shaking with tap water before filling to the mark. Once a week I drop a drop of regular liquid soap ( with anti bacteria in it) and shake it well and also brush the chamber bottom and then rinse three times. If in 10 ten years the chamber will become opaque then I'll replace it with a new one costing less than $50.

I found a nice plastic bottle at the Dollar Tree for travel (except when flying, which I really don't do anymore anyway!). It holds about 2 quarts and has a pull up drinking spout and a built-in handle.

It was just perfect for carrying distilled water on our recent trip. It lasted me the 6 days we were gone with some to spare. It's easy to carry and compact enough that it was easy to pack in the back of the car with all the luggage.

If you can't come by distilled water, tap water is fine. When you get home, give your tank a good vinegar soak to break up any mineral build-up.

I got a spare tank as soon as I was eligible and keep it in reserve, but so far my 1 1/2 year old tank is in perfect condition.

Municipal tap water is sterile for practical purposes. Chlorine is added to municipal water supplies for that specific purpose. Anyway, you're not injecting it, or drinking it, just evaporating some off the surface. So don't worry about using tap water during travel, especially for 1 or 2 days.
The main reason for using distilled is to prevent mineral buildup.
If there happens to be mineral buildup from using tap water, a vinegar soak will dissolve it. For disinfecting the tank, vinegar or hydrogen peroxide both work.