How often do you change water

I am just two nights into my cpap journey. I have a resmed machine with a humidifier. Both mornings most of the water was left and I tossed it to dry out the machine. I use distilled water so throwing it out seems a waste. What is the recommended way to deal with the water each day. Should most of the water be left?

Like you, I was changing my water every day. I only use about half of it a night. But after reading a little on this board and talking with my Sleep Therapist, I have been topping it off the second day. Then change completely and cleaning on the 3rd day. Not wasting as much distilled water this way and so far no problem.

LisaSch wrote:I am just two nights into my cpap journey. I have a resmed machine with a humidifier. Both mornings most of the water was left and I tossed it to dry out the machine. I use distilled water so throwing it out seems a waste. What is the recommended way to deal with the water each day. Should most of the water be left?

Welcome to the board!! Water in the humidifier questions are always touchy subjects here and you're going to get responses all over the place about what's right. Some never replace the water and just keep topping off. Others will empty, wash, dry, sterilize, and who know what else. You're just going to have to do what makes sense to you.

Randy

LisaSch wrote:I am just two nights into my cpap journey. I have a resmed machine with a humidifier. Both mornings most of the water was left and I tossed it to dry out the machine. I use distilled water so throwing it out seems a waste. What is the recommended way to deal with the water each day. Should most of the water be left?

You're going to get the complete spectrum of answers on this question (and "cleaning" routines if you ask about that).
The bottom line is to do what YOU feel comfortable with.

I've been using cool "passover" (no heat) humidification for eight years since I started......so, I use only a little water during the night. I came up with my routine years ago, but what I do is keep adding water and topping off my humidifier tank......until I've used the last of the gallon I've been using. Then, when I open up a new gallon (about 2 1/2 - 3 months) I'll dump the remainder and rinse out the tank with hot tap water and refill with distilled. I live in a dry, mountain region, so the air flowing over the water adds enough humidity for me and the cool air keeps my nasal passages clear.

In my eight-plus years of therapy, I've only taken my humidifier tank apart ONCE to clean it......and that was at the beginning of 2012. It still looked "like new", but I thought I'd go through the motions "just because". I'm still using the very same hose I started with.......and have never "cleaned" it. There is no residual moisture in it in the morning and what MAY be in there evaporates very quickly in this dry climate.
But, one of the things that I DO clean/rinse on a regular basis is the air intake filters (foam)......twice a month.


Den

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Like Den, I used to just top off and did that for several years and rinsed out my reservoir maybe once or twice a year without any ill effects at all.

I don't change out my water at all anymore cuz I don't use it ... I adapted myself to do without any humidification (the key is to eliminate all leaks). I don't use humidification when I am awake and I never did while sleeping before I went on CPAP therapy ... and so it only made sense to me that I should not need any humidification with CPAP so long as my leaks are eliminated. If I do have leaks (which I almost never have) the dry mouth/throat consequences tell me I have a problem with my therapy and I need to take corrective action and not cover up the symptoms with humidification (the inadequate modern western medical approach to dealing with health issues ... covering up the symptoms rather than correcting the cause).

But what do I know, I'm just the forum conspiracy theorist?

LisaSch wrote:Should most of the water be left?

The amount of water used depends on your humidifier setting and the ambient room humidity. If your ambient room humidity is already up there and you have a low setting on the humidifier then it won't use very much water.

I see my water use vary fairly widely. If I sleep with the window open I don't use as much water as if I close it. Especially if it rains during the night and I have the window open...it won't hardly use any water at all and I prefer the highest possible setting on my humidifier.
I have run out of water during the night in the past (forgot to fill the tank) and my sinuses and nasal mucosa reacted horribly to the dryness so I would rather waste a little water than be miserable for 2 or 3 days with the nasal mucosa acting up.

Changing the water and/or cleaning schedules..as already mentioned..there's going to be a wide range of personal preferences.
I personally just top it off but then I use most of the water on most nights unless it is cool enough to have the window open.
Other people empty their tanks daily because that is what makes them feel better to do. They see a need to...I don't so you will have to determine where your needs tend to want to go.

You have several options...if you aren't going to be using much water then you don't have to fill the tank to start with. Make it half full or something like that.
You can also maybe top it off or use the same water for a week and then dump it and clean the tank (if you wish) and let it air dry and then start again for another week. There are no hard fast rules on what to do especially if using distilled water.

Now when I on occasion have to use tap water I do try to dump it daily because of the minerals in the water. After a while they tend to build up on the inside of the tank and it looks yucky. Since I am a lazy person I don't want to have to clean it (vinegar will easily remove the mineral scale but I hate the smell of vinegar) I prefer to try to limit the mineral build up if I can.

Welcome to the forum.

I use 75% - 99% of my tank which is filled every night ... I just fill it again (top it off) with distilled water ... Suit yourself!

I did dump it one day though ... I was parked near a cattle feed yard ... It was nice weather out ... I had my windows open before going to bed ... A fly flew into my mask, and up the hose ... Only way I could see it could have happened ... As when I went to "top it off" there was the fly swimming in my humidifier tank!

Randyp1234 wrote:You're just going to have to do what makes sense to you.

......and your pocketbook.

Well here's the thing -- it's 'complicated'.

I originally changed every day. Then every few days and topped off.

Then after discussing the BPA in the plastics issue (see posts below...) I decided to change the water each day to avoid BPA leaching into the water from sitting in the humidifier for long periods.

So then I called Respironics this AM and was told they started using BPA-free plastics in 2011.... I have a 2012 model.

So perhaps for newer PR machines and/or replacement chambers (not sure for other brands) its ok to dump the water every other day. But for older machines of if unsure, definitely dump the water each day. Distilled water is less than $1 at WalMart.

I only use half a tank of distilled water per night. So I only fill it half way, and there is just a very little bit at the bottom in the AM.
I am prone to sinus infections so I feel better changing out the water daily.

IMO it comes down to how often you feel the need to change the water. Everyday, weekly, when it gets empty. Its all a matter of choice.

I personally top up my tank when needed and fortnightly run the tank through the dishwasher

It's very personal but I've used this routine for 3 years.
We have very good tap water so I don't see the need to use distilled.
About every week I boil a jug full of water to remove the chlorine, and give tank a good scrub. I fill the tank and store about 1 litre of water. Every second night I top up the tank and when the stored water is empty I boil another batch and wash up.
I don't see any problems with this routine.

You should change the water at least every three days, because of the mold that can grow under the plastic edge around the water reservoir. If you dry under that rim with q - tips , or the corner of a towel or something, maybe you can go longer without changing the water, but it needs to be dried out at least once a week, for me. I can actually breathe better just knowing there is no bacteria going into my lungs from dampness hiding in the plastic rim - turned -mold that you cant see yet. My daughter says it takes longer than a few days to grow mold or mildew, but that would be the only thing I'd worry about.

snoshooo wrote:You should change the water at least every three days, because of the mold that can grow under the plastic edge around the water reservoir. If you dry under that rim with q - tips , or the corner of a towel or something, maybe you can go longer without changing the water, but it needs to be dried out at least once a week, for me. I can actually breathe better just knowing there is no bacteria going into my lungs from dampness hiding in the plastic rim - turned -mold that you cant see yet. My daughter says it takes longer than a few days to grow mold or mildew, but that would be the only thing I'd worry about.

You should take some lessons in logic and do some reading.
Nothing (like pathogens) can get from the HH tank to you. The water vapor molecules are too small to carry anything out.
And, "drying" a tank is absurd. If you feel you MUST wash the tank, do it in the evening before bedtime and refill with distilled.
Any residual moisture in the hose or whatever will be added to the water vapor coming out of the tank.

Can germs pass from the humidifier to me?
No, using a heated humidifier in line with your CPAP device will not cause you to become sick or give you germs. Fisher & Paykel Healthcare’s heated humidifiers are pass-over humidifiers that do not produce aerosols (the fine water droplets that are visible to the eye such as steam from a kettle). Pass-over humidifiers add moisture in the form of water vapor. Water vapor particles are smaller than bacteria or viruses so it is impossible for them to be transported up to the mask (and then to you). Even if pathogens (germs) were able to exist in the chamber, they would not be able to be transported to you. Refer to the diagram below which demonstrates the size of water vapor, bacteria and virus particles.





Den

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There are actually two sides to this discussion...

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2556912/

snip
The treatment of choice for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) during sleep, but dryness of the upper airway compromises compliance. Heated humidifiers may mitigate such noncompliance; however, recent observations suggest that their use, particularly if not cleaned, increases the risk of respiratory infections. Humidifier water may be contaminated, but the long-held view that passive humidifiers cannot aerosolize water may obscure the perception of risk of infection.

snip
Bacteria were recovered in 9 of 11 tests from the breathing tubes of CPAP devices fitted with heated humidifiers with water contaminated with Brevundimonas diminuta or Serratia marcescens.

This means that under controlled experiments the information provided by F&P is incorrect. xPAP machines can form aerosols.

The bigger question is how do you introduce contamination to the water in the first place, and how often does your machine run at higher flow rates where it is capable of producing aerosols?