Bad Distilled water?

Okay I have a strange question for you guys. Is there such a thing as bad distilled water? I finally get a new humidifer tank from my DME so I cleaned it and started using it. A couple of days after that I was checking the water level and there is little stuff floating in my water. I pour it out put fresh water in. All good for a while longer; clean it again and the same thing happens. I don't have any red stuff growing with little stuff floating. Could it be the water?

Thanks.

I'll be interested in the responses myself. I use my humidifier maybe twice a year. I have a jug of partially used distilled water sitting on my bedroom counter for probably a year... next to my service revolver and cowboy boots... I have wondered if the water is any good? My gut tells me it isn't. I was hearing a news report about hurricane preparedness and the story stated not to consume tap water that has been "sitting" for longer than a few weeks. This stuff goes into your body....

That's it... just talked myself into throwing out the jug and getting a new one.

Thanks for talking me into it....

Sheriff

dragon672 wrote:Okay I have a strange question for you guys. Is there such a thing as bad distilled water? I finally get a new humidifer tank from my DME so I cleaned it and started using it. A couple of days after that I was checking the water level and there is little stuff floating in my water. I pour it out put fresh water in. All good for a while longer; clean it again and the same thing happens. I don't have any red stuff growing with little stuff floating. Could it be the water?

Thanks.

Hey...If there is any question...just dump it!...What will you be wasting,,,,a buck????

dragon672 wrote:Okay I have a strange question for you guys. Is there such a thing as bad distilled water? I finally get a new humidifer tank from my DME so I cleaned it and started using it. A couple of days after that I was checking the water level and there is little stuff floating in my water. I pour it out put fresh water in. All good for a while longer; clean it again and the same thing happens. I don't have any red stuff growing with little stuff floating. Could it be the water?

Thanks.

How long have you had your machine?

Check your filter on the back of the machine; is it clean or does it need replacing?

Disinfect tank by letting a solution of white vinegar and water soak for 30 mins. I use anywhere from 30-50% vinegar (I don't actually measure).

Open a new bottle of distilled water and use that. If you still see debris, it may be something else.

dragon672 wrote: Is there such a thing as bad distilled water?

I have been distilling my own water for over a year.
When I had fuzzy floaters and pink slime, it was store bought water. (from Wal Mart)
--just saying.

pardon my ignorance, but how do you distill your own water?

Something similar to this:
http://www.h2ofilters.com/wacowadimo88. ... Mgodq0MAOg
Sears sells them too--ours was on clearance--but works perfectly, although it makes a racket!

Folks,
Even if you use distilled water:
1) There is stuff in the air that is definitely going to enjoy that humid environment. If you don't clean the tank it will become visible with time (I don't clean my tank often, so I know!)
2) Once you open the bottle of water, any sterility that you (incorrectly) presumed to be there is gone. Distilled water comes in big containers, and we use only a little at a time.

Generally this stuff you see isn't going to hurt you, but my rule is that if I see it I've already waited too long!

I do wait too long a bit too often

all I know is that my humidifier insides get a slimy coating (invisible) on them after about 5 days of use. i dont think its from the distilled water i bought but you never know i guess.

The major reason to use distilled water is for mineral build up, otherwise plain tap water works fine.

I never had any trouble with distilled water when I used my Respronics M Series machine, But when I switched over to my Intellipap I started getting floaties after a few days. I finally traced it down to the brand of distilled water, if I by it from Wal-mart, I get floaties in my Intellipap after a few days, but when I switched brands I can go several weeks without a problem. When I went on vacation I took my M series machine and the leftover "bad" water and had no problem for a week, when I returned home I put some in my Intellipap and I had floaties the next day. I no longer buy distilled water from Wal-mart, and I now rinse my tank every few days, wash it weekly, and alternate the tank weekly. Then once a month I will pop them in the dish-washer and do a 25% rinse with vinegar.

thats two people (chunky and physicsBob) who say they get weirdness with Walmart distilled water. thats enough for me to avoid their water. thanks. ps I got mine from Walgreens for 99 cents per gallon and 1 gallon lasted a month.

dragon672 wrote:Okay I have a strange question for you guys. Is there such a thing as bad distilled water? I finally get a new humidifer tank from my DME so I cleaned it and started using it. A couple of days after that I was checking the water level and there is little stuff floating in my water. I pour it out put fresh water in. All good for a while longer; clean it again and the same thing happens. I don't have any red stuff growing with little stuff floating. Could it be the water?

Thanks.

It's more likely that the stuff is debris coming through the machine.

So, replace the filters on the back.
Get a new botle of sistilled water and rinse the tank a couple of times, pouring the water each time, fill it and use it overnight.

Then, next morning, dump the remaining water and fill wih new.
Any debris you see at that point comes from your machine.

For my PR System 1 machine, I use AquaPod botles I refill with distilled water. They are the exact size to just fill the humidifier tank.

For ResMed machines, at least newer ones, the small Fiji water botles are the correct size since the ResMed tank is a litle larger than the PR tank.

A gallon of distilled water will fill more than one weeks worth of the little bottles which provide a sealed environment for the distilled water. This way you don't have to worry about overfilling or spilling.

Just a thought.