Purified Water Vs Distilled Water for CPAP?

Is there a problem using purified water versus Distilled water? Thanks,

Hi @IndependentLavenderMoney3724. I cannot say if there is a problem with purified water versus distilled water. Both are basically water that has been treated in one manner or the other to remove impurities. We generally recommend distilled water because CPAP manufacturers make the recommendation for distilled water in their documentation. In the absence of distilled water, I have seen recommendations for purified bottled water.

I would definitely use distilled water. Purified water has minerals which leave deposits as it evaporates while these have been removed from distilled water. If you use purified water, over time, you will have mineral build up.

I will be in Mexico for two months longer and have, after a week of looking, been unable to find a good supply of distilled water. They only seem to sell tiny bottles and only in pharmacies. Also, the pharmacies that are nearby only keep a couple bottles in stock. My internet research indicates that water produced by the reverse-osmosis method is, in fact, distilled water. Apparently, there are various methods of producing distilled water and reverse-osmosis is one of them. 'Purified water' may or may not be produced by reverse-osmosis. My plan is to go shopping for 'purified' water and attempt to determine if the purification process used was reverse-osmosis. Also, distilled water, here, is available in auto supply stores for use in lead-acid batteries. I don't trust that water at all and will use common bottled water, if that is the only option. Comments?

As water evaporates; especially if heated out of a CPAP reservoir, if it has minerals, the minerals will be left behind. I suspect some will also accumulate in the innards of your CPAP machine. The RO isn't as effective at pulling out minerals as most are rated at 90-99.5 percent effective as distilled water. The main issue with an RO unit as its filtering efficiency degrades as the filters process more water volume. An RO system also has better filtering ability with more stages. Simple RO systems can have 3 stages but a high-end system can have 5 stages plus UV to kill bacteria.

I don't know anything about the distilled water in the local Mexican autoparts stores but if you don't trust it, certainly distilled water which has ZERO minerals, while being a better choice than RO but can't be found, well the RO water is probably OK. I suggest you buy a spare reservoir or two (they are about $20 for a Resmed reservoir). You might want to soak your reservoir in a vinegar solution in the event you are using tap water to clean it to kill bacteria and germs. now and again.

You can also google making distilled water; looks like a bit of a pain but it can be done by a home do-it-yourselfer. not sure if you want to drop $200 but you can get a countertop water distilling set up that is fairly compact on amazon.

I've been in a similar situation. You will be fine using it, but as Wiredgeorge said it will leave minerals behind in the headed reservoir. Essentially, it's just going to be like a white powder that's stuck on the bottom of the tank, and is a pain to clean off. Purified water is not going to hurt you, it's just going to be annoying to clean.

I go to Mexico 4 times a year for two weeks each time. I have been using electropura water with no problem at all. I have used ciel, but it left mineral residues.I have had no problem with electropura. Hope this helps. I use a resmed 9s.

Wow. The above comments have summed up the situation nicely for you. The only thing I'd add is that the minerals in the water would not get into the innards of your CPAP, as Wiredgeorge theorised, for 2 reasons.

1 - the minerals don't evaporate into the air, which is why they get left behind in the humidifier chamber.

2 - The air from the humidifier doesn't flow through the CPAP. The air flows from the machine, through the humidifier and then out. This is a very deliberate part of the design to avoid the possibility of water condensing in the sensitive parts of your machine.

Distilled water is best. However, most insurances allow replacements humidifier water chambers at least once every 6 months. By the time the usually white impossible to remove mineral deposits builds on water chamber, replacement date may be reached. Just replace when due. If co-pay's or high deductibles issues and unwilling to replace then find a solution to make sure distilled water is only used. In the end, its best to focus on sleeping well and overall comfort than worry of this replaceable part or water preference. Also- great to see some much good input on these post. Dr. Thomas ---> nice site.

Hope this helps ..I been to other countries..and could not find anything is not common ..I was able to find the water AT THE PHARMACY..YES GO THERE AND ASK FOR WATER FOR MACHINES THEY WILL KNOW WHAT YOU NEED .

I live in the U.K and have just been provided with a Humidifier to attach to my Philips Respironics machine in an attempt to see if I can get used to CPAP. I'm new to it (about 4 weeks in) and I'm just not seeming to make any progress with tolerating it!

My first question is: Is it really essential that I use distilled water. U.K water is pretty reliably 'clean' but in my area is quite 'hard' ( i.e. has a high mineral content) and so things like kettles, steam irons etc do get scaled-up quite quickly. If so, do any U.K members know the best place to buy distilled water here in the U.K.? Up until now I've only ever bought in Halfords for car batteries...which could work out quite expensive continually buying it from them!

I have several other questions regarding CPAP that I'll post elsewhere.

Thanks

I can't help with WHERE to buy distilled water but it is really a good idea to buy it. Tap water, especially where there are a lot of minerals, will leave your water reservoir a mess in no time. If you have problems finding it to purchase at a reasonable price, get a machine to make your own distilled water; prices vary tremendously but I found one here:

http://www.h2olabs.com/p-50-convenient-light-weight-model-200-water-distiller-with-easy-fill-reservior.aspx?utm_source=referral&utm_medium=cse&utm_campaign=googleshopping&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI17m5k-Wy2gIVC9tkCh0nGQDLEAQYAiABEgLynPD_BwE

I am sure that you would be better off buying one in the UK due shipping costs but gave the one mentioned as an example. I live in a rural area in the Texas Hill Country and my well is about 870 feet deep and the water that comes out is a mineral soup. We use a whole house water softener, a whole house filter and a reverse osmosis system under the sink to use for making coffee and drink mixes like lemonade and tea, etc.