So I started using cpap 10 months ago when I bought my machine. I live in Japan where you can’t buy machines you have to rent from your doctor. It was about $60. A month last I asked. All of my Japanese friends use tap water. They don’t sell distilled water here except on military bases. My friends had no idea what I was talking about. None of them has been sick. But I thought “they can return their machine if it stops working” but then I remembered that I have friends who used the same machine forever and they get a new mask once a year. 😮 also Japan does have some really good water! I loved this video! ❤

I had used tap water for years. I was getting both mineral and pink fungi. I found distilled water to be easy to use.

I've used a CPAP machine for almost 20 years now and have NEVER gotten sick from it. I use mainly distilled water because my well water has a lot of iron in it. Also, I only clean my mask, tubing, and water tank every two months or so (whenever I think it either looks or smells dirty or after I've been sick). I use vinegar to remove hard water deposits (if I've been using my well water) and dawn dishwashing liquid with warm water to clean everything. Then I just let it all hang and dry. Super simple and effective.

I hung tubing in the shower to dry, and it had water drops three days later. Thanks to you, bought the Hurricane dryer. Best purchase ever.

A lot depends on your tap water, some places have soft water sources, other places have well water with deposits. Deposits won’t make you sick, but bacteria and fungi may make you sick, so drain the container daily, clean weekly.

I use what I have. I’ve used tap and I’ve used distilled. Only difference is distilled doesn’t cause calcium buildup, but I have never gotten sick from using tap or even well water for that matter

Dude, you’re hilarious. I love watching your videos. Yes I am a CPAP user, and I’ve taken your advice on a lot of different things you talk about. Thank you for being there.

Glad to see your assistant Stewie is making himself useful!😂

Love seeing your cat in the videos :) And of course, your awesome and informative info is also so fun to watch.

I love your videos! You both amuse me but more importantly provide me with very useful and insightful information. Oh and yes I use tap water also and I don't bother removing the minerals. I clean everything with mask bright and remove my water from my tank every morning. Keep the videos coming - please.

You don't need hours in mask fit mode. Just turn it on and walk away. After a few seconds of no resistance it goes into dryer mode. Every time I take the mask off I either leave it on as I pull off the mask or turn it off then turn it back on to let it dry. During my morning routine I do a visual check for water droplets in the hose and hit the ON switch once again if I see any water. Sometimes the nose piece will be a little moist after this but I hand wash that with Dawn every evening when I fill my tank. (Nose skin oils interfere with a good fit.) In addition I clean my tube with Dawn about every two weeks and that seems to be enough to keep away infections or irritation. This system for roughly 8 years.

Your logic is awesome and is now going to make my life much easier in so many other areas beginning with the lack of a need to wear a seatbelt because I've never been killed in a car wreck before. Thanks so much!

Although I use distilled, I’m all about people doing what works for them. My 2-year-old water chamber looks identical to what it did when I picked up my machine. I also distill my own water as I use it for other purposes. Also, Mask Brite is my go-to for cleaning my N30i cushion and frame. Quick and easy clean up and I pop it into the Hurricane to get it dry. I love the Hurricane and don’t want to put extra non-therapy time on my costly CPAP machine and I thank you for mentioning that. Again, people should do what works for them without judgement. WC 1A or whoever the heck he/she is really needs to realize there are many different ways to clean equipment and if their way works for them…yippee skippy…carry on dude/dudette, however, kindly refrain to putting down others who have their own methods.

Gees I have never cleaned my tube / mask in 5 years ,never been sick and don't use a humidifier ,some people need to go eat some dirt

Thanks for the video. You have answered many questions I had with your videos. I have been on CPAP since 2001. First started off on dry air and the latest machine I use has the same tank as you have. I use distilled water but have used tap water without any problems. As for cleaning I use the same proceedues as we use at work with our respirators, warm tap water and mild detergent .

Distilled Water is the way to go for sure… I used to use tap or regular spring water bottles on my old-first cpap machine and it caused minerals to come out in my humidifier tank. I thought it was normal, never got sick to the point of going to the hospital but I felt very funny in my lungs and my nose ways, breathing one side one night, then congested on the other side the next week. No issues with distilled water, my tank always clean. Note: I always change the water every day. That’s the catch

I've been using filtered water since I got my first CPAP machine in 2005. I dry my hose with a room fan attached with a paperclip until it's dry. And I'm still alive!! 😜

You make perfect sense! I think of it this way: Using the CPAP is annoying enough. No way will I be buying and dragging distilled water bottles home, and getting them every time I have to fill the humidifier reservoir!

The airsense 10 has a feature which will blow very low pressure air through the machine to dry it, the tank and hose. The pressure is very slight and you can't hear it, you have to put it to your face to feel it. If the green light is on, on the switch, it is running If you have it turned on, it will show a snowflake on the display. The tank was to be in to close the system, so drain it before doing this. I have a well and this is the hardest water I've ever used so I use distilled water. I pick up 2-3 each time I'm at the store, I don't go out of my way to keep stocked up. I will say that pre-covid I was paying .93 a gallon, it is now 1.35 a gallon. In the winter I burn wood, in the summer I run AC so my home is ALWAYS dry and I've never had problems with my cpap systems getting moldy and I've been on one for 20+ years. Because of the dryness I actually run room humidifiers when it gets really dry (single digits or teens!) and I can tell you those machines will put out a lot of dust from well water, it doesn't use heat though.

Been a cpap user for many years, I always use the humidifier through at least the entire winter (because the air is extremely dry during the winter where I live), and I've always used tap water. I do however always boil it first, enough for about a week's use, let it cool off and then put it in a dedicated sealed container (with a convenient pouring mechanism) in the fridge. It would of course be a lot more convenient if I skipped the boiling part and just filled the humidifier tank directly from the tap, but I'm not sure I dare do it. 😬 When it comes to cleaning, I use regular dish soap + tap water + a dedicated brush, and then leave everything to naturally completely air-dry. Haven't had any problems with water drops remaining inside the tubing when hang-drying it, but I definitely see a point in using the machine dryer you recommend. And yeah, mineral deposits in the tank is a non-issue, it easily dissolves in e.g. a little water + citric acid.

I will only use distilled water. The tap water in my area smells and tastes of nothing but chlorine and other chemicals to make our water remotely drinkable. Hell even the people who work for the water department refuse to drink the tap water around here.

It's nice to see a thinking person from time to time, thank you :)

I’m from Sydney Down Under, and regardless of local the tap water below par quality I use distilled for the humidifier. AU$5 a 5 litre container. One lasts for weeks. However, you can beat that easily. I purchased a Chinese made distiller (AU$95 delivered) that can process 4 litres tap water in one go, usually make three to five runs in a weekend. The result is 20 litres or about 4 gallons. No residue in my tank at all. For my nasal mask and the tube I use foaming hand wash, leaves a pleasant scent (lemon & lime) and slosh it back and forth a few times with hot water added - for 20 sec, if 20 sec can kill a virus while hand washing, it can sterilise the tube and mask too ... Just does not wear out! Tube drying is by hair drier - mere few minutes as it does not just evaporate the water but blows out the beads with the strong flow. Since I use a CPAP Tube stand, moisture does not accumulate in the tube as it either runs back to the container or into the mask. No film left for anything to grow. Just my way of using it, for about the last 20 years, but hey, yours is just as good, whatever works for you!

Great information! I dry my tubing by hanging it out in the sun and then I run my cpap machine for about 1 minute and then let the air that comes through for however long it does, dry it out the rest of the way. No water drops in the tubing. Thanks for all your information.

Whenever I clean my tubing (using hot water only) I just hang it to dry. I figure any water left in it is going to dry when I use it that night. Never even contemplated having to actually dry it.

Each morning I swap a dry humidifier tank into the machine, lay hose and nasal mask across the bed, and PRESS in on the round knob on my Airsense10. Pressing the knob starts the machine on LOW flow for a few minutes. Never timed it, but tube seems dry. Carry last night's tank into the bathroom to empty, then set aside to dry for ONE day.

I absolutely agree. I use my well water without a problem. Thank you

I use tap water that has went through a filter but dump it every morning. This was a helpful video for sure and your logical way of thinking is super helpful.

My Dr told me to only use distilled H2O until we were unable to find it, or when stores had it in stock it was insanely expensive. So I tried using distilled H2O used it for a year or so because it was more readily available but then came supply chain shortages and distilled H2O disappeared so filtered tap water it was, been using it since with no problem and to make sure right after I get out of bed and clean everything I fill my reservoir with my filtered tap water and run it through a SoClean cycle and I feel comfortable with the process and over the past 2 years haven't had an issue.

PhD in physical chemistry here, used all kinds of purified water in electric systems, experiments etc. I am constantly baffled by the idea that anything but tap is necessary in a cpap.

I have been happily using the Hurricane dryer AND just stopped using water in the humidifier with no issues. When I did use water I used tap with no issues. Thanks for all of your advice and eff lego man.

I do use a carbon filter on my kitchen tap rather than the bathroom tap for the humidifier. That's all.

This one was funny and actually answered some questions I had about using water (which I too rarely do). I've been using RO water from a water store and just shrugging at any impurities that build up (thanks for the cleaning tip). I breathe in much worse things when I get into a porto... Question - I've got the replacement dreamstation 2 (thanks for the heads up about the replacements) and will be looking for a new one (in the next 2-3 months). I'm just a straight 10 user so don't need all the bi-level-auto stuff, but DO enjoy detailed data (I'm an oscar user and have had your review). It's an "at home" next to bed 24x7 unit I'm looking for. Is anything new happening in next 3-6 months or should I just go with the 11?

Thank you for talking sense regarding distilled vs tap water! I have read posts on FB made by CPAP users that were in a panic when their local stores were out of distilled water. I think if it is safe to drink it is safe to breathe the air that blows over the top of it. Keep educating us!

Great video. U are making alot of sense. Ppl use humidifiers in their house and use tap water. No issue and no warning. Using tap water and cleaning the machine daily is perfectly fine.

Been on CPAP since 2012. Always use dawn foam for mask and hose. Always used distilled water. Rinse with cold water air dry. Hose I hang over my heat vent,doing it for years. Now have a Luna it dries after I stop using it.

Love my hurricane dryer. I almost always use humidification. My nose gets real dry and the nasal irritation prevents sleep. I rarely use tap water. Tried it over the years, and only use it when I absolutely have to, but I get a chlorine smell throughout the night that consistently wakes me up. Have a distiller & RO system that I get water from instead. It's a big pain, but worth it for me. I used to get it from the store, but got tired of that light plastic smell from the plastic leeching in the water that some of the jugs would have.

I've been using tap water in my humidifier tank for almost 20 years. Yes, the tank gets calcium deposits, but they come out quickly with vinegar. I built my own tube/mask dryer, I let it run all day, uses less than 25 watts. It's basically a blower in a box. Keep it simple. Great channel, thanx.

hot tip: using brita filtered water prevents 99% of the mineral buildup issue.

You’re the best! Totally informative and fun! I learned a lot. Thanks. still have two gallons distilled, will think about it.

I clean my humidifier box, nasal pillow attachment, and headgear the top layer of my dishwasher. I’ve never had a problem. The only reason I don’t put in the hose is because the tubing it can’t get the detergent all the way through. I place the tubing in a basin with 2 ounces of household bleach & dawn dishwashing soap then soak for 20 minutes then rinse and air dry. Again, no problem.

Thanks for the informative video as usual. Must admit when I do the deep clean every Saturday, I use the plunger and copious amounts of Dawny dishwashing liquid / water and then flush it. Followed by Mask Brite - same for mask and nose piece. Every day wipe down with CPAP wipes. Was not emptying the humidifier out every morning but will starting today. Was a new CPAP user starting last September. Got the Hurricane Dryer and a UV Paptizer after all of that after watching one of your videos. May be overkill but I get the wet moist mold thing. Don't want that. Great job. Thank you.

I lived most of my life in an area of soft water that was routinely used in batteries and radiators. I am now in a hard water area, but I don't drink the tap water here. Not because it's hard, just because I don't trust what's in it. I get a 5-gallon bottle filled out of one of those machines that does everything to it. I have tested it with my TDS meter and it is totally free of any dissolved solids. I've often wondered if it would be ok to use that water in my CPAP. After watching your video I think I will give it a try and find out. No solids, no residue. After the distilled water shortage I bought a distiller, but it is such a pain in the arears to use.

I use distilled so I have to clean less. Have used tap and/or bottled spring water in a pinch.

I LOVE my hurricane dryer! I bought it over a year ago because you suggested it, and I use it every day to dry my humidifier after I empty it. I have a question... I use my humidifier every night. I tried going without it and I was miserable. I don't dry my tubing every day... I soak it in vinegar, dawn and water once a week and then dry it. Are you saying if I put my hose in the hurricane dryer every day I won't need to do the soak thing every week??? THAT would be wonderful!

i'm more worried about the chlorine and chloramine outgassing from tap water. So you're breathing chlorine gas for a while when you spin up the pump.

Another great video! I also use tap water because I'm lazy! I have RO water in my kitchen but I don't bother to use it often.

I have a distiller and use distilled (with minerals I add to it later) for cooking and drinking. That said, distilled is MORE likely to have germs in it than tap water, because it's pure and things love to grow in it - as opposed to tap water which has been chlorinated to inhibit growth of organisms. BUT the reason distilled is recommended for CPAP is that, unlike tap water, distilled contains no minerals to bake onto the reservoir and possibly crud up the innards of the machine.

I use my tap water, soft water system, triple filter at my kitchen… I drink this water so I use it in my CPAP. It doesn’t build up minerals. I clean the mask and tube every few days. I push it on my bathroom faucet at left sink and drop the mask in the right sink… turn on the hot water and flush out for three minutes, ..I then hang it up in the shower till bedtime. I have very hot water at my home. It’s clean. CPAP saved my life!

I rinse the tank and dry the bottom with tissue then air dry, the mask is washed with soapy water and air dried which I have 2 of. I have never washed the long pipe! Wash the strap weekly and change to 2nd set. I will look at washing the pipe from now on, anyway if I wash out with hot water half an hour before bed why would it matter if it is a little damp when I always use humidifier.

User guides for CPAP machines in the US add the word "distilled". In most (if not all) other countries, their user guides don't use the word "distilled". The only thing I can guess is that it's an US Govt (FDA?) thing or some govt requirement. After all, US requires a prescription for an assembled mask for some indefensible reason.

Does beer work?

I use tap water exclusively in my humidifier tank, because I regularly swim in a public pool, and in the summer I'm in a lake or river daily with my Dog, how much could it possibly matter? We also have extraordinarily hard water, clean my mask and hose with mask bright, use a paper towel to wipe of the mask and the same paper towel, now dampened with a slight bit of water and mask bright, and holy crap, my tank sparkles like a diamond. Lastly, I've written a note and sealed it in an envelope only to be opened by the county coroner. It states that if I should die an untimely death, please take extra care to look for acute tap water exposure.

Starting to get rust on my F&P tank - empty every morning and vinigar soak fornightly - clean as - but still a little rust . F&P suggest only demin water to stop rusting?

Can you use purified water or spring water ?

I have a question for a two CPAP family do you need to have one drying machine or two drying machines?

I agree with you. I am not worried about bacteria in tap water. I grew up drinking out of the garden hose! Thanks for the tip on emptying the tank every day! That makes sense. I have never worried about my tubes getting completely dry before I use them. I clean them in the morning, and they are usually mostly dry or dry, by bedtime. So far, I have never gotten sick.

I have been on cpap for over 23 years, I have always used tap water in my water chamber and white vinegar to clean it and have yet to have any problems. As for the tap water gumming up a machine I have not experienced any of that also, not sure how it would gum up the machine as the air has already left the pump side of the machine before it passes over the water in the water chamber to exit thru the hose to you, but I also remove the water chamber empty the water and dry it every day and leave it out opened until it is refilled for use later.

Love Mask Bright and absolutely love the hurricane dryer! All thanks to you, dear cat lovin’ Jason. 😄

I have been using a CPAP for many years and have always used distilled water. after watching this I will use up the water I have left and then switch to tap water, Thank you for the informational videos.

Tap water wasn’t about germs as much as mineral deposits. I’ve used tap water and the water reservoir becomes hard to clean. I do empty the tank daily….

Cheers from Canada. I have only ever used tap water and the basics nasal mask, tub and gasket get a 5 minute wash in warm water and mild soap every day and once per week in addition to the daily equipment I put some mild soap down each side of the heated hose and add warm water and swish it around rinse with strong flow of water and let hang in the shower. The tube and mask are replaced each 6 months and I have had zero issues. PS: I did buy a "cleansing machine that uses UV but seldom use it. I am aware of the negative aspects of UV on CPAP equipment.

I’ve been a CPAP user for a long time. I fill up my tank to the max line and use it until I need to add more water. I clean my equipment every week and I’ve never gotten sick from it. Dawn works well on the strap around your head but some nice smelling foam soap in the tube and humidifier lasts a couple of uses before it loses its strength. Sometimes mid week I’ll use the foam soap on the nose piece to freshen it up a bit.

Mine comes from the city water supply (I think). I'm using up the distilled water my mom got for my brother when he was trying a cpap. He ended giving up. Because of his brain injury, he kept forgetting to use it. I personally use an ASV and usually boil (Rolling) my water for at least a half hour. I could also use the filtered water that comes out of my fridge, too, right? I can not sleep without it.

What was the name of the stretchy mouth tape and do you have a link so you get the brownie points when I buy?

Travelling in Europe. My respiratory therapist said bottled water was fine. Empty in the morning. Hard to find a hurricane dryer in Canada. It's pricey in our $$$ 1.4 xch rate. Can run hair dryer on cool for a few minutes. Also I use circle cloth hairband for a chin strap. Soft and a bit stretchy. I'm new to CPAP but I can see there's lots of money to be made off our ailment!

The hurricane dryer which I have been using for 3 yrs is great.

I use distilled water. If I run out, which is often, I use the reverse osmosis filtered water from my fridge. That works fine. Tap water here is horrible - full of chlorine and fluoride and other chemicals. Can’t drink it

I have used tap water for my CPAP for 20 years now. No lung/sinus infections or issues. Like he said, a little white vinegar dissolves the mineral deposits in the water reservoir.

great videos. Just stumbled onto your site b/c my A/S 10 took a dirt nap and I just got an A/S 11 and started looking into the whole cleaning thing again. I just bought a PAPClean machine and actually really like it. hose and mask are cleaned daily very easily. Love the tap water vs distilled water part. Interesting stuff!

I am a retired RRT, I would never have used tap water and never will. Nor would I recommend anyone else do it.

Hi , love your youtube brodcast. Anyways I use distilled water in my cpap machine all the time , but now I'm finding that crude in my water tank. Could it be that this distilled wat er I bought is miss labeled ? Never had this problem before . Been on cpap for over 10 yrs..If I change the water tank will this solve my problem ? Thanks Ken

I use tap water and the vinegar trick in Australia water is good, visited England last year used distilled water and it had heaps of mineral deposits so out came the vinegar ,cleaned the container within 10 min soak. Thanks 🙏 for your informative you tube .

Distilled water is like a dollar. A $150-$200 dryer cage taking up bathroom counter space with cat hair on it?... priceless. I'll hang my shit to dry and buy the dollar jug of water

I’m a nurse practitioner in sleep medicine & I tell patients the big problem with tap water is if it tips or falls, tap water can damage your CPAP. Personally I have purified water & use that.

I live in the Phoenix area where the air is dry as a bone for a good part of the year so I use the highest humidity and temperature setting on my Resmed 10 to keep from getting a dry mouth. The Resmed 10 has a feature where it automatically runs a low volume of air thru the tube for a half hour or so after shutting it off presumably to dry the tube. I've been depending on that feature to keep my hose from getting mold. So far so good it seems for 3 years now and I replace my hose every 3 months. I didn't know about the Hurricane dryer, do you think it's necessary if the Resmed 10 has this feature?

How do you let the hose dry after using the humidifier? New user, genuine question. Do I have to do it very day? What about a fan drying?

I have used CPAP for over 20 years. I do use distilled water, just so I don't have to clean the crud, but if it's not available, no sweat, I just do what you do. I wash the nosepiece on my nasal mask with mild soap and water, and shake the excess water off. That's all I do. I don't clean the tank or drain the water every day, I just top it off. I'm fine.

I am using distilled. Too many brain eating amoebas floating around.

You're already my favorite sleep tech guy but your CDC and FDA comments just made you my even more favorite. One of these days I've got to make time to do an OSCAR analysis with you.

I use reverse osmosis filtered water. Will have to look into the tube drier.

Yeast tends to grow in the convoluted tubing. Although, it won't kill you, though it can irritate the sinuses and lungs.

I love my hurricane dryer! I agree with you, save our machines and just use for our sleep. My ASV. Auto cpap was about $5 grand, thank God for medicare&medicare advantage insurance for paying 80%. The hurricane dryer is reasonably priced and is great! Love your kitty!

You can use a cheap inflatable mattress pump to blow dry the hose, rather than using the expensive CPAP blower.

We have Rain Soft water softner. Does the salt hurt?

Mask Brite works on that mineral too ! :)

I haven't washed the hose in many years. I have never got sick from the CPAP machine. I use distilled water and don't even worry about the little bit of water left. Just add new water. Is there are recommendation of a mask for us who refuse to shave off the beard?

I had used only distilled water, but when I converted my house to soft water, I just started using that instead. No mineral deposits. I do dump the water, and add new water every day. I rarely ever get sick, can’t even remember the last time it happened, so I doubt tap water is an issue for me.

I love my Hurricane dryer! I do use distilled because our water is very hard, leaved lots of calcium deposits and has a either a grassy or strong chlorine smell depending on the season. I only drink it filtered. Hmm, maybe I should try that in my reservoir. And yes, you are a bit crazy 😂 but that’s why we love you!

Thoughts on something like CSpring One or whatever it's called? 3L of water in a tank.

I'm wondering something on the water... using tap... does it make a difference if it has been filtered? vs distilled.

Does the Hurricane Dryer have an air filters? If not, you are blowing spores and dust back into your equipment. As for distilled water - I live in an area with very hard water. So many minerals that I have to replace my shower head every few years because it gets clogged up. What do you think this water will do my CPAP? Cannot be good.

I bought the D6 ultrasonic cleaner also... that thing does an awesome job

How do I order the hurricane cleaner. I pressed shop and got handbags and shoes. Also I use boiled water cooled.. is this ok

How do you use your machine without humidity?

I’ve had my dream station coming up on 2 years now. I have never washed the tube. I’m not dead yet. Can’t remember the last time I cleaned the humidity chamber either. I also never empty it. I just top it off before using it. All that cleaning and extra equipment is a waste of time and money. K.I.S.S.

Thanks!

sorry I posted the wrong code on my last post. I ordered my Hurricane right after I watched your video and used the code 20Lefty and it should be 20Lanky and was very happy with the final price and the free shipping ,thanks for the great advice and keep posting those great videos..

Yes you are dirty and it's funny. I agree that tap water is fine in the CPAP, like you I did not buy the crap about damaging the machine. Air comes out of the machine, then hits the humidifier then the hose. How could it damage the machine? Keep up the good work.

My Airsense10 runs on very low when I shut it off in the mornings. I always assumed it was to dry the hose?