CPAP question

Distilled water seems to be particularly difficult to find in England, according to posts by others here on the forum.
2 suggestions:
I didn't use the humidifier when I traveled with my regular CPAP
or
Others have been told by their providers that bottled or tap water is fine for a week or 2 of travel.

This is only one post concerning CPAP use:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/ireland/cpap-0cbaf9d7-f89f-450c-b9b3-84f85ea6d3f3

Word of caution...my husband used bottled water on one of our trips after being told that it would be fine. His CPAP was ruined, and we bore the cost of a new one. If you have a hotel or an Airbnb booked, perhaps they could provide you with some advice.

My husband has used bottled water in his CPAP on multiple trips to Europe with no ill effects on him or the CPAP. Our most recent trip was in 2023.

Just read the label on the bottled water, if you choose to use that. DO NOT make the mistake of using mineral water. Note that distilled water may be called de-ionized water over there.

you won't find distilled water - normal water will be fine to use

From what I've been able to determine, the easiest way to get distilled water in the U.K. is to order it online and have it delivered. A few of the sources I found in a brief search.....

• amazon.uk
• https://www.distilledwater.co.uk/

If I were in the same situation, I'd probably contact the first hotel you'll be staying at, and find out if they would mind if you could have a bottle or two delivered there prior to your arrival. If you order enough for the entire visit, that should solve the problem.

Good luck!

What you need to do is ask what UK CPAP owners use in the absence of distilled water. Isn't the point of distilled water to prevent the long term build up of limescale?

Any large supermarket should sell big bottles of distilled water in the car section. I’m not sure if this is ok to use in a CPAP. They will also have ironing water in the laundry section.

I buy both to use in my steam cleaner and iron and never have issues finding it here in Hull.

The advice from the UK Health Service is to use cooled boiled tap water.
https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/How-to-use-your-water-tub-easy-read.pdf

The hardness of water varies in the UK. It tends to be harder in the south and softer in the north..
This site has a map and a useful postcode checker so you can check the actual hardness where you are planning to stay.

https://www.aquacure.co.uk/knowledge-base/uk-hard-water-map/

For a relatively short stay boiled tap water should be ok and definitely better than bottled mineral water.

Emma and ramblin'on are absolutely correct.

No, you don't use the stuff sold in the car and cleaning sections of supermarkets. Every bottle has a warning not to use it in breathing machines. Some bottles even have a chemical or two added. It's the same in France where you have traveled extensively.
And, it's totally unnecessary to buy expensive, hospital-grade distilled water in a pharmacy.

Here's an example why: in England as Emma has shown, people are told to simply boil tap water. Other examples: this is what I know people have been told to do a few kilometers away in France, based on suggestions from doctors and the technicians who actually come to the patients' homes to deliver supplies and show how machines are used.
In Brittany, one cousin's doctor told him to use tap water because the water there is so soft, so he has been using tap water for years. On the other hand, I live in a place with the second hardest water in France. The technicians here say to use water that is recommended for babies: Mont Roucous or Evian. People are supposed to wash out any deposit. This, or tap water, is what people use in the south of France. Boiling it sounds like a good idea.

So, the idea that people get that the water will wreck the machine is false, unless the machine already had a defect that allows the lime deposits to flow backwards into the machine. The mineral-free water isn't to protect the machine but to protect the water container because it can warp, at least that's what a technician told us.

So, go online and see what the NHS or private clinics in England say to do if you need more info than Emma has provided. And when you return to France, it's Mont Roucous.

Can the humidifier disconnect so you can use the CPAP without it? If so consider getting a heat moisture exchanger and leaving the humidifier home. Not as good as with the humidifier but maybe good enough. I find that an acceptable option, and save some space and weight also.

I have been traveling with a Phillips ResMed CPAP for five years and I have never used anything but plain tap water in my CPAP while traveling, and I have never had any problems. I don't even use bottled water. That said, I do clean it out every three to four days with a soft cloth to get rid of any mineral residue, and it's worked fine for me.

And for what it's worth, some of those travels have been extensive, like traveling in England for almost six weeks. I also spent four weeks in Germany, three weeks in Scotland, and various other trips in the U.S. and overseas during the last 5+ years.

So, the idea that people get that the water will wreck the machine is false, unless the machine already had a defect that allows the lime deposits to flow backwards into the machine. The mineral-free water isn't to protect the machine but to protect the water container because it can warp, at least that's what a technician told us.

Elizabeth, exactly!!!

Can the humidifier disconnect so you can use the CPAP without it? If so consider getting a heat moisture exchanger and leaving the humidifier home. Not as good as with the humidifier but maybe good enough. I find that an acceptable option, and save some space and weight also.

Archimedes, I don't understand why you would not use a humidifier when all you have to do is just use regular water? Honestly, you do not need distilled water or mineral water or any other water other than plain tap water.

As Elizabeth pointed out, using distilled water is done solely to protect the humidifier reservoir. And if your medical insurance plan is anything like mine, I get a new one every six months. So it's not like the reservoir is living a very long life anyway. 😊

To get around the requirement for distilled water for a CPAP machine, I bought the ResMed AirMini, a smaller, but full-featured CPAP machine that uses replaceable disk inserts (one every 30 days) to recycle the moisture in your breath, and consequently doesn't need distilled water. It's also smaller and lighter than my regular system. It requires a prescription, but my pulmonologist says it's a good system and it has worked well for me. The price is about $700 (gulp), but it was worth it to me to simplify travel. (Medicare doesn't cover it.) My husband, a new CPAP user, is going to get one, too. It can be used at home as well.

My husband also got the mini to travel with...it's great to avoid the water issue and, as you said, take up less space/weight.

I use aZ2 travel machine. For travel with the Z2 I use heat moisture exchangers, they also recycle the moisture in your breath. The Z2 is comparable in size to the air mini and a bit less expensive.

Before I got the travel machine I left the humidifier at home as it cut the not insignificant size of what I have to pack and carry by half. Note that I am not talking about the reservoir, but the entire humidifier. On my old machine (ResMed 9) The entire humidifier assembly was detachable. I’m guessing Marlee does not have a machine with that capability, as the why is obvious if you have such a machine

After wasting almost a half day looking for distilled water in France, I ended up using tap water for three weeks in my Redmed 9 CPAP machine. It worked just fine and did no damage to my machine. My reservoir was a little crusty at the bottom at the end of the trip but that's about it.