bacteria and allergies?
in [Sleep Disorder]
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From: BleepingBeauty on 6 Aug 2008 22:35 "Andy Hall" <andyh(a)hall.nospam> wrote in message news:48998217(a)qaanaaq... > On 2008-08-06 07:34:08 +0100, "BleepingBeauty" > <BleepingBeauty(a)comm*speed.net> said: >> >> The water doesn't contact the heating element in my CPAP humidifier, but >> that doesn't seem to make any difference when it comes to the mineral >> deposits I have to deal with on a regular basis around the house. One of >> my >> bathroom sinks drips a bit and, if I don't keep after it with vinegar >> often >> enough, the drip leaves a hard green residue where it lands in the sink. >> I >> have the same issue with the bathroom bowls, with green stains under the >> rim. >> >> Side note: I've attempted to fix the drip in the sink, but I'm not that >> handy, so I just deal with it. :-/ > > If you are having this kind of problem generically then some things a > little more powerful than vinegar are needed. > > For devices like CPAP humidifiers, general humidifiers etc. ; some kind of > food grade descaler is useful. You can use things like coffee maker > descalers, but they tend to be expensive for what they are, which is > generally citric acid. You should be able to get a large container > of that in powder form from a pharmacy or drug store, although they may > need to order it in. You don't need very much and it will work out a > great deal less expensive than vinegar or distilled water. Not to > mention that the smell of vinegar lingers. > > For the sinks etc. a cleaner incorporating Sulphamic acid will generally > do a good job. Again you don't need to buy a proprietary one in pretty > container. This acid is used as a descaler for domestic appliances > such as water heaters and available from a plumbing supplier. Again > normally it's in crystal form. It has a slight odour but that disappears > after use. It's a great deal more effective than vinegar and most > proprietary cleaners. > Thanks, Andy. I'll look into both solutions. Yes, the vinegar smell is less than appealing, and almost anything else would be better. Do you know if either of these cleansers will harm a septic tank? (One of the disadvantages of living in the middle of nowhere. Another is finding a competent plumber...)
From: Andy Hall on 7 Aug 2008 02:54 On 2008-08-07 03:35:10 +0100, "BleepingBeauty" <BleepingBeauty(a)comm*speed.net> said: > > Thanks, Andy. I'll look into both solutions. Yes, the vinegar smell is > less than appealing, and almost anything else would be better. > > Do you know if either of these cleansers will harm a septic tank? (One of > the disadvantages of living in the middle of nowhere. Another is finding a > competent plumber...) Sulphamic acid (you might find it as Sulfamic acid) is the main constituent of products such as CLR and Lime Away. The manufacturers of these claim that they are septic tank safe. Obviously you don't want to put vast quantities of it into the drainage. The kind of quantities that one would use citric acid for appliances are not going to be an issue. Plus, you don't necessarily have to dispose of it in the sink. The result of the acid working on limescale is that the acid tends to become neutralised anyway. One thing to be careful about with any of these products is if you have any natural stone around - counter tops, tiles and so on. Examples are limestone, marble, travertine etc. These acids will mark them and eventually dissolve them. Porcelains and ceramics are OK, as is slate and granite.
From: GB on 7 Aug 2008 08:55 > > One thing to be careful about with any of these products is if you have > any natural stone around - counter tops, tiles and so on. Examples are > limestone, marble, travertine etc. These acids will mark them and > eventually dissolve them. Also, keep them away from any bars of soap you have lying around. It's really, really nasty if you de-saponify soap. (You end up with a pile of oily fat on your basin.)
From: terryc on 7 Aug 2008 20:52 On Wed, 06 Aug 2008 19:35:10 -0700, BleepingBeauty wrote: > Do you know if either of these cleansers will harm a septic tank? Dump it on the garden or your lawn rather than compost/worm farm or septic tanks.
From: magesteff on 15 Aug 2008 01:24
On Jul 30, 7:20 pm, "Brenda" <dixiesug...(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > I understand that bacteria can form in my bipap equipment if not cleaned > regularly. Question is: can bacteria cause allergies to flare up with > sniffles, sneezing, watery eyes, etc. I asked my bipap provider and they > say no but no matter what medication I take, my allergies act up every few > days and this has been going on for several months. > > Brenda I'd ask if you can get the paper allergy filters for the air intake on your xPAP. If you are using distilled water (which reduces the chance of something growing since there are no particles of anything in the water) and cleaning your water reservior out every few days to make sure mold does not grow inside it (I have a terrible allergy to molds), I can't see it being from the equipment directly. However, pollen can get through the general air filters, so if you have allergies, asking for the pollen filters would help you out. I can't see enough bacteria growing in just a few days to make a big difference in your allergies. If you wash your water reservior, tubing and mask in hot water with a litle baby shampoo, about once a week or so, you might want to clean you mask more frequently due to facial oils building up on the mask, but that will be enough to keep bacteria and mold at bay. This time of year, I find there are a lot of weeds and grass pollen around, you might want to check on your locatl levels to see if there is something blooming currently that might be setting off your allergies. |