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Permalink Reply by Rock Conner RRT on December 16, 2009 at 12:27pm

The high road is to use your humidifier with distilled water. Some folks use tap water & just deal with the increased residue, some folks use the humidifier at home & do without the humidifier on the road, & some folks don't even use the humidifier at all. As long as someone is actually using their PAP system, I don't preach much. Try out the variations & see what works best for you.

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Permalink Reply by Mike Delaney on December 17, 2009 at 8:40am

Ask your manufacturer about the adapter, or purchase one at a specialty store, but it may void your warranty, so ask first if the manufacturer has any suggestions as to the brand or where to purchase one. Find out what type of electricity they have, if it is 110 volt, 50 Hz, then it may not need an adapter, if 220 volts, then it needs an adapter. Let the manufacturer be your final guide on that.

Water:

I use distilled, buy it by the gallon. It is ok to use "bottled" water in a pinch, but you have no idea of the purity of that water. It may contain bacteria that could be harmful to you. Use your own discretion when purchasing water away from home. Perhaps the facility nurse would have an idea of a good source, write the company where you will be sleeping and ask ahead of time, that will prevent any worry about water. If the air conditioner is on, it will take humidity out of the air, and your nose will dry out.

Good luck

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Permalink Reply by Tim on December 17, 2009 at 7:29pm

If the data plate on the CPAP machine shows that it will work from 100-120 and 220-240, there won't be any problem using it anywhere in the Caribbean with nothing but a simple outlet adapter. Any Fisher Paykel, Respironics, Resmed, DeVilbiss, or Puritan Bennett CPAP blower made in the past 5 years will happily take either 120 or 220 volts, 50 or 60 Hz. Humidifiers are a different animal, they will frequently only work on either 120V or 220V and will usually require a converter rather than just an adapter.

Saint Martin power is 220 volts, 60 cycles. This is odd because 220 volt countries normally use 50 Hz power; my guess is that Saint Martin gets power from St Maartin, which is 120 V 60 Hz. 220V 60 Hz will cause problems with motors that are rated at 220V 50 Hz. CPAP machines convert the AC to DC, so 50/60 Hz isn't an issue for CPAP machines. Some CPAPs will even work off of 400 Hz aircraft power.

I can't find any information about St Barts power. As St Barts uses a French outlet, it is probably 220 volts and either 50 or 60 Hz. -- your CPAP will have no problem with this.

What is the brand and model of your CPAP machine and humidifier?

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Permalink Reply by Carolyn on December 17, 2009 at 10:43pm

I have a ResMed H4i Heated Humidifier and a ResMed S8 AutoSet II. Thanks.

Tim said:

If the data plate on the CPAP machine shows that it will work from 100-120 and 220-240, there won't be any problem using it anywhere in the Caribbean with nothing but a simple outlet adapter. Any Fisher Paykel, Respironics, Resmed, DeVilbiss, or Puritan Bennett CPAP blower made in the past 5 years will happily take either 120 or 220 volts, 50 or 60 Hz. Humidifiers are a different animal, they will frequently only work on either 120V or 220V and will usually require a converter rather than just an adapter.

Saint Martin power is 220 volts, 60 cycles. This is odd because 220 volt countries normally use 50 Hz power; my guess is that Saint Martin gets power from St Maartin, which is 120 V 60 Hz. 220V 60 Hz will cause problems with motors that are rated at 220V 50 Hz. CPAP machines convert the AC to DC, so 50/60 Hz isn't an issue for CPAP machines. Some CPAPs will even work off of 400 Hz aircraft power.

I can't find any information about St Barts power. As St Barts uses a French outlet, it is probably 220 volts and either 50 or 60 Hz. -- your CPAP will have no problem with this.

What is the brand and model of your CPAP machine and humidifier?

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Permalink Reply by Tim on December 18, 2009 at 12:53pm

Your CPAP and humidifier both operate from 100-240V 50/60Hz and 110V, 400Hz, so they will work just fine on the power in St Barts (just about anywhere, actually -- including aircraft 110V, 400Hz) -- you just need an outlet adapter (aka travel adapter). The machine auto-adjusts for the voltage, you just plug it in. Don't forget to bring a cheap 12' extension cord with you

For every day usage, it may be best to use distilled water; but on a vacation, tap or bottled water isn't going to hurt anything. You just may need to remove some deposit using white vinegar when you get back -- not a big thing.

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Permalink Reply by Carolyn on December 18, 2009 at 1:20pm

Thank you so much! I am going to shop for an adapter right now.

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Permalink Reply by Dave on December 20, 2009 at 12:00pm

If you normally live in a less humid location and are traveling to a more humid location like the Caribbean, you may want to turn down the humidifier a little. Too much humidity and you may experience waking up with water in the tubing. It is not a big deal if it does happen. Just turn down the humidity a little more the next night until you find the right setting for the conditions.

-----------------------------------------------
Sleep Apnea Dave

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Permalink Reply by Mike on December 22, 2009 at 1:03pm

I would advise against using tap water, especially when traveling abroad. You have no idea what microbes are floating around in there. And breathing them deeply into your sinuses is not a good idea.

Tim said:

Don't worry about it if you can't find distilled, demineralized, or reverse osmosis treated water in St Barts; it won't hurt your humidifier to use bottled drinking water or tap water (not mineral water) for a week or so. You may want to remove the chlorine if you smell chlorine in the water. Let the water sit in an open container for at least 12 hours, boil it a microwave, or heat it in an electric kettle to remove the chlorine (depending upon the amenities in the room),. Melted ice will also work. After a few days you may find a bit of water deposit in the water tank, it can be removed with vinegar when you get back.

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Permalink Reply by Andy on December 22, 2009 at 1:32pm

I have the ResMed H4i Heated Humidifier and ResMed S8 AutoSet II, also. The humidifier is "integrated" with the S8, and it doesn't weigh much of anything. I wouldn't leave the humidifier home at all. I find that I adjust it once or twice a week, depending on the room temperature and how I feel.

I also wouldn't worry about the weight of the humidifier. The airline will weigh all the bags and is fully aware of the capabilities of their planes. Then build in some extra capacity, just to be safe. I can't imagine that the addition of the weight of a humidifier will bring the plane down!

I buy distilled water by the gallon at the supermarket, for about $1.00/gallon. Sometimes it's on sale for less.

I'm planning on installing a reverse osmosis filter in my kitchen, and will then just use that water instead of buying distilled.

I had bought the RO filter a while ago, pre CPAP, and just never got around to installing it...

On vacation, if I had the least doubt, I'd boil the water before using it. I'm sure the place you're staying could help with that. Even if they weren't helpful, I'd just order two steaming cups of tea each night... hold the tea!

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Permalink Reply by PD Laire on December 23, 2009 at 10:42am

definitely would NOT leave the humidifier at home. it might make the difference between being able to tolerate a night's therapy and not. you never know.

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