Is it OK to turn on an oxygen concentrator before my APAP machine?

[EMihalis]

Hello, I just got an oxygen concentrator and people keep saying to move it to another room to diminish the noise, but my understanding is that we are supposed to turn our C/Bi/APAP machines on before we turn on the concentrator, and turn the concentrator off before turning off our machine. (See attached screenshot from cpap.com) I don’t see how that can happen if they are in different rooms.


Can someone confirm that it doesn’t harm the concentrator to turn it on first? (Not sure I can move it, anyway: don’t want to inflict it on the cat!)

Fortunately, even with the bad sleep due to noise the O2 seems to help my brain work better, but man, that thing is LOUD even with earplugs. I have ordered noise-canceling earbuds to see if they will help. Otherwise, the choice is between being a zombie from desaturation, or being a partial zombie due to interrupted sleep.

[SarcasticDave94]

I just came across this when looking up into on a ResMed Astral 150. It states turn on the machine first then oxygen, and turning off oxygen then the machine off. I think that applies here as well.

My guess is it's not about harming the oxygen concentrator but the fire risk possibility when in an oxygen rich area then turning on a machine that sparks.

[EMihalis]

Thanks! Going kablooie would definitely put a dent in one's night.

So, it sounds like putting it in another room would put it out of the range of possible sparking, so turning it on first would be safe in that context.

[BoxcarPete]

Not really, because it's delivering air with an enhanced oxygen concentration to your machine from the other room. Then, if you have a motor spark on your machine, the extra oxygen is already right there.

[SarcasticDave94]

BoxcarPete has it correct. It's not where the concentrator is, but where is delivering oxygen.

Yep, kablooie would hurt.

Signed the guy that was standing next to an old paint spray can that exploded in a fire.

[EMihalis]

Ah. Much appreciated!! Will continue to follow protocols.

Cheers!

[Gep232]

You could possibly look at using a smart plug or similar as a "remote control" which would allow you to keep it in another room and still use the correct sequence?

[UnicornRider]

Do you wear a Nasal Cannula when not on the APAP?

My MIL was on an O2 concentrator full time, she ran her concentrator 24/7. She would take the cannula off to put on her APAP mask and then hook up O2 to the mask.

We had to purchase extra tubing to allow the concentrator to be relocated to the back bedroom closet. When that was not enough, we then mounted the O2 concentrator on a dense 2" foam pad (industrial refrigeration insulation) with 3/4" plywood on top.

We Kept O2 bottles outside in a storage closet for when she had to leave the house.

As mentioned above "Point of use" is the area of concern.

MIL was a smoker, we had to chew out family members that boot legged cigs in to her. She swore quitting smoking was  going to kill her, ten years later, after she had quit, she was still complaining.  Bless her Soul.

[EMihalis]

I was thinking of doing some kind of vibration damping, so will check into that possibility. And a remote control isn't a bad idea, either (thanks Gep232).

Fortunately, I don't need O2 except in the middle of the night when my nasal congestion blocks things up. Will be working with an ENT soon about that, but considering how long it has taken (over a year) to get a) a new APAP machine; b) it calibrated; and c) the O2 setup, I am not holding my breath (hardiharhar).

(Smoking is considered very hard to kick. My ex, who was also an alcoholic, said after 30 years he doesn't miss drinking, but he still wants a cigarette.)

[robbob2112]

What sort of concentrator do you folks have?  New, rented, referb, brand, etc?

We have 4 different concentrators and there is only one that we have in another room.  Granted the others are portables, but we keep 2 in the room on either side of the bed.

The one in the other room is a phillips respironics everflo and the portables we use most of the time are phillips simplygo.  We have the everflo in the other room because of the heat rather than the noise.  It was newly refurbished when we bought it with new columns and the compressor rebuilt, and it runs pretty quiet.

Both simplygo are pretty quiet.  They were new.

My wife had a rented invocare perfecto that was loud as anything.  It needed a compressor rebuild badly but the rental company refused.

Note, rebuilding the compressor or replacing the columns on any of them is pretty easy if you are the least bit handy.  If you want to calibrate the flow or output or do other repairs it is beyond most folks.