Oxygen concentrator--rent or buy? Gen'l tips?

[Milk and cookies!]

Hi all!
Just started with Cpap Dec. 31, and getting a lot of great info here--txs! I just found out that I'll be getting an oxygen concentrator to go w/my AirSense 10 Auto.

Any thoughts on renting vs buying? (My insurance is not great, so I may be doing this out of pocket). Any tips about using this gadget? TIA!

[justMongo]

I bought mine. I decided on the Respironics Everflo with OPI. Running strong after 6 years with only an simple intake filer change annually.
As for rental, the machine they wanted to rent me was too big; and they wanted to come out every month and "service it."

[Possum]

I had justMongo's model briefly, as temporary therapy while I was jumping through the hoops to get a CPAP. I have no experience with other models and thus no basis for comparison, but I found the unit to be bulky and loud. It sounds like you have an iron lung in your bedroom. I got around this by getting an extremely long breathing tube and putting it a couple of rooms away, but we could still hear it.

I was renting it for about $10/month through my 90/10 PPO, and I believe they are comparable in cost to CPAPs, with the unit pictured being around $895. If this will be a long-term piece of equipment you might consider purchasing, but it depends on the rental cost, obviously. The nice thing about rentals is that when they fail, you just get a new one. If you purchase it outright, you'll be subject to paying for repairs once you pass the warranty period, unless you purchase an extended service plan.

[justMongo]

They do produce heat. The principle upon which it works involves compressing air. That heat is expelled into the room. This particular model is rated to produce less heat than some others. As for noise -- I find it tolerable. Possibly because I have significant reduction in hearing as CPAP pressure is applied. (My hearing returns to what is normal for me when the pressure is turned off) I have a specific space I needed it to fit in my rather crowded room -- and it fits nicely. It's actually smaller than my shredder.

The noise is from the switching back and forth between two tanks. Compressed air is dump to atmosphere.

Contrary to what some people believe, they do not deplete a room of oxygen. It's a zero-sum-cycle. No more O2 is used than what you would use by natural breathing.

[Mosquitobait]

Hi all!
Just started with Cpap Dec. 31, and getting a lot of great info here--txs! I just found out that I'll be getting an oxygen concentrator to go w/my AirSense 10 Auto.

Any thoughts on renting vs buying? (My insurance is not great, so I may be doing this out of pocket). Any tips about using this gadget? TIA!

If you buy, make sure that you will be able to have the machine serviced. Many DMEs will not service machines not purchased from them (this is a major complaint). The fact that they just send the machines out to a central repair place is a silly argument for that, but I suppose it's a liability issue.

[Milk and cookies!]

Thanks you guys! I will def. be asking how servicing works. I sleep with a white noise machine, so hopefully the noise wont really bother me.

JustMongo--glad you mentioned heat! Never occurred to me. Bedroom is already on the sunny side of my apartment and a bit too warm--I will have to watch for this.

Thanks!

[trish6hundred]

Hi Milk and cookies!,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
Much success to you with your CPAP therapy and good luck to you on your oxygen concentrator decision.
Hang in there for more suggestions and answers to your questions.

[justMongo]

If you buy, make sure that you will be able to have the machine serviced. Many DMEs will not service machines not purchased from them (this is a major complaint). The fact that they just send the machines out to a central repair place is a silly argument for that, but I suppose it's a liability issue.

I bought with the idea that if it breaks, I'll just buy another one.
I'm not even sure that I still need it. It's still running strong after 6 years. And the intake filter change is so simple (no tools required) that I think everyone on the forum could change the filter. I f you can change your CPAP filter, you can change my concentrator's filter.

The power consumption is 350 Watts; and all of that ends up as heat. So, it's like having a 350 Watt heater in your room.

[bwexler]

My Everflo concentrator is showing signs of failure so I embarked on the same journey you are on.
First started looking for a repair facility. The one I found was in Florida I am in San Diego. A little research revealed that my four year old concentrator was put in service in 2008. Proving it is what you learn after you know it all that really counts.
One shop that offered trade in on their website, recommended using mine for target practice.
My Medicare Advantage Plan will provide only a perpetual rental arrangement with my copayment at $21.73/month.
I did not like that offer.
I found refurbished machines for $350-500.
I found new machines for $620-2000, all the same as the one pictured above. The main difference seems to be warranty, 3 months or 12 months for refurbished and 3 years or 5 years for new.
Since no local DME will touch or service a machine they did not provide I am researching the value of the warranty.
As you can see 3 years of copayment will pay for all but the most greedy vendors machine, not to mention that 9 months of insurance company payments (their 80%) would buy the machine outright.
I plan to decide by Friday which way to go.
Hope my insight helps others shorten their research time.