What is the Average Lifespan of a Oxygen Concentrator?

What is the Average Lifespan of a Oxygen Concentrator?

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Portable and stationary oxygen concentrators provide oxygen therapy at home and on the go, which is why they’re built to last. Lifespans of oxygen concentrators vary, depending on several factors: how often you use your concentrator, whether you purchase your unit new or used, the manufacturer and your specific model, how frequently you service your unit and how well you maintain your concentrator.

In general, portable oxygen concentrators last 4-7 years or more when the unit is well maintained. Refer to your user’s manual for more detailed information on your specific device.

When to Replace Your Oxygen Concentrator

Stop using your oxygen concentrator once the oxygen purity level reaches below 80% while on your oxygen dosage setting. Below 80%, your concentrator no longer gives you enough supplemental oxygen to treat your respiratory illness.

Also, consider replacing your oxygen concentrator if repairs become more costly than purchasing a new unit.

New vs. Used Oxygen Concentrators

Although purchasing a new oxygen concentrator is a good idea, choosing a used unit sometimes provides a more affordable option.

An oxygen concentrator with more than 300 hours of run time is no longer “new.” Although used units work just as well as new devices, most health insurance companies won’t cover the cost. However, if purchasing your unit without using insurance, a used or “refurbished” concentrator can save you some money upfront.

Maintaining and Servicing Your Oxygen Concentrator

Proper service and maintenance help prolong the life of your concentrator. Fortunately, most portable oxygen concentrators (POCs) and stationary Home Oxygen Concentrators (HOCs) only require minimal regular maintenance.

Always refer to your user’s manual for specific cleaning and maintenance requirements. The following tips are general guidelines.

  • If using an HOC, ensure it remains in a well-ventilated area, away from dust, dirt, and debris.
  • Keep the outside of your concentrator clean, wiping the unit down at least once per week. Units in dusty or dirty environments require more frequent cleaning.
  • Use warm water and mild soap to clean your humidifier every time you refill it. Keeping your humidifier clean prevents the growth of bacteria and other germs.
  • Know when to clean or replace your filters. Most HOCs use a gross particle filter or HEPA filter, and some use both. Inspect your gross particle filter every week to see if it appears dirty.
  • Many POCs require changing the gross particle filter every two weeks.
  • Keep in mind that if you have to clean your unit often, you may need to change your filter more frequently.
  • If you don’t frequently use your unit, ensure it runs for at least 10 hours per month to ensure the sieve bed stays active.
  • Change your nasal cannula and tubing monthly.
  • If using a POC, quarterly run your battery until it drains and then fully recharge. This process prevents battery memory problems and ensures a longer battery life.

Always check your user’s manual for unit-specific portable oxygen concentrator maintenance and home oxygen concentrator maintenance requirements. And remember, each POC and HOC model provides model-specific maintenance requirements, so always check your user’s manual.

How Long Does a Portable Oxygen Concentrator Battery Last?

Usually, internal or external batteries wear out before the unit. A battery usually will not fully recharge after it’s recharged 300 times. Rarely used stored batteries slowly drain, making them deteriorate more quickly. To prolong battery life, ensure that all batteries, including spares, fully charge to 100% twice per month.

Final Thoughts

Whether using new or used HOCs or POCs, adequately maintaining your unit will help lengthen its lifespan. With the proper care, you’ll get several years from your oxygen concentrator.

Updated: June 14, 2023
Published: May 28, 2015

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Kristina Diaz, RRT, is a health writer and registered respiratory therapist with over a decade of emergency and critical care experience. She earned respiratory care and journalism degrees in Michigan, where she was born and raised. She now resides in Florida, where she works as a full-time freelance writer and part-time respiratory therapist.

Kristina began her respiratory career in 2011 in Saginaw, Michigan. She now works in Lakeland, Florida, in one of the busiest emergency departments in the nation, treating people with various lung conditions, like COPD, asthma, and sleep apnea, among others. She maintains her Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) certification and is a member of the trauma team at Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center. Her favorite part of being a respiratory therapist is providing relief to people struggling to breathe.

Kristina began freelance health writing in 2014, and her work is published on multiple websites, including Philips Respironics, the American Sleep Association, the Sleep Doctor, and more. She writes about lung health, sleep disorders, nutrition, and other health-related topics. Since she was a child, she’s always wanted to write, and now she gets to combine her passion for writing with the knowledge obtained from her respiratory career.

About Kristina Diaz, RRT:

Kristina Diaz, RRT, is a health writer and registered respiratory therapist with over a decade of emergency and critical care experience. She earned respiratory care and journalism degrees in Michigan, where she was born and raised. She now resides in Florida, where she works as a full-time freelance writer and part-time respiratory therapist. Kristina began her respiratory career in 2011 in Saginaw, Michigan. She now works in Lakeland, Florida, in one of the busiest emergency departments in the nation, treating people with various lung conditions, like COPD, asthma, and sleep apnea, among others. She maintains her Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) certification and is a member of the trauma team at Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center. Her favorite part of being a respiratory therapist is providing relief to people struggling to breathe. Kristina began freelance health writing in 2014, and her work is published on multiple websites, including Philips Respironics, the American Sleep Association, the Sleep Doctor, and more. She writes about lung health, sleep disorders, nutrition, and other health-related topics. Since she was a child, she’s always wanted to write, and now she gets to combine her passion for writing with the knowledge obtained from her respiratory career.

33 thoughts on “What is the Average Lifespan of a Oxygen Concentrator?

  1. I am 80 years old and in moderately good shape but have COPD. I don’t need oxygen in Chicago area, but think I would need it over 5,000 ft. I want to travel to the National Parks this fall, would the Oxygen concentrator be the answer and how would I use it, how much does it cost etc?

    • The cost of an oxygen machine to rent for a week starts at $245.
      These machines are rated up to 10,000 feet so not an issue operating this
      machine at this elevation point. The liter flow and setting is a key factor as
      to how much oxygen you would need that way we can recommend the best machine for you make and model wise. Please review and let me know your thoughts.

    • Thank you for your comment, Riya. Go ahead and give our customer service department a call at 877-303-9289.

        • Unfortunately, that is not the case. Each brand and unit is different. Not only that, how you use, store, and maintain a concentrator will affect it’s lifespan. You will also need to take into account your location, climate, and altitude. We suggest contacting our support department to work through these in-depth and personal questions with a dedicated representative.

  2. You said above, “… concentrator should no longer be used after the oxygen purity goes below 80% on the dosage setting that you use.
    How do I as a user detect the purity level?
    I have an Inogen One G2(old model), a G4, and an Airsep Focus. Don’t use constantly, but try to give each unit some run time each week…just to keep em functional.

    • Thank you for your comment, Dave. If your concentrator drips below 80% purity your machine will alert you. Depending on the brand and unit, this will be an alarm or a message appearing on your screen indicating something to the effect of “low oxygen” or “low purity.”

  3. Will the oxygen level go back up once it has been serviced? Or is it that once it drops down to below 80% it can not go back to it’s previous levels even after servicing.

    • Thank you for your comment, Hollyanne. When sending your unit in for service, especially for a specific issue such as low oxygen purity, the manufacturer would do their best to remedy the situation. Depending on your remaining warranty, if they are unable to fix this issue and the issue was not user initiated, they would potentially replace your unit. Feel free to give our Service Department a call at 877-303-9289 if you’d like to know more.

  4. Hi I m Sarita Kaushal from Shimla HP India. My mother who is suffering from COPD. Have a problem in breathing She is taking oxygen through oxygen concentrator. I want to know the best concentrator and pls guide me about concentrator how long it will work after doing continues service. What is the permanent solution of this disease patient will use it regular for the full span of life. Lung transplant is permanent solution. My mother is 62 years old she is using concentrator from the last five years this is third concentrator we are using Coz here only 10000 times concentrator will work after service after that it is unable to give oxygen I worried for my mom she turns blue and cant breathe We are living in remote area there is issue of electricity too. What to do Pls guide
    Thanks
    Sarita Kaushal

    • Thank you for your inquiry, Sarita. I have passed along your information to a specialist who will reach out regarding your question.

    • This is a reply to Sarita though my reply may be helpful to others. I myself live out in the country where power is not always reliable. To compensate I have two large deep cycle batteries that I have hooked up to a Pulsetech charger/maintainer (this brand prevents sulfer battery buildup over the years) when power is out a “pure sine wave” power inverter (pure sine wave is important as a modified sine wave inverter will damage a oxygen concentrator) keeps me going running an extension cord to the concentrator from the inverter (an inverter takes the 12 volts from the deep cycle battery and turns it into 110 AC that the oxygen concentrator can use). These batteries will keep the concentrator going a little over four days with my setup. I also bought some cheap harbor freight solar panels in case power went out longer. However to date have never had to use them as power came back and recharged from wall. Batteries + Pulsetech charger + pure sine wave inverter ran me about $600 off eBay. But worth the peace of mind!

  5. If I own my o2 concentrator, what is typical/average cost to have cylinders serviced or replaced in a 47# floor model INVACARE? Thank you! Your info site is VERY helpful!

    • You would need to contact the company where you originally purchased the machine from. they can help you determine if the machine is under warranty still if it needs to be sent in and any cost associated with it. Unfortunately, without the serial number and additional information, I am unable to answer this question. If you did purchase the machine from us please give us a call at 877-774-9271 and we can better assist you.

  6. My friend wants to give me an oxygen tank “Lif-O-Gen model 500 that has never been used and has a date on the bottom of the tank dated November 19, 1975. I’m thinking a 51 year old tank isn’t safe? Can you help? Thank you, Janice

    • Hi Janice, There have been many advancements in oxygen concentrators since this machine was manufactured. We strongly recommend disposing of this and getting one that is more up-to-date.

  7. I need a way to carry my G3 Inogen besides the shoulder strap, which acts more like a fulcrum than a practical method for carrying it. A backpack is better, but it can be awkward in many situations. The ideal might be a case that attaches to a web belt and be worn around the waist. Does Inogen offer anything like a belted on carrying case ?

    • Thank you for bringing this to our attention. This is a blog post from 2015 and the information may be out of date now. The lifespan of the concentrator will depend on the type of unit, the setting you are using, how often you are using it and the environment. We have customers who have their units for 10 years before having any issues and some for 5.

  8. I have a inogen1 G2 the alarm goes off and says Oxygen low what can I do? It has 900 hrs on it. Is it worth fixing? I love it, it is so light. Just don’t know what to do. Thank you

    • Please give our customer care center a call at 877-303-9289, and they will be more than happy to help troubleshoot with you over the phone. We are looking forward to helping you.

    • You can use a continuous flow machine for two people. You will want to make sure that you have the unit on a higher setting and use a pulse oximeter to confirm that you are each getting enough oxygen.

    • Dear Ms. Felarca,

      On average, we see that portable oxygen concentrators last between ~8,000 hours and ~12,000 hours. Although, this number varies greatly based on the care of the concentrator. If the concentrator is still producing medical grade oxygen and not alarming, it should be fine. If you are interested in trading it in for a newer model, please contact us at: 1-877-644-4581.

      Sincerely,
      The AMSR Team

  9. I have an Inogen One G3 and wanted to know where you look to see how many hours are on the machine? Also, what if you did not keep count of how many times you charged your battery is there a way to look that up on machine as well?

    • When Inogen G3 is operating on battery power the display will show:
      Setting X
      Battery HH:MM

      The ‘X’ represents the selected setting and the ‘HH:MM’ represents the approximate remaining battery power. If the time remaining is not available, the display will show the percentage of battery remaining. The battery achieves 500 charge cycles while retaining 80% of its original capacity. The unit will not show how many times you have charged the battery. If you are using two batteries, label them A and B. So that you cycle through them and each battery is used equally.

      Tip: Remove the battery from Inogen G3 when not in use for prolonged periods, this will prevent damage to the battery. Per Inogen, a full battery can be damaged in as little as 20 days if left in the concentrator while not plugged in.

      • I would just like to thank you for this column. I found it by accident. i am a brand new user of an Inogen one G3 and had lots of questions, many that you covered here so thanks again and please continue your information. I do have one additional problem I would like your opinion on. Why are the accessories so expensive ? For example an external battery charger is hundreds of dollars and I cannot imagine why, or what is so special about them ? Isn’t it basically just a DC charger ? Same for replacement or extra batteries, hundreds of dollars. I am relying on Medicare for the costs of the machine but they do not cover extras. I would really appreciate your reply.
        Thank you again

        • Hello Al, thank you for your valuable feedback.
          I cannot speak for the accessory prices, that is how it’s set up by the manufacturers. However, I suggest contacting our oxygen specialist for specials and recertified accessories. We do have a limited stock of recertified accessories and they work as good as new ones. Please give us a call at (888)572-5831 to know more.

  10. I have a refurbished respironics simply go oxygen concentrator, I do love it as I use it for work, my question is using if using it continuously for more than 8 hours, say for a car trip, what it the life expectancy for these devices?

    • Generally, portables last for five years to seven years if they are appropriately maintained. SimplyGo can accommodate 24/7 usage.

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