Maintaining Your Portable Oxygen Concentrator

Maintaining Your Portable Oxygen Concentrator

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Despite how dependable and sturdy they are, you have to remember that they are only electronics and need to be maintained from time to time, and protected the way you would protect a cell phone or a camcorder. You also have to make sure you keep it clean and in top working order, because you need it to keep you healthy. Maintaining the right amount of oxygen in your blood is extremely important, because every cell in your body needs oxygen.

Replacing Filters

Many concentrators have gross particle filters that need replaced every 2 years. Read your owners manual that came with your portable oxygen concentrator to see how often it will need changed, so you can purchase a new one and have it on hand when you are supposed to replace it. Some concentrators will have a light or alarm that goes off when it is time to change the filter. The gross particle filter is important because it filters the larger particles that are in the air that you don’t want to breathe in. You can replace this filter yourself, by following the directions in the owners manual.

The sieve bed must be serviced by a professional. The sieve bed is inside the machine and it filters the nitrogen from the air so that you are only breathing in the oxygen filtered by the machine. It can become saturated over time and needs to be cleaned when it is. An alarm will go off to let you know when the time has come to have it serviced. This won’t be too often, around an average of every 2 years.

Replacing Batteries and Battery Care

After around 300 charges, portable concentrator batteries will most likely need replaced. If the battery is internal, you will need to have it replaced by a professional. If its the removable battery that needs replaced, you can purchase a new one for your concentrator. Batteries are expensive, so it’s always a good idea to start saving up here and there for one when the time comes to replace it. On external batteries, you will likely have a light or alarm to let you know when it needs replaced. Once the battery has been depleted, it’s important to recharge it directly afterward.

Handle With Care

The connections can be the most delicate part of a portable oxygen concentrator. Take care when plugging in the cannula tubing or unplugging, and when you plug or unplug it from the AC adapter. You also need to avoid water and too much moisture, since this is an electronic and electronics don’t do well around water.

Cleaning Your Portable Oxygen Concentrator

Use a damp cloth to wipe away any dirt or grime from the outside of the concentrator. Use a lint free cloth to wipe away any accumulated dirt from around the filter vent, and from around the connections.

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Scott joined American Medical Sales and Rentals in 2008 as a Web Manager and Content Writer. He is a writer and designer. He is extensively trained on oxygen therapy products from leading manufacturers such as Inogen, Respironics, Chart, Invacare, ResMed and more.

Scott works closely with respiratory therapists and oxygen specialists to educate the community about oxygen therapy products, COPD, asthma and lung diseases. He writes weekly columns and is passionate about educating the community on oxygen therapy and respiratory issues.

About Scott Ridl:

Scott joined American Medical Sales and Rentals in 2008 as a Web Manager and Content Writer. He is a writer and designer. He is extensively trained on oxygen therapy products from leading manufacturers such as Inogen, Respironics, Chart, Invacare, ResMed and more. Scott works closely with respiratory therapists and oxygen specialists to educate the community about oxygen therapy products, COPD, asthma and lung diseases. He writes weekly columns and is passionate about educating the community on oxygen therapy and respiratory issues.

8 thoughts on “Maintaining Your Portable Oxygen Concentrator

    • Thank you for your comment, Shauna. Depending on the unit you have, you may be able to replace the sieve beds yourself! If you’ll give our service department a call at 877-303-9289 and provide them with a little more information they’ll be able to asses if your unit will require the manufactures attention.

    • Thank you for your inquiry, Richard. We will need a bit more information in order to best assist you. If you’d like you can give our Service Department a call at 877-303-9289 and they’ll be able to work with you to troubleshoot your machine over the phone. Our Service Department can even listen, over the phone, to the unit to better asses your individual situation!

  1. I have a airsep that has not been used for over a year. I worked fine then and pumps air now. will it still function now or does it need serviced

    • Oxygen concentrators are meant to be run and it is recommended that you run them once a month for 5-8 hours. You this helps maintain the battery and make sure that all the enteral parts are working. I would recommend running it to make sure your batteries are working, you aren’t getting any error messages. Once you have that done that use it to make sure that your oxygen saturation levels are good.

  2. I just bought a used Activox L$ portable concentrator. The low oxygen purity warning came on needing a service for the refresh to the sieve bed. Do you service these machines and what would it cost?

    • I am not sure if your machine is under warranty or not but I would start with the company where you purchased the machine from. This may be something that is covered. You will have to send the machine back to the manufacturer in order to have the sieve beds replaced.

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