Help, my O2 machine almost died!!!!

[sickwithapnea17]

I had a realy scare with a power surge and my invicare O2 machine started beeping and the white circle popped out. How can I take care of my O2 machine baby so that it lasts forever? thanks!

[Julie]

You could always buy a little 'surge protector' (like I did) that plugs into an outlet, then your machine plugs into that and if there's a storm or surge your machine is protected... not as much as it might be with one of those large floor protectors you'd use for your TV or computer, but it definitely will help, though if the power does go out entirely, your machine will have to be turned on again afterward of course.

[mayondair]

I found out the hard way that those little surge protectors are not worth much, an expensive computerized sewing machine I had got fried when I had it plugged into one. Another forum member told me to look for joule (sp.? ) rated surge protectors, the higher the rating the better, they aren't that expensive, I've seen them online.

[dllfo]

UPS - Uninterupted Power Supply. I have an APC smart unit that I have been using for several years. I have a friend who owns a battery shop and his son works in computers. The son brought in several UPS units whose batteries were dead. My friend knew of my situation and sold me the 1500 "Smart UPS" for the cost of the batteries.

When we lose power it signals with a loud shrill tone.

Another thing, in the Sacramento, California area I contacted our utility people and they give me a medical discount on my electricity because I am on life support. Also, if they have a power outage, I am among the first to have my power restored.

Good luck with it ... oh, and I bought a back up oxygen unit from a dealer who was highly motivated to move some inventory. It is identical to the one I am renting. ... Dave

[Goofproof]

[quote="sickwithapnea17"]I had a realy scare with a power surge and my invicare O2 machine started beeping and the white circle popped out. How can I take care of my O2 machine baby so that it lasts forever?

Buy a Male and Female unit and breed them, that way you will have offspring to raise for backups. Nothing lasts forever. Get your script and buy one online out of pocket for a spare. A GOOD QUALITY, surge suppressor (APC) (not a cheap one), can help your electronics to live, a UPS won't be much help due to the high currents required. Mostly we takes our chances, prepare for the worst, and maybe get better. Jim

[archangle]

Why do you think it was a power surge? Did the lights blink? If so, this was a power drop, and not what a surge protector will protect against. The brief loss of power will confuse a lot of machines, but usually won't hurt them once you turn it off and back on.

However, power drops are often accompanied by power surges.

Bigger is not necessarily better for power surges. Plenty of big, fancy looking surge protectors have no better protection than the cheap looking ones. A lot of these things are like buying (fancy name brand) audio cables. They cost a lot more, but they don't work any better. Joule rating is important, but not the only rating to look at.

A UPS will help prevent power surges and power drops. However, a lot of them use MSW (Modified Sine Wave) inverters to generate AC power. Some equipment won't work on MSW power. ResMed says MSW power will damage S8 and earlier model humidifiers, for instance.

I would be very reluctant to use a UPS with MSW on an oxygen concentrator because the main power load is a compressor, which might be particularly susceptible to MSW problems.

[rdfry]

I found out the hard way that those little surge protectors are not worth much, an expensive computerized sewing machine I had got fried when I had it plugged into one. Another forum member told me to look for joule (sp.? ) rated surge protectors, the higher the rating the better, they aren't that expensive, I've seen them online.

Usually if you are using a surge protector and what you have plugged into it is damaged there is a monetary value that you can be reimbursed for.

[dllfo]

I bought a device called the Kill-a-Watt for around $25 to see how much electricity my devices were using. My oxygen machine uses about 375 watts when titrated at 2.5 to 3 LPM. My UPS can handle that just fine. My SV takes around 75 watts (with the HH on). Well within my APC 1500s capabilities as I recall.
But that might not work for others.

I had our local electric company out for some surge protection (cost me over $600). They put a device on the wall, with the meter and sold me several devices for use in the home. They told me the ads implying you can be reimbursed up $xxxx is after your home owner's insurance is tapped, then you can ask them about reimbursing you. The engineer who came out implied most of the surge protectors I had bought were junk. I am not sure if he was correct or not, but the new units worked for years. I did get reimbursed once. For my satellite dish's control unit. My homeowner's paid whatever was left over after the deductible.

Your electric company may offer you a better deal, I hope so. Oh, I also had to pay a monthly fee for the unit on my meter. I thought that sucked. I had a business in my home so I wrote off most of the charges since I would not have needed them if not for my business and equipment.

One more thing, not sure it has been discussed in recent times, but my electric company has a form I filled out, faxed in and they give me a monthly discount for my life support equipment. It is worth asking about.

[archangle]

A good whole house surge protector (the type that goes on the meter) is probably the best type of surge protector other than a good UPS. An individual surge protector is not necessarily junk, though. You can use both.

One very important thing is to understand how the little lights on the surge protector work. A lot of surge protectors will become useless over time and need to be replaced. On most surge protectors, there is a little light that will go out once the surge protector has lost its protection function.

Once the light has gone out, it's just an extension cord, not a protector.