What advice can anyone give me on the pro's and con's or can you have both? The portables are ok but I have heard that the refillable liquid oxygen is much lighter to carry. Is this true?
Tony. Any information will be very appreciated and help me make up my mind on what's best.
Hi Tony. My respiratory nurse considered liquid oxygen for me as I struggle to carry the gas cylinders. They are lighter and I understand they last longer but I was unable to manage the filling process. As you seem fitter than me you probably would have no trouble with it though. Have you considered a portable concentrator? I am unsure what level flow you use but if it is only 2 or 3 there are some lovely lightweight ones. Good luck, whatever you decide. xx
Hi, I tried the liquid oxygen a few weeks ago. Apart from being hard to fill the containers it was like a rocket taking off when it was full. The worst thing about it was the gauge worked by weight on the container not pressure. It said it was half full but ran out after five minutes. Very unreliable.
HI - we have liquid oxygen for my husband, works well for us. The unit is lighter, and came with a carrying case which has backpack straps.(It is a Marathon, although Dolby Vivisol have actually taken on a different model which I am told is easier to fill, can't remember the name) Like a cylinder, there is about 4-5 hours of oxygen at 2 litres continuous, but you can change it to 'on demand' which will last about twice as long. The cannula is a double tube, one detects when you breathe in the other allows the oxygen through in that mode, only useful if you reliably have a strong enough breath in.
The dewar which holds the supply is about 3 ft. tall and 18 ins. wide - the filling process is straightforward, but can be tricky if the container is completely empty, I find. You have to press the bottom of the flask onto a valve sticking up on the top of the dewar - this releases the liquid, but sometimes it takes a while to get started The dewar is usually stored in the garage or similar - they won't take them upstairs, delivery must be ground floor (probably due to the weight of the thing!).
The liquid does gradually evaporate, so if you fill it in the morning and only use a bit, by next morning it will be pretty much empty.
The method of telling how much you have left is a bit basic - there is a strap which you hold the cylinder up by, and a little window which shows a painted bit of metal - the more metal showing the more you have left. There is no dial like on the cylinders, so you have to keep an eye on the time!. Basically, it is weighing the flask of liquid in the unit to see how full it is.
The beauty of it is that you can refill when you want to - only be aware that you have to let it 'settle' for half an hour before you can use, so forward planning is required........
All in all, we find it more flexible than cylinders, lighter (for me) to carry etc. The unit is adjustable up to 6 litres ( although it wouldn't last long at that rate !) Hope that helps ! Gill
Hi Tony
I am currently on 8lmp when I am active and 4lpm when I am stationary. I have a large concentrator for home use. For going out I find the cylinders (with a conserver that goes up to 8) the best option and I transport the cylinders in a rollator (3 wheel walker) to manage the weight. I did try liquid oxygen but I could not get on with it. They only gave me 2 flasks to fill which meant I couldn't go out for the whole day (one flask only lasts 2 hours on 8lpm). Try liquid oxygen for yourself and see how you get on. I would suggest keeping your cylinders if your health professional will put both types of appliance on your HOOF. Good luck.
Regards Mandy
Hi, haven't posted for a very long time . My experience with oxygen is that I have used liquid and got on very well with it , got the knack of filling it in the end . But have now changed to a self fill concentrator . They are like the normal concentrator that works on the electricity except you have an added on bit that fills your bottles , they are lighter that the other cylinders you carry around . Nit sure if they are suitable for someone on high dose if 02 . Also not sure if these are available in all areas . I live in Redhill and they became available when Dolby vivasol took over contract .the big bonus for me is that I don't have to rely on deliveries anymore , I just fill up and go , they do take a couple of hours to fill though . So I got into the habit of putting straight on to fill when I get in . Hope this helps you xx
Hi Shell 13
Could you tell me a little more about your self fill concentrator please. I'm on 2.5/3 lpm pulsed 02 but only on exertion. How much do the filled bottles weight? Also how long do they last and can you have more than one bottle?
I'm in the Surrey area and my supplier is also Dolby.
Many thanks.
Hi Tony
I changed from 02 cylinders to LOX 4 years ago and am pleased with it although I'd love a POC AS WELL but expensive to buy unless you import from USA (about half price)!!! This was after I'd had a stent inserted but I have COPD as well. At first the driver arrived with about 10 cylinders - I just looked in horror and asked how I was going to keep moving them and where the heck was I to store them hence the arrival of the Marathon.
Here's a link to Caire Medical who manufacture the Marathon which I have and also the smaller version, the Helios 300.
cairemedical.com/getattachm...
There are 58 pages of information!!!!
Page 26 gives the Useage Times and there is an appendix at the front so you can skip to the Pages you want to read.
Yes, it is much lighter than the cylinders and the cannulas come in both one and two meter lengths. I was told by my then supplier, Allied Respiratory, that it was for ambulatory/ exercise use only however I am now with Dolby who I find to be excellent - they arrive with the Dewar every 3 weeks after phoning me a couple of days before.
I also still have a couple of cylinders in case of breakdowns of which I've had two in four years.
My husband fills the tank for me daily
although I have done it myself - there is a knack to it and we have had "Vesuvius" ie(the Dewar) errupting - whack the knob with a wooden hammer! There is a certain amount of evaporation even if you don't use the machine.
Depending on the size of the Dewar there are lights on it which tell you how much LOX you have left - I think we get about 4 fills to one light.
If you need to go away for a few days Dolby will arrange another Dewar at the place you are going to or, in my case, they loaned me free of charge a Portable Oxygen Concentrator (an Inogen OneG2) which I could recharge in the car or from an electrical socket.
I'm unsure as to why Shell13 says it takes a couple of hours to fill? I'd say about 5 minutes. My husband says that the machine discharges any LOX inside it before starting refilling. Gidge is right saying to leave the machine for half an hour after filling as it lets everything settle.
All the best
Hi Jemma. Shell was referring to a different system, one that fills from the oxygen concentrator (the electric one) and not the liquid oxygen Dewar/tank/whatevertheheck it's called.
Hi AbbyRudi
Guess I wasn't looking straight when I read Shell's post however it did dawn on me later that evening that she may have a Home Fill System. I didn't realise that Dolby were now supplying them - sounds an interesting alternative, especially if the tanks are lighter. Many thanks for letting me know.
I wanted to respond to your post but having read through the previously replies I don't think I will have anything to add to them, especially after reading the post from Gidge...I totally agree with this post lol. I prefer the liquid oxygen because it is lighter to carry and seeing as it is something I need to be able to use while walking it makes more sense to me....it is a tad tricky to get started, ie the filling of the portable carrier was hard, but now I've got used to it, I find it easy enough...if your dr will prescribe bother that would be even more helpful in my opinion....good luck to you.
I found that once I got used to filling the portable liquid tank, it was much lighter to carry & very easy to use. I now use an Inogen so only have to plug it into the electric to replenish the battery. It's on a cart. The battery doesn't last long though.
I have read all the responses about liquid oxygen. This has been offered to me on several occasions because the gas bottles are too heavy for me to manage. However the stumbling block, which no-one seems to have mentkoned, has always been - where to keep the oxygen container. It is apparently quite large and quite heavy. The logical place is our storeroom along with the washing machine and deep freeze. However the gas boiler is also in there so that's a big NO. We have no garage and no outside under cover place as we live in a middle terrace house. A secondary problem would probably be the difficulty we might have filling the bottles but we have not had a chance to find out about this.
I have invested in a portable concentrator, cost a fortune and it runs on batteries which only last approx. 1 hour so you have to carry a supply of batteries with you when you go out. It is possible for me to carry it though. I am not able to walk very far anyway. So far it is enabling me to get out a bit. Joyce
The oxygen tank is large, but it will fit into the corner of a room. Ours is now in a utility area next to the kitchen, but when my husband was able to fill it himself it was in the corner of the dining room so he could get to it easily. If a slim person could stand in a corner or a space somewhere there is enough room for the liquid oxygen dewar.
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