Oxygen Concentrator maintenance, Accessories Maintenance and Infection Prevention
If you have an oxygen concentrator, you may want to know how much maintenance is needed to keep your concentrator in good functioning condition for as long as possible. If this hits close to home, it would be beneficial to keep reading as I touch base on Maintenance, cleaning, replacement guidelines, warranty & warranty violations where the manufacturer will not cover repair costs.
Devilbiss 525 5L & 10L Concentrators
To prolong the life of your brand new oxygen concentrator and to ensure the cleanest oxygen flow is provided to you, there are a few tips and tricks that should be followed regularly.
Cabinet Filter: Some models have this, some don’t. It depends which fabrication facility made the concentrator. For example there are 5 different types of Devilbiss 525DS 5L concentrator models. Each starts with either “N”, “F” & “J” for serial numbers, depending where they were made. The Devilbiss 525DS-Q has “J” and “R” which identifies which fabrication facility made it.
All the units provide the same therapy and are equally reliable with the only difference being on how they are built. Depending which one you have, you will see a foam external filter and others you will not. If you do see a cabinet filter, these should be washed monthly and replaced annually at a minimum. You may find the filters in our online store
Please keep in mind if there are no records of filters being changed, the manufacturer may void warranty due to negligence of the medical equipment (their words, not ours).
HEPA Filter | Air Intake Filter: These are important to change out every 6 months to 1 year to prevent bacteria from colonizing inside the unit affecting air quality being provided that can lead to pulmonary infections. It is also used for sound dampening of the machine. If there is smoke inside the home, these must be replaced every 1-3 months and if there are pets every 4-6 months. Do NOT wash. You may find the filters in our online store
Please keep in mind if there are no records of the HEPA filters being changed, the manufacturer may void warranty due to negligence of the medical equipment (their words, not ours).
Final Bacterial Filter: This is technically done by a technician, and as long as a technician does the switch, the warranty is not void. If a customer does it themselves, you void the warranty. Although the warranty is void, some people still choose to do it themselves. This is not generally done and you won’t need to if you change the HEPA filter on a regular basis. You may find the filters in our online store
Bubble Humidifiers: Are you using the correct one? These are used for very small amounts of humidification to be added to the oxygen flow. There are 3 different types and you must know how many liters per minute of oxygen you require to ensure there is actual delivery of the medical gas. There are 3, 6 and 9 PSI bubble humidifiers. You must choose the correct one to prevent backflow of oxygen lessing oxygen output and possible oxygen concentrator alarm beep. These are an EXCELLENT source for bacterial colonization and fungal growth. These MUST be washed frequently with soapy water and ideally replaced every 3-6 months. You may find the filters in our online store.
Oxygen Tubing: Oxygen is a very cold and dry gas. The long oxygen tubing does get brittle over time and may start to have very fine cracks leading to oxygen escaping from the tube. Kinks and compression of the lumen will also play a factor in proper oxygen delivery. To prevent this, replace your tubing every 6 months. You may find the filters in our online store.
Oxygen Nasal Cannulas and masks: These should be wiped down with alcohol wipes or hydrogen peroxide to eliminate any organic particles that can remain on the masks. Failure to do this can lead to pneumonia and more complications including hospitalization. The masks and nasal cannulas should be replaced on a monthly basis for proper hygiene. You may find the filters in our online store.
Rafael Mendonca, RRT & MSC Team