Oxygen conc beeping

[franklin sankar]

The beeping from an oxygen conc can mean it's outputting low oxygen purity.
So mine starts out ok then an hour later it starts to beep. I hear the compressor switching. I pull the flow dial down but it don't stop. Thinking about refilling the zeolite. Refil is expensive if you don't need it.
the flame changes when it starts to beep. This proves the oxygen is affected. But why after an hour?
I will play with it some more but in the meantime anyone had this problem before. Is it ok to leave it beeping? Annoying yes but Please play nice I just want to play with glass. Thanks for your replies.
Franklin

[Joe Userton]

It's possible that the flame is changing because the compressor is actually shutting off when it starts the constant beeping and you are just running on residual pressure.

There are lots of other possible causes of purity issues, so you want to check everything out before jumping right to replacing the zeolite.

When did you last change the internal filter? If this is clogged, it can limit air intake enough to cause issues.

Open up the machine and let it run, while it's doing this, move your and around and see if you can feel a stream of air coming from anywhere it shouldn't be. I had a cracked housing on a mechanical switch that was leaking, put a glob of jb weld over the crack and have had no further issues.

As for why it's an hour, it could be that the machine is not checking purity before that, since they produce lower purity o2 when they are started up. The concentrator with the cracked housing I mentioned ran just fine for 30 minutes exactly before giving an error, since that's when it started measuring the purity of oxygen it was outputting.

Another thing to try, once the beeping has started, it's too late to lower the flow rate, as it's gone in to an error state and won't remeasure until it's restarted. Try lowering the flow rate a bit before you start it up, and see if there is a level that it runs at without error, at a minimum this should give you a feel for how badly out of whack things are.

[franklin sankar]

Thanks Joe especially for sharing the experience on the wait time . Just could not figure how it did not show up and alarm sooner. Makes sense.
Hope it is a leak. Last time I opened it see if there was anything loose I did not check properly. got distracted with decayed sponge. I will use soap this time. The last time I was horified to see the black sponge had decayed and made the most horrible mess of black gooie mess. Sticky and messing up everything it touches. Could not clean properly but did the best I could. Anyone found goo in their machine?
Take care
Franklin

[jr23]

For what we score medical concentrators around here for .

I would never pop open and work on beds .


There just to plentiful and cheep .


Although if I had a unit that had higher resell value I might fix like a osg or somthing .

But I imagine the beeping is somthing only on med cons .

The aftermarket converted ones always have purity alarm off .

What brand and size do you have

[franklin sankar]

Sorry Jr but I am not that fortunate to get med units so easy. It cost me about 3 times the cost of what you pay to import one to where I live. So I really appreciate any advice from the folks who had to fix theirs. I am connecting a devilbliss with a visonaire V.So far they seem to join effectively.
Joe hints helps a lot. Have to verify the output pressures are close. Do you all reduce the pressure . What pressure do you set your concentrator at ?
I am using a Nortel mini . the small red one. One only turns the glass brownish when I make marbles 1".5"
Humidity is 60 - 75%. try to match the flow rate to be the same out of each unit.
Franklin

[Joe Userton]

Do you all reduce the pressure . What pressure do you set your concentrator at ?

For what it's worth, I tend to run mine at about 3.5-4 or so. Past that, and the purity seems noticeably lower.

try to match the flow rate to be the same out of each unit.

Don't worry about this at all, it won't matter. So long as they are putting out the same air pressure (and almost all the small oxy cons do), differences in the flow rate won't make any difference. Before I figured out the cracked housing issue, I had to run one down at 2.5 to get it not to give me errors.

[franklin sankar]

That is pretty low working pressure glad to know it works. Thanks for the figures. Most useful
Franklin

[kq9ak]

My guess is the compressor needs a rebuild, or something has a leak which was stated above. Which brand concentrator? With the single piston compressor respironcics machines their is an internal filter inside the compressor that gloggs and can cause this as well.

[franklin sankar]

Should I be concerned about the humidity. Thinking about putting the conc in an enclosure together with a dehumidifier. Fresh air intake to replace the oxygen?
Franklin

[kq9ak]

It would not hurt I do notice my purity drops slightly in summer. All the speakers have been removed in my machines so no alarm, which is fine with me. Do you notice a difference in the flame, if not as quick fix may be to remove the speaker. If you where to make a box with dehumidifier in it i wouldn't put the concentrators inside it. I would connect the box to the concentrator compressor fresh air intake with shop vac hose. This way you would not create a heat issue by having the concentrator in a enclosure and would prevent the air from being contaminated by high nitrogen levels, these to issue could be addressed though.

[franklin sankar]

Ah good idea. Ducting Hmmm bigger box. Ok
Franklin

[gypsea]

I had an alarm problem on one at one time that was solved by changing the material in the sieve beds.

[Joe Userton]

I had an alarm problem on one at one time that was solved by changing the material in the sieve beds.

Do you happen to remember how many pounds of material it took to refill them?

[franklin sankar]

Also where did you get the zeolite.
Thanks
Franklin

[kq9ak]

Saltcity glass sells zeolite, and some medical suppliers, that do bed repours, will sell loose zeolite. It's about 5lbs per machine. Industrail suppliers do Cary it but the grain size is usually to large for the small concentrators. Personally if you can find someone with experience to do it for you it's better. As stated above I would rebuild compressor before addressing the zeolite.

[Joe Userton]

As stated above I would rebuild compressor before addressing the zeolite.

How much of a difference did you find the compressor rebuild gave you?

I have 3 older oxy cons that I've been getting back in to good shape, and I'm not sure if a compressor rebuild is the next step, or unneeded until there is a detectable failure.

[franklin sankar]

I measured the output pressure and it was ok at 8 pasig . Steady for w while . Can't keep gauge on output for long because it will put too much back pressure. I did not use the measurement point inside the unit but will do so later . Will measure the pressure when the beep starts. was trying to figure out if the pressure is ok then the compressor should be good at least to deliver 8 psi. Joe did you measure the pressures in your bad units?
What do you think?
Franklin

[kq9ak]

The compressors performance is slightly more important than the condition of the seive beds. Pressure is important to the pressure swing absorption cycle. If the compressor is not reaching the pressures it should during the cycle even with brand new zeolite purity will suffer. Rebuilt compressor and old zeolite could produce high purity with a lower flow. Zeolite itself should work in normal operating conditions for 10yrs+, whereas compressors slowly degrade as their seals wear. Cost to rebuild compressors is usually $20 for new seals, bed repours cost $100-200 depending on who does it, repour ing the bed yourself is $75-$150 depending on type and cost of zeolite(I have repoured bed myself and honestly would not recomend it).

[franklin sankar]

Thanks for the hope you bring to me. Can you recycle zeolite by heating?
Franklin

[Joe Userton]

Cost to rebuild compressors is usually $20 for new seals

Do you happen to have a good link for parts? Sounds like I should try that on one of mine and see what the difference is.