using an oxygen concentrator in the RV

[Witch Doctor]

Originally Posted by Joe_GA

We carry a concentrator for my wife, but we only stay where there is 120 VAC power. A concentrator is for people that have lung problems and cannot get enough oxygen through normal breathing. My wife has COPD. I use a CPAP which stands for Continuous Positive Air Pressure. It is for people that have sleeping issues that are caused by the airway becoming obstructed when they sleep. The positive air flow prevents that obstruction from happening and prevents snoring. My wife loves that part!

The concentrator is supplying oxygen and you need to be careful around flames, but my wife cooks on a gas stove in the camper and the S&B house and has never had a problem. That said, it does make her nervous and we are in the process of shopping for an electric range for the S&B home.

Okay thanks, I guess I thought that if your on oxygen therapy it's normally 24/7, I didn't know that a person can only have to use it at night time. I know a lot of folks who camp on this forum use the CPAC to sleep, this is first I heard of oxygen just at night. I hope they have a generator if they want to boondock, full hook ups wouldn't be a problem, thanks for the info. And the best of luck to the OP

[rockfordroo]

My FIL has an Inogen O2 concentrator like this one.

https://www.inogen.com/product/g4-th...-system-nj-ma/

It can run on 12VDC provided from either a 110VAC to 12VDC plug in like a laptop computer uses or via a "DC power cable" i.e., a cigarette lighter plug-in. If you wire up a 12VDC power jack (aka cigarette lighter) to your RV batteries, you can run the Inogen from that. This is better than using an inverter to convert the battery power to 110VAC and then back to 12VDC. You lose efficiency when you do that.

But in any case, I suspect it's going to use quite a bit of juice and you will need true deep-cycle batteries, AND you'll need to recharge them every day, meaning you'll need a small inverter generator OR a fair amount of solar (and a lot of SUN!).

You need to figure out how many 12VDC amps you concentrator will draw, multiply that by the number of hours per day you'll use it, which will give you the number of amp-hours you'll need, then multiply that by 2 and make sure your battery's amp-hour capacity is at least that big. (You're multiplying by 2 because you should never draw your battery down below 50% of capacity.)

Good luck.

[Joe_GA]

Originally Posted by rockfordroo

My FIL has an Inogen O2 concentrator like this one.

https://www.inogen.com/product/g4-th...-system-nj-ma/

It can run on 12VDC provided from either a 110VAC to 12VDC plug in like a laptop computer uses or via a "DC power cable" i.e., a cigarette lighter plug-in. If you wire up a 12VDC power jack (aka cigarette lighter) to your RV batteries, you can run the Inogen from that. This is better than using an inverter to convert the battery power to 110VAC and then back to 12VDC. You lose efficiency when you do that.

We are actually thinking of buying one of these and, yes, they can run and charge on 120 VAC or 12 VDC. We want to find a place that sells them so we can actually hold one and see how much it weighs. It says 2.8 pounds, but I suspect that is without the battery. My wife really struggles to breathe if she is carrying 4 or 5 pounds. They also don't mention the current draw. I can't imagine it is too much.

[llr]

I suspect that inogen uses a lot less power then the OPs unit.

For the OPs 10amp draw it would be 25AH + losses for 2.5 hours, while I can't see the label on the inogen batteries I have a hard time believing they are anywhere close to that.

No idea how the flow rate compares which could be an issue.

[tomkatb]

My cpap runs ac or dc. I would get a concentrator that uses either for flexibility.

Using an inverter will use 10-20% more battery.

If you have two typical 12 volt batteries they will be able to provide 100 amps per charge(50% discharge). Using 80 with the device you are sort of cutting it a little close for overnight. Doable.

We ordered our fifth wheel with 4 6 volt interstate batteries. We have over 200 amps available without recharging. Enough for two days.

Two 100 amp lithium batteries would work well. But, the price is high. $2000

A voltmeter built in is a good idea. I just installed a Bluetooth one for $40.

[Houseweed]

My husband uses a concentrator as well. We removed the back seat of our truck and installed two large, deep cycle marine batteries. Those batteries can charge while we drive, or by using our solar suitcase, or the generator. They last all night. The concentrator sits in the truck as well and we run air tubing from the truck to the bedroom window. It is a SeQual concentrator and is reasonably quiet but having it in the truck is great....nobody can hear it.
He built a platform over the batteries where our dog rides. She's window height and loves it. On the other side he built a shelf/step contraption that holds our chocks, small leveling wood and pads for the landing gear.

[B and B]

Originally Posted by Houseweed

My husband uses a concentrator as well. We removed the back seat of our truck and installed two large, deep cycle marine batteries. Those batteries can charge while we drive, or by using our solar suitcase, or the generator. They last all night. The concentrator sits in the truck as well and we run air tubing from the truck to the bedroom window. It is a SeQual concentrator and is reasonably quiet but having it in the truck is great....nobody can hear it.
He built a platform over the batteries where our dog rides. She's window height and loves it. On the other side he built a shelf/step contraption that holds our chocks, small leveling wood and pads for the landing gear.

Don't smoke in the truck with the batteries, hydrogen will blow up as they charge.

[jtesta1]

You can purchase an inverter to run it off a battery.

[CurtPutnam]

An O2 concentrator works its magic by simply removing some nitrogen from the output stream of air. It is possible to rent tanks for concentrated air (as opposed to dangerous pure O2). Some of the newer regulators do a good job of stretching the air to last as long as possible. Be sure you know what the minimum required flow rate is for your situation if you go the tank route. You can rent a lot of tanks for the price of a portable unit - just be sure you have the space and weight capacity for however many tanks you would bring.

Since our concentrator only runs at night, there is no conflict with gas stove operation in the TT. Concentrators are essentially small air compressors with a nitrogen absorbing filter. I do not consider them to be dangerous, certainly not as dangerous as the dull camp hatchet I see some folks using.

[PenJoe]

Originally Posted by Joe_GA

We carry a concentrator for my wife, but we only stay where there is 120 VAC power. A concentrator is for people that have lung problems and cannot get enough oxygen through normal breathing. My wife has COPD. I use a CPAP which stands for Continuous Positive Air Pressure. It is for people that have sleeping issues that are caused by the airway becoming obstructed when they sleep. The positive air flow prevents that obstruction from happening and prevents snoring. My wife loves that part!
The concentrator is supplying oxygen and you need to be careful around flames, but my wife cooks on a gas stove in the camper and the S&B house and has never had a problem. That said, it does make her nervous and we are in the process of shopping for an electric range for the S&B home.

It is also used for patients with congestive heart failure.

[PenJoe]

My Mom used an oxygen concentrator at her home. Unlike an oxygen tank which is pure oxygen, an oxygen concentrator/generator uses existing (oxygen concentrated) air, so it is safe around the stove. Answering the question on another post, it does run constantly.

[Wandering]

When we traveled with my 93 yr old MIL we had both a 12V Battery Powered Portable concentrator that plugged into a 12V outlet. It was used enroute and overnight when we didn’t have power. We also carried a regular 110v concentrator for use when hooked up. Both worked fine with no problems.

[Retired Air Force]

I'm Ox 24/7 and I have a Inogen 4 setup that I think is great. They are a little pricy. Mine was about $3500. I have all the bells and whistles though. I have both a 5hr and 3hr battery packs, AC and DC chargers. You can use and charge the battery packs as you drive using the cigarette socket. They are 2.5# with the 3hr battery pack and just over 3# with the 5hr pack. I have the ventilated enclosed carry case, with the shoulder strap and also a nice buckle clip on the back where it can hook on a 2" bell comfortably. I find it money well invested, and makes going anyplace I want with ease.

[SlowrideHD]

My wife carries a CPAP all the time and the one we keep in our RV is not 12v compatible. I have an AIMS 600 watt Pure Sine Wave inverter hooked to our battery bank and I installed a dedicated floor mount 120v receptacle in the floor right beside her side of the bed. That part of the bedroom floor does not slide and it is over our belly storage and just a couple feet from our battery bank. Very easy to hook all this up since none of the wire runs were more than three feet long. We can boondock all we want and still have 120v for her machine. And other things if we want to plug an extension cord into that floor receptacle.

[bkent72]

I am on oxygen tech in the field for 14 yrs. As long as you keep the o2 5 feet from any heat source that includes tanks tubing and concentrator. As far as a portable concentrator you need to make sure that it has a continuous flow, pulse flow will not work at night due to the fact that at night people breath to shallow and cant active the pulse therefore he wouldn't get o2.As far as running the home concentrator the only thing I can think of is to get an inverter that has its own circuit breaker and tie it in to a deep cycle battery and use it that way. During the day you could charge the battery with a battery charger that plugs into the car cigarette lighter to keep battery charged best of luck

[Lighting546]

Originally Posted by Witch Doctor

They have battery operated one, you just charge the batteries during the day, they don't pull that much power even if it's 12v. What do you have for batteries people use BREATHING cpac machines all the time, you don't need lithium batteries just for that. yes it is safe to use in a RV, same as your home, you have a stove there to. dont wear it if your over the stove cooking, just use common sense. if he only has to wear it sleeping only dont cook at night, no open flame. are you talking a CPAC, thats what they use for sleeping? im surely no doctor but never heard of having to wear an oxy machine just at night, normally Oxys are 24 /7 . im going to look at what you found.

Like the OP I have to use an oxygen concentrator at night when I'm sleeping. If they need to have a solution for off grid camping their best bet would be to have a generator for use when they're boon docking.

The problem with the new lithium batteries is that prices start at $1,000 per battery. Their main advantages are that they maintain their charge longer than a standard lead acid battery will and they can withstand more charge/discharge cycles than a lead acid battery can before they will need to be replaced.

So if they replaced their lead acid battery with 1 or 2 lithium batteries they will have power available for a longer period of time before they will need to be recharged.

Using a small inverter (250 watt) to power the oxygen concentrator at night they should have enough power to last through the night.

Just adding another lead acid battery and running them in parallel might provide enough juice to power the oxygen concentrator overnight.

If nothing else they could get one of the Honda 2,000 watt inverter generators and run a dedicated extension cord from it to the oxygen generator to power it overnight. The Honda's are extremely quiet and are barely audible standing right next to it.

[cfo111]

The one I have you can run off you power plug while you are driving saving the battery pack and if you have a spare power plug you can charge your battery's.If dry camping you can mount some solar panels on roof which will heip that problem but pricey.

[OldSoldier]

Originally Posted by randidanny

Does anyone use an oxygen concentrator while RVing? My husband now needs to use one while sleeping. This means that we need to have electrical hookups. We are trying to figure out how to have nights off the grid. We are checking into concentrators that are portable but they don't last very long. We found one (Resperonics Simply Flow) that will run off of DC power. So, then we need to amp up our battery power. Looks like that means changing over to lithium batteries for a start.

Also, is it safe to run the oxygen concentrator in an RV with a gas stove?

If you have any experience with this issue I would love to hear from you.

I have been RVing with oxygen for 4+ years. There are no major issues with using a concentrator in an RV. I have a portable concentrator for when I’m at high altitude. I have extra batteries for the portable and in case I have no AC over night. I bought a single and two double batteries. If I used continuously I could get about 22 hours off those batteries. Most portables will run off the 12volt dc cigar lighter in your vehicle. A similar set up can be easily installed in your RV and set of double RV batteries will easily get you over night. Most continuous flow AC concentrators cannot operate in 12 VDC. I carry both.

[bubbles]

If the OP's spouse requires continuous flow oxygen none of the portables mentioned provides that. They all are demand type (breath in get a shot of oxygen). There are now continuous flow portables out there but don't know about them. If the op's spouse can use a portable then the real issue for current draw is, what flow rate is required. Battery time is reduced as flow rate increases.

[OldSoldier]

COPD I’ve been on night time O2 for about 4 years. Agent Orange induced. Not the same as CPAP for sleep apnea. I also supplement O2 from a portable O2 contractor for high activity and high elevations. We spend about 5 months a year in the mountain west. At 6700 feet in northern AZ now. An O2 Concentrator takes O2 out of ambient air and delivers it @ 95+% directly to the patient in a metered flow. The NET is that all the O2 taken from the air is essentially returned to the same environment less the CO2 exhaled by the patient. I wouldn’t wave a nasal canula directly Over a burning propane stove but otherwise there is NO significant fire hazard from such equipment.