Oxygen Therapy Question

[seann]

Hi All,
Just wondering if someone can cast some light on a family situation for me...my sister has a lung disease that requires her to have 3 liters continuous flow on her concentrater. Does anyone have any input on how she could drive with this limit with one or two portable units on 12 volt or maybe a house (AC) unit run through an inverter? She loves driving/mobility...racers usually have a solution...
Thanks,
Seann

[problemchild]

https://portableoxygensolutions.com/...-concentrator/

This unit works great and should support continuous 3 LPM. Comes with 12v cigarette lighter cord and 120V cord. The 12V cord supplies more than it uses so you can drive for ever. I know someone who drove with a tank behind the seat and that worked fine too.

Without being ghoulish, if you monitor Craigslist, Ebay, and FB Marketplace, you will find excellent condition units being sold by family members at give-away prices as the previous user no longer needs it. I have seen for as low as $3-400.

Note: Despite the claims, at 3 LPM, she will struggle to get 2 hours on the double battery pack if unplugged.

[E1pix]

I know I’m referring to a low-odd scenario here, but if your sister is traveling any kind of distance, and/or separation from the oxygen puts her life at risk, I’d:
— make sure the alternator is putting out around 13.5 to 14.5 volts
— LOAD TEST, not voltage test, the battery to ensure it’s within about 10% of the CCA (cold charging amps) rating on the battery
— and/or maybe install a second dedicated battery

Also, if there was a car problem, or accident, on a very hot day, but the car ran, you want to know the alternator and battery are functioning well at idle — and so is the air conditioning.

Edit:
I don’t know the risks of her condition, so this may be overkill...

[BLS]

Having a sister who is a lung specialist, I'm pretty sure she would tell you that you need to talk it over with her doctor and medical care people. They deal with this type issue.

I know of one situation where the need is great. They drive with a portable, but have the battery backup (inogen) for the possible failure of the cars power, and they never drive to far from home.

[Extreme1]

My O2 dependant mother came with me to the Baja 1000 years ago. We brought 8 of the smaller tanks in the bed of the truck and just changed them out as needed.

3 lpm isn’t much so the tanks will last a while and you won’t have to worry about a power source.