Oxycon not giving out 02, but not complaining about it either

[lunesse]

I have 2 5 lpms, I think, this second one I got uber cheap a few years ago when someone on here had a whole bunch of second hand concentrators from work.

It's not putting out O2 anymore. I used only it with the lynx to verify and yep, the flame stays totally propane, no oxy coming out when I turn it on.

The thing is, it doesn't seem to care, it's not freaking out about it with a warning beep or anything. If it was in use for a person, they'd be in big trouble. The little ball barely moves each time it "breathes", so something is going on in there, but barely anything. I cleaned out the mesh filter on the side, opened up the machine and took out a little box inside that seems to have more filter material, took the top layer off (very grey) and wacked it around to get some of the particles out. Dusty!

Any ideas what else I can do? I'm just boggled that the machine itself seems to think everything is fine.

Anyone in the Portland, OR area know a place I can take this little dude for a checkup if it comes to that?

Thanks!

[squid]

I don't think oxycons have purity sensors built in - I think the expectation is that they are serviced regularly.

[lunesse]

Heh. Mine certainly is not.

Guess it needs a checkup. =) It says on the front that a beep at any time other than startup means there's a problem, so I guess I figured no oxy was a problem it would notice.

Thanks!

[Dale M.]

Some units do have oxygen purity sensors , some don't.... On some units it was a option....

Check with manufacturers specifications will determine if yours does or does not have one....

Dale

[lunesse]

Thanks, Dale. The little ball definitely sits at 0 no matter what I do, with a slight nudge towards one when it "breathes," but that is IT. Not enough to do anything to the lit propane flame at all.
I suppose it's good to give it a tuneup anyway, hope it doesn't cost more than a new one to do it, I am big on reusing things that are still good, but hopefully it won't cost more than a more powerful used one these days.

[kbinkster]

Are you sure it didn't blow the sieve beds?

[bead crazy]

If you find someone I would love to know. I called every place in the area and non would fix it for non medical reasons. They wanted a rx
Let me know if you have better luck I have one that need work but mine keeps alarming

[Alaska]

You can look on the net as there are a number of PDF's that show the insides. They also give some hints on troubleshooting, etc. Tried to upload one PDF, but the system will not accept it as the file size is larger than allowed.

If the flow meter is showing zero it could be that a hose has come loose. Or, the air compressor has stopped working, or a filter is very dirty, etc. There are all sorts of possibilities.

If you are into taking things apart, take off the covers and see how the unit looks inside. They are all made about the same way as it is a simple process. Check for broken connections, loose hoses, etc.

Also keep in mind that there are places that sell rebuilt units. A good price is around $200 to $250 for a 5 LPM unit. So if someone wants over that amount to repair it is then not a good deal. If you have a 10 LPM or one of the bigger units then the price does not apply.

[metalbone]

Sounds like the oxygen hose (inside the unit between the sleeve beds and the holding tank or the holding tank and the outlet) may have come loose...time to take a look beneath the hood.

[Dale M.]

Thanks, Dale. The little ball definitely sits at 0 no matter what I do, with a slight nudge towards one when it "breathes," but that is IT. Not enough to do anything to the lit propane flame at all.
I suppose it's good to give it a tuneup anyway, hope it doesn't cost more than a new one to do it, I am big on reusing things that are still good, but hopefully it won't cost more than a more powerful used one these days.

Why was it not mentioned in beginning that there was not indication on flow meter.... It changes dramatically what diagnosis may be...

Dale

[squid]

I think the phrasing was just confusing. She did mention that the flame was only propane, which would not be the case if there was air instead of oxy as the air usually blows out the flame rather than it continuing to burn.

[kbinkster]

Oh, I missed the part about the flow meter not doing anything (the dust on the inside of the machine could still be sieve material, btw). Look inside and see shere the hose connects to the bottom of the flow meter. You can trace that back. Check to see if anything has come undone.

[oldschooltofu]

sounds like a loose hose too.

my flow have been fluctuating a lot on my huricanes and has always been a leaky hose or leaky compressor head (orings/cup seal)

you can use windex or soapy water to see which hose connection is leaking

[lunesse]

I believed I did, Dale. Sorry if I wasn't clear enough for you.

"The little ball barely moves each time it "breathes", so something is going on in there, but barely anything."

Thanks, everyone, I will try to dig a little deeper on my own before carting it off.

[Juliac]

Did you figure it out?

[lunesse]

Not yet. right after I posted my son got really sick and then of course, I got it, so I have been really sick and not at the torch. =( I am going to AZ for a week on Sunday, and hopefully when back, I will get down to bidness and post here with the answer!

[debkauz]

Are you sure it didn't blow the sieve beds?

How would you tell?

[kbinkster]

Ordinarily, sieve material is like sand. But, when it grinds against itself (from being overrun, or from vibration of the compressor over time, etc.), it turns into a grey/white powdery dust. If this happens, and there is no filter downstream to catch it, that dust gets shot into your torch. If you have a torch with filter screens on the inlets (like the GTT torches), you can see the fine white dust on the screen to the oxygen inlet.

[ChaseDesigns]

Too bad I don't read these posts more often, I was just in Tigard for a family wedding. Would have loved any excuse to get out of the house ;) Anyway yea it sounds like a broken hose or expansion tank. They'll all tell you not to do this, but I open the cover and turn on the machine then turn it off. I can usually hear the air rushing out where the break is. If the machine is making it's usual consy noises (fans and compressor) and isn't beeping or shutting itself off you've got a pretty good shot at fixing it.

Good luck!
Greg (D's fix it guy)