Need oxycon help...

crabby31 · #1 2010-05-28, 10:17am

Hi All.
Hoping someone can help before I have to ship back my Oxycon. I bought a reconditioned Devilbliss a few months ago. I started using it about 5 weeks ago, only a total of about 15-20 hours, and last week it started acting up. When I first fire it up, it seems to be fine, then after about 10-15 minutes, the "service needed" light and sound come on. If I turn it off, and then back on, it seems to be struggling, only at about 1/4 power and the service needed light stays on. I have cleaned the filter, but that hasn't helped. I keep trying to just let it run, and same result - works for about 10-15 minutes, then "service needed".
Does this problem sound familiar to anyone? Is there anything I can do to fix this myself? I am so disappointed/frustrated that I can't do anything right now..
Thanks in advance for any advice!!
BTW, when I took the little panel off to clean the filter, I see that it has over 18,000 hours on the counter...

squid · #2 2010-05-28, 10:32am

Is it plugged into its own electrical circuit? if not, try that and see if it helps.

It does sound like you might need to ship it back though.

crabby31 · #3 2010-05-28, 10:40am

Thanks for the response Squid! It's on the same circuit as the furnace. When I first used it in April, I blew a fuse when the heat came on, so I'd have to turn the furnace off when I used it, but right now, the furnace is off, and we're not using the central air, so it's basically on it's own circuit. Also, it's almost exactly the same time frame every time. After it's been off for awhile, I'll turn it on and it will be fine for just about 14 minutes, then kaput. The first few times I used it, it was for 3-4 hours at a time, so I don't know why it stopped working all of a sudden. Nothing else has changed.

squid · #4 2010-05-28, 10:43am

if it's under warranty, definitely send it back. It sounds like a compressor or seal problem if it sounds like it's struggling and gives a low flow.

Alaska · #5 2010-05-28, 3:20pm

Had a similar issue with a Devilbliss. In my case it was necessary to take off the back panel for access to the interior.

Then feel around for a lot of air. Be careful of any fans. There was a large leak (crack) in the muffler air supply line from the pump. The solution is is replace the muffler if cracked. (2-1/2 inches in diameter and 2-1/2 to 3 inches long made out of cream colored plastic - but may vary)

Or one can just remove the muffler and connect the air hose directly to the compressor with the supplied stainless steel hose clamp. The machine does produce a little more noise, but it is not objectionable. However, this is only one scenario and your issue could be something else.

crabby31 · #6 2010-05-28, 6:05pm

Thanks Alaska! I will check this out tonight!

Alaska · #7 2010-05-29, 1:35am

This is inside of a Devilbiss 525. The red arrow is the muffler. On my system the muffler is connected directly to the pump at the green arrow with a right angle connector for a model 515. But they both do the same thing. It would appear that the 525 has a better location for the muffler as it may not get stressed in shipment IMO.

If you find the problem please let us all know. And good luck with the issue.

crabby31 · #8 2010-05-29, 11:42am

Well, I opened it up last night and took some photos. The muffler appears to be fine, but there appears to be some burning in there. The padding that the muffler hits against is all burned, and there is a bunch of burn residue on the (not sure if it's the) motor. I can't feel any air leaking out anywhere, but what do I know? I didn't want to touch anything because I don't want to void the warranty. I sent the company that I bought it from an email late yesterday afternoon, not expecting to hear anything back over the holiday weekend, but I got an email at 4am this morning with the rep's cell number to call him. I called and left a message a few hours ago, but am not expecting to hear back until Tuesday.
Here are the photos. What do you think?
Here is the muffler

Here is the back of the unit where the muffler melted the padding

Here are a couple pics where you can see the burn residue

Any help is so greatly appreciated!

Alaska · #9 2010-05-29, 2:26pm

In my case there was a crack in the muffler starting at the right angle connector. You could feel a lot of extra air in that area. They system displayed the same symptoms as you described. And the muffler is in the same location as on my 515s.

Would also be concerned about the heat that the unit is giving off. Have not seen any burn marks on my unit. Seems that it is running hot. But others can chime in with their experiences.

Glad you got the covers off. It still could be a massive air leak, bad sieve beds, a value issue or a compressor that needs rebuilding. A lot of possibilities. Have you run the unit with the cover off to check for air leaks?

It is nice you received a call back. They should be able to assist with over the phone troubleshooting. As suggested, if all else fails send the unit back but that is also costly.

When the issue is resolved please let us know the outcome. And thanks for taking the time to post the images.

Swirls · #10 2010-05-29, 6:29pm

Beth,

I am interested in purchasing a Devilbiss 515. Would you be willing to share your experience with the company you purchased from? I'm doing my research on concentrators and welcome any advice. Thanks

Linda

ChaseDesigns · #11 2010-06-01, 5:40pm

That insulation can be a real pain, it stains everything it touches every time I open one of my machines. There should be a little cooling fan somewhere in the machine, either bottom or somewhere along the side. Sometimes they get clogged with that insulation and stop working, usually takes the units about 10 to 15 min for them to over heat. Clean out the crap and spin the little fan till it spins smoothly then give it another go. Easy way to tell if its the fan is to just turn on the machine and feel if there is exhaust out the bottom, there will be a little anyway, should be a lot if the fan is working. Otherwise I'd agree with everyone else, could well be a leak/crack somewhere.

oldschooltofu · #12 2010-06-01, 6:45pm

sounds like the compressor needs a new cup seal.

i have replaced them on my huricane and m15. they are tricky to do.

crabby31 · #13 2010-06-05, 3:01pm

Hi All. Here's an update - hope some of you out there will read this and have some further suggestions. When I take the back off of the unit, there is a brass fitting that sticks out to the left of the white muffler:

About 30 seconds after I turn the unit on, there is a popping/hissing sound, and then air shoots out of this fitting quite forcibly. I had always heard the popping/hissing sound since I got the concentrator, so thought that this was normal, but now I'm thinking maybe not...
Also, my DH found this on the floor near the concentrator - not sure if it is from the unit or not, what do you think?

If anyone is interested, I also took a couple videos of it. They show where the air is shooting out the back. Let me know if you would like me to email them to you.
Thanks for any help and for all the responses so far!!