Oxy Concentrator Help

[JoyceMI]

Well I think my concentrator bit the dust today.

When I turned it on it sounded like it started up, but the ball in the lpm window did not rise up at all and within about 30 seconds the alarm sounded. Shut it off and tried it a couple more times, but the same thing.

Any ideas on where to begin with trouble shooting and what to look for when opening it up? If it is fixable ourselves I would like to try that first before deciding on a new refurbished one.

It is a Airsep Newlife 5 lpm , I bought it in Sept of 2003 and has 17,170 hrs on it.

Thanks!

[hngntuf]

This is just a guess, but the first thing I would check after opening it up would be the hoses. They tend to get brittle over time and can split, thus losing pressure out the port.

I have heard of disphrams going out too.

Stephen

[Alaska]

Here is a NewLife Elite troubleshooting chart.

[JoyceMI]

Thanks. I saved the pdf for reference.

We'll see what we find once we open it up.

[Role]

Here is the complete service manual:

Airsep Newlife service manual

[JoyceMI]

Originally Posted by Role

Here is the complete service manual:

Airsep Newlife service manual

Thank you. That should be a help!

[JoyceMI]

We determined it is the compressor. After taking the cabinet off and looking it all over, we plugged it in turned it on and saw that the blades on the compressor fan were not turning. My husband manually turned them and got them going and the compressor kicked on and started going and the blades continued to tun on their own. The ball in the lpm window rose to its normal operating and it seemed to be running ok. He says the bearings probably need replaced. I did find where I can buy a rebuild kit or can send the compressor in to get rebuilt. .. Anyone ever have the compressor rebuilt. Is it worth it?

When companies rebuild oxy cons, what are the major parts that they replace when rebuilding to sell them. I am just curious what else could go wrong down the line if I do rebuild the compressor. I know the sieve beds could eventually need replaced too. Is that costly? Do you send the old ones in, or just buy new replacements?

[Role]

Originally Posted by JoyceMI

We determined it is the compressor. After taking the cabinet off and looking it all over, we plugged it in turned it on and saw that the blades on the compressor fan were not turning. My husband manually turned them and got them going and the compressor kicked on and started going and the blades continued to tun on their own. The ball in the lpm window rose to its normal operating and it seemed to be running ok. He says the bearings probably need replaced. I did find where I can buy a rebuild kit or can send the compressor in to get rebuilt. .. Anyone ever have the compressor rebuilt. Is it worth it?

Hi,

Was it difficult to turn the compressor fan, like it was stuck ?

If the bearings are failing a rebuild kit will do nothing for you.
The rebuild kit replaces only the compressor pump parts in the
yearly rebuild schedule and will not include parts to rebuild the
electric motor.

A rebuilt compressor is pretty cheap:

http://www.oxygen-sales.com/equipment_for_sale.html

This company has the Airsep compressor for $72.00.

You can call Jack at Unlimited Oxygen, 866 955 0200, and it
is possible he may have the parts you need.

I know the sieve beds could eventually need replaced too. Is that costly? Do you send the old ones in, or just buy new replacements?

You have had the unit for 8 years, unless you live in ultra low humidity the
sieve beds almost certainly need to be repoured.

You can get replacement sieve beds from several companies.

It usually involves sending your sieve into them and they exchange
it for one of theirs.

Good luck.

[oxydoc]

Originally Posted by JoyceMI

We determined it is the compressor. After taking the cabinet off and looking it all over, we plugged it in turned it on and saw that the blades on the compressor fan were not turning. My husband manually turned them and got them going and the compressor kicked on and started going and the blades continued to tun on their own. The ball in the lpm window rose to its normal operating and it seemed to be running ok. He says the bearings probably need replaced. I did find where I can buy a rebuild kit or can send the compressor in to get rebuilt. .. Anyone ever have the compressor rebuilt. Is it worth it?

When companies rebuild oxy cons, what are the major parts that they replace when rebuilding to sell them. I am just curious what else could go wrong down the line if I do rebuild the compressor. I know the sieve beds could eventually need replaced too. Is that costly? Do you send the old ones in, or just buy new replacements?

The capacitor could be bad. This gives the compressor a high jolt of electricity to get it turning. I have plenty if you want to try it. jack

[JoyceMI]

Originally Posted by oxydoc

The capacitor could be bad. This gives the compressor a high jolt of electricity to get it turning. I have plenty if you want to try it. jack

Thank You Role and Jack.

How much does a capacitor run? We think your right. I'm sure you probably are as you deal in this stuff all the time.

We just ran it hooked up to my torch with the casing off of it and he gave the blades a jump start manually to get them going and it seems to run ok. I did a couple little test paddles to see how the flame was and the glass melted and it seemed normal to me. I melted one paddle and encased some silver glass on it and it turned out good. The only thing is the flow meter ball does seem to move up and down a bit more than I remembered. Does it normally move up and down a bit? For some reason I just can't recall if it did at all or maybe it did a bit and I just don't remember.

[Role]

Originally Posted by oxydoc

The capacitor could be bad. This gives the compressor a high jolt of electricity to get it turning. I have plenty if you want to try it. jack

I thought of the cap too, but I think her compressor is having a near death
experience after 8 years. .

JOYCE:

BE VERY CAREFUL OF THAT CAPACITOR.

It can store a charge for extended periods of time and
it has high enough capacity to harm and possibly kill.

Take an insulated screwdriver and place the blade across the
terminals of the capacitor to discharge it, make sure not to touch
the capacitor or terminals during discharge.

And I'm hoping your husband is using a wooden stick to turn that
fan so we don't have to call him "lefty"...

[JoyceMI]

Originally Posted by Role

I thought of the cap too, but I think her compressor is having a near death
experience after 8 years. .

JOYCE:

BE VERY CAREFUL OF THAT CAPACITOR.

It can store a charge for extended periods of time and
it has high enough capacity to harm and possibly kill.

Take an insulated screwdriver and place the blade across the
terminals of the capacitor to discharge it, make sure not to touch
the capacitor or terminals during discharge.

And I'm hoping your husband is using a wooden stick to turn that
fan so we don't have to call him "lefty"...

LOL Thanks. I read this too him.
I believe he was using my long handle pliers that were rubber coated. Maybe a wooden stick would have been better, but he didn't use his fingers.

"And I'm hoping your husband is using a wooden stick to turn that
fan so we don't have to call him "lefty"... He got a kick out of that.

[ingetraud]

Mine was putting out less and less oxygen. I just found a new one on Craigslist for $100. I figured that was cheaper than having it serviced.

[Role]

Originally Posted by ingetraud

Mine was putting out less and less oxygen. I just found a new one on Craigslist for $100. I figured that was cheaper than having it serviced.

That's a great deal !