I am looking for the best place to share some information about oxygen concentrator problems. Bottom line: you can change the filters easily yourself for about $16. I have an Invacare 5 LPM that I bought on craigslist for $200. I used it with a bobcat torch (also used) for about six months with no problem. Then, sort of all of a sudden, my flame started acting up. It would be very yellow when I lit the torch, and within about five minutes it would settle down and be OK. But pretty soon the OxyCon started beeping and the yellow light came on. Then one day the red light came on and it just shut down. I suspected filters needed to be changed. It would still work OK for maybe 30 to 45 minutes before it went crazy again. Then I ran out of propane and refilled the tank. Which led me to wondering if I was running the propane too much, and getting carbon in my torch. I cleaned it, but nothing changed. Then I was able to borrow another OxyCon from a friend and things did not get any better. Finally, they got even worse. I called Wally at GTT and that man walks on water! He spent plenty of time explaining what I needed to do with the torch to make sure it was clean. I sent him a photo via email the next day, and called while I was at the torch. He assured me the torch was fine, and oxygen was the problem. I bought replacement filters for $16 on Amazon and replace them myself. It was super easy! I did not replace the bacterial filter, though. That would have required opening the case up. The HEPA filter is easily accessible by opening the trap door that holds the gray filter. It took about an hour for the concentrator to run with the new filters before the green light stayed on. I hooked it back up, and the torch was an absolute dream with the new filters! I am so grateful!
By the way, the filters had been changed once at 6700 hours, and it now has 12,200 hours on it.
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