[RE-wrenches] Any experience with off-grid oxygen concentrators?

[Kent Osterberg]

I've got off-grid customers where both the husband and wife use oxygen 
at night. Because of energy supply limitations they use a liquid O2 
system. But that may not be practical for a weekend use cabin.

Kent Osterberg
Blue Mountain Solar, Inc.
www.bluemountainsolar.com


On 4/21/2012 12:12 PM, Dan Fink wrote:
> Esteemed Wrenches;
>
> One of our clients, 79 years old, has an off-grid cabin at 8200 ft 
>  altitude that he built and has been using on weekends since 1982. Due 
> to a heart condition, his doctor is now advising supplementary oxygen 
> at 2 liters per minute only at night when he is trying to sleep. Not a 
> life threatening condition, but very uncomfortable (and no sleep) 
> during a bad night.
>
> Does anyone here have any experience with clients who need to run 
> oxygen concentrators off the grid?
>
> The power system is 12 volt, 4 x L16 batteries, Trace DR series 
> inverter. Not a lot of backup there. We can add more PV easily and 
> cheaply, but would prefer not to completely replace the battery bank. 
> This is mostly a weekend cabin, it doesn't NEED a big battery bank.
>
> Of course the doctor, nurses, oxygen supply companies, insurance 
> company etc. don't even know what the words "off the grid" mean. My 
> research so far has shown that "Energy Star" ratings don't exist for 
> O2 concentrators.... they assume that everyone has cheap, unlimited 
> energy. I am seeing 280-550 watts load from non-portable units specs 
> online. The portable O2 concentrators cost twice as much, and seem to 
> work only off of their own proprietary super expensive Li-ion battery 
> packs, but only draw 75-150 watts...just barely in the range of the 
> existing power system. Nobody in the O2 business  seems to know if any 
> of these can be powered directly from the off-grid system (at either 
> 120vac or 12vdc, he has circuits in each room for both), as "off grid" 
> is not in their lexicon. I just hate the idea of using 2 battery banks 
> -- the L16s to charge the Li-Ion? geez.
>
> Just to add to the imbroglio, the health insurance company refuses to 
> pay for a (twice the price) "portable" O2 concentrator for a patient 
> that only needs it at night, sleeping. They do not seem to understand 
> the words "off grid", "watt hours" , "solar" and also seem to have no 
> concept of either "Energy Star" or "Efficiency". Having been off grid 
> since 1991 myself, my only response can be "Dumb townies!" but that 
> doesn't help much. They don't even know that "townie" is a perjorative 
> up here....they probably think it's a compliment!
>
> Any help appreciated, thanks in advance, and I hope some other Wrench 
> on this list has dealt with this situation before so that maybe I can 
> learn from you.
> -- 
> Dan Fink,
> Executive Director;
> Otherpower
> Buckville Energy Consulting
> Buckville Publications LLC
> NABCEP / IREC accredited Continuing Education Providers
> 970.672.4342 (voicemail)
>
>