What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

Build your Own Oxygen Setup?

Rick,

A simple "T" in your line coming out of the bottle will suffice as a splitter. Then run each line to a needle-valve flowmeter (Mountain High Oxygen, MH-3) and to a check valved port (see Mountain High website, CPC parts, you have to search a bit to find it) and into your cannula. The MH-3 (turned down to stop flow) will keep you from blowing oxygen out the unused line if you are solo. Each person can use their own MH-3 to get the desired oxygen flow (for example, I tend to require less than my wife most of the time).

Cheers,
Greg

Just trying to sort through all the posts so i can figure out what and where to buy the parts to make a good 2 person system.

Anyone feel free to chime in.

2 oxysaver cannulas (can source lots of places)
A decent size medical bottle and the gear to refill from my 02 welding tanks can be grabbed locally without trouble.

That seems pretty simple. What i dont have a clue about is what is a simple, easy to use and accurate metering, splitting valve set up to put on the tank, split and regulate for two people depending on alt?

Any links to what you have used, had good success with or would do differently, fits to refill easily from big tanks etc would be great.

I just cant see spending $500, but am not clear how best to set this up to work as needed. Thanks.
 
I did have trouble finding a place to fill it up! The FBO wanted $75 and did not have the right size adapter anyway... The Welder shops ALL said no-way, we cant touch a medical or an aviation bottle (the FDA will get us) and the medical equipment stores all said I needed a prescription for O2 from a doctor (it a drug you know;) I ended up finding an adapter (which I should have bought from DeltaO2 in the first place) and going back to the FBO to fill it... Im still not sure why the Welder suplly shops here in KY are so gun shy.:confused:

Ben, I may be wrong, but I think the idea is to fill up your welding tank at the supplier and then fill your flight tank at your house. You need to get the connectors to make that work.
 
I did have trouble finding a place to fill it up! The FBO wanted $75 and did not have the right size adapter anyway... The Welder shops ALL said no-way, we cant touch a medical or an aviation bottle (the FDA will get us) and the medical equipment stores all said I needed a prescription for O2 from a doctor (it a drug you know;) I ended up finding an adapter (which I should have bought from DeltaO2 in the first place) and going back to the FBO to fill it... Im still not sure why the Welder suplly shops here in KY are so gun shy.:confused:

At most medical supply locations, they have a waiver affidavit for aviation usage and you won't need a prescription.
 
O2 prescription

Check with your AME, mine offers to write a prescription for O2 every year when I see him for my medical.
 
Bosco: The key as I understand it is to have a couple of welder's tanks if you do a lot of high cross country flying. Get them filled (as welding oxygen) at your local welder's supply and then "cascade" them into your aircraft tank. That as was previously said, will require the right hoses and connections, but otherwise since the O2 is the same (medical/industrial/welding/etc), you should have only a minimum hassle getting sufficient O2 for your needs. Here is one source of info on cascading along with a host of cautions on correct procedures.

http://csobeech.com/Oxygen-Fill-System.html

Good luck!

P.S. Check your private messages!


Shiloh...
 
Kurt in Kansas is the winner. Fastest PM in the West..

This thread is old, but if anyone is in the middle of building their own O2 system I have a free pediatric regulator. The company shipped one without the barb outlet. They are now sending a replacement regulator and said they don't want the first one back. Go figure.
The advantage of pediatric is low settings (LPM)
The tank valve is CGA 540. Standard welding tank. Heavier but very inexpensive to swap out. If you are old school and still believe medical ox is different, this is not for you. First PM with address gets it shipped out free.
Here's to high altitudes in RV's
 
Last edited:
BTW, when using finger tip pulse ox, shade from sunlight. IR component throws readings off. You might pass out just seeing 80%
 
Oxygen Conserving Regulators

Hi All,

Been reading through this thread taking notes and what not. I don't recall seeing any discussion on "conserving regulators". They look to function similarly to MH's "Pulse Demand System" but at a reduced cost, no batteries, and a compact design (similar in size to the standard regulators).

The two examples below have provisions to do both pulse and constant flow. Has anybody looked into, or otherwise used, these products when flying at high altitudes? If so, how did it work out?

A potential downside is that a Rx is needed to get one of these.

http://www.precisionmedical.com/homecare/oxygen-conservers/easypulse56/easypulse56

http://www.cramerdeckermedical.com/product.php?product_id=181

Some info on how they work:
http://www.portableoxygen.org/conserversandcannulas.html

If I'm interpreting the "Pulse Volume Chart" tab correctly on the Precision Medical's unit and assuming ~250 mL/min for use at 10,000' and ~450 mL/min for use at 15,000' (volumes when using conserving cannulas calculated from the Aerox table below), settings 1 and 2 would be appropriate (note that '2' may be a bit too low at 420 mL/min but let's run with that for comparison sakes). Then looking at the "Tank Duration" tab, a 'C' cylinder (240 L) would last 15 and 9.6 hours, respectively. A 'D' cylinder (400 L) would last 25.1 and 16.0 hours, respectively.

Let's see, comparing to a conserving cannula for a single place:

aeroxspecs2.jpg


A 'C' cylinder @ 10,000' gets me 16 hours and @ 15,000' gets me 8.9 hours.
A 'D' cylinder @ 10,000' gets me 26.7 hours and @ 15,000' gets me 14.8 hours.

Hmmm...it doesn't look like the conserving regulators fair any better than a conserving cannula. Nonetheless, it was a good exercise.
 
At $300 you might as well look at Mountain High systems, designed for aviation. On the otherhand, a pediatric regulator can dial in low flow for about $30.
 
Hi Nick,

Exactly. I considered the "conserving regulator" route just because I had a line on a used one for "best offer"; but 'used' opens up a whole other can of worms. Anyway, if I flew a lot more XC then maybe I'd consider a MH system. Don't know if you've noticed, but MH's list price for a single place EDS kit, the O2D1, is listed at $650/ea and their dual place, the O2D2, is listed at $850/ea - ouch. Maybe they have some really good deals every once in a while. For now, given my type of flying, a good basic system consisting of an 'D' or a 'JD' cylinder, a pediatric regulator that dials down into the fractional L/min, a pulse oximeter, and a conserving cannula seems to be just the ticket.
 
Hey Nelson-

Is a pediatric regulator with fractional flow rates (< 1 lpm) recommended for use with conserving cannulas? I have always used standard cannulas and standard regulators but recently acquired conserving cannulas (have not used them yet).

Thanks for posting the info on the conserving regulators. Very interesting and likely a lot cheaper than the electronic options offered by MH. However, if they conserve no more o2 than conserving cannulas, the value proposition may not be there.
 
The problem with the word recommended, is that a pediatric regulator and a nasal canula for aviators are from different worlds. The tables and suggested flow rates are excessive for many pilots. As mentioned in the replies, a finger tip meter is the best way to see if you are getting sufficient O2.
Every pilot knows a doctor too.... and he/she will invariably bring up moisture in the O2. That myth just persists forever.
Home brew a system... test it out on flights as low as 8000 and you will be surprised how much it helps.
I pay about $16 at the local welding shop and just swap tanks. No worries about hydro inspections. I use webbing straps and buckles attached to the flap drive tubing. It has teflon guides around it to eliminate any friction.
Other than looking pretty nerdy when taxiing up the to FBO, it works great.
 
Is a pediatric regulator with fractional flow rates (< 1 lpm) recommended for use with conserving cannulas? I have always used standard cannulas and standard regulators but recently acquired conserving cannulas (have not used them yet).

Hi Noah,

To put things into context, this is my first foray into an O2 setup. With that noted, it's my understanding that for a "conserving setup" one must have a single conserving device in the Oxygen path between the bottle and your nose/mouth. That device can be a "conserving regulator", something midline like Mountain High's "Portable Pulse Demand" system, or a "conserving cannula".

I wrote about "conserving regulators" above which sense when one exhales/inhales and delivers a puse of O2 accordingly. Don't confuse these with pediatric regulators which allow for constant flows, in fractional liters/min, which is what we are interested in for our application.

Anyway, the one constant mention in the various threads is to have a pulse oximeter with you so that you can monitor your O2 stats and make adjustments as necessary. If there is any recommendation, it would be this. My low limit while at altitude is going to be 93% based on this AvWeb article.

One note about conserving cannulas: As flow rates increase, their "savings ratio" effectiveness goes down. Since our application is at the low end of the spectrum, we benefit from the high savings ratio so it's a win-win.

I'm sure that somebody will correct me if I've completely blundered any of this. :)
 
finger tip pulse ox

A side note regarding shopping for pulse ox meters.
E bay and other avenues have flooded the market with import meters.
Some are wildly inaccurate in my observations.
I have noticed a large supply of second hand Nonin units, that were in military helo service, have hit the market.
The Nonin units are accurate and dependable, even the used ones.
Since we usually only have one unit to make reference to in the cockpit, and it is a critical value... get the best you can afford.
It is not a place to scrimp when equipping for high altitude flight.
Have fun up there... the view is great !
 
So I was able to get my hands on this (my employer was clearing out some old equipment). I have seen this style cylinder and valve in medical applications before. This one came from a SCBA, I believe. Most of the aircraft oxygen systems seem to use a different style valve and regulator assembly, from pictures I have seen.

Anyone have experience adapting medical / SCBA type systems to aviation oxygen systems? I'd be interested in trying to build a system off of this if possible.

wpid-wp-1425516777787-e1425518877993.jpeg


wpid-wp-1425516772468-e1425518897332.jpeg


wpid-wp-1425516766187-e1425518906409.jpeg
 
Looks like a CGA870 valve assembly. Common medical regulators fit it.
here is a link to bottle & valve info:
http://mercurymed.com/catalogs/BDR_TechnicalInformation.pdf
Is it a steel or aluminum bottle?
I don't use oxygen a lot, but I did make up two sets with medical bottles & CGA870 mount regulators. These have flow gauges and I added plexiglass flow meters. I use medical conserving cannula (mustache type)
I have less than $100 into both, and they work fine. I trans-fill from an oxygen bottle at my son's shop.
 
Last edited:
Thanks. By the weight, I'd say it is steel. As mentioned above, I will probably have to check when it was last hydro tested.
 
Looks pretty old. You will need to have it hydro tested... for safety.

Correct. However, it might be current as-is. Can we see a photo of the tank neck markings? If it's ever had a hydro test since manufacture, then stamped into the neck there should be a one or two number month, with some (probably 4) smaller numbers stacked in the middle, followed by a two-number year. To be refilled or transported with compressed gas on US public roads, the last hydrostatic test date must be no more than 5 years ago (this timeframe can be different for composite cylinders, but DOT 3AA and 3AL cylinders are almost universally 5 years). You could fill it yourself from a welding cylinder without a current hydro, but you're sort of taking your chances with a bomb.

Because of the rounded bottom, you know it's a steel cylinder. Another way to know it's steel is its DOT designation. DOT 3AA cylinders are steel.

Getting a tank tested isn't difficult, but it can be costly relative to the price of a new modern cylinder at about $25 around here. That $25 would go a decent ways toward a new lighter-weight aluminum tank with current hydro.

Also, that valve looks like a standard keyless CGA870 medical O2 valve.
 
Last edited:
What fitting needed welding tank to refill aerox portable

Read a lot on forum and probable listed somewhere. Prefer hose and fitting as an assemble but sure I can put items together. I've seen what I think I need but big money / small wallet.
 
Regulator refill adaptability

Hey fellow flyers! Perhaps it was mentioned already.....but.....on a trip out west, I took a portable, medical oxygen tank with me to use at higher altitudes. It worked fine until it came time to refill it at the FBO. Most FBO's don't have the appropriate adapters to refill a medical oxygen bottle. Fill ports vary between aviation and medical bottles. Just a thought.
 
Back
Top