Good deals on O2 systems?

CJones

CJones

Final Approach
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Hey folks..

Looks like I'll be flying the RV to Vegas in March. I can cut the trip down substantially if I have supplemental O2 in the plane (only planning on going up to 13k or so on this trip). I've looked at www.aviationoxygen.com and they have the Aerox 2-Place 'D' complete system for $456 - or we can bump up to the 'M' for nearly double capacity for not double price ($490).

I've also looked through Dr. Bruce's "DIY O2 System" write-up and I'll be calling locally to see if I can get aluminum O2 tanks easily, so that is still an option. The regulator is definitely the $$$ piece of the system - Aerox 2-Place $194. We have a pulse oximeter already, so that's one big piece of the puzzle out of the way.

So I was wondering if anyone has stumbled across any 'deals' on O2 systems recently?

Thanks for any info...
 
redcloud said:
I really like my H2D2 system from Mtn. High, but it is more expensive than those above.

Scott
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I've looked at the Mtn. High systems but, as you say, they are quite a bit more expensive than Aerox, Sky Ox, etc. Their claim is that their hi-tech system saves on O2 wasted, but since we won't be using it as much, the extra cost doesn't make much sense.
 
Chris, ask a doctor friend if he can get a medical oxygen supplier to get you an aluminum tank at an "inside rate". I did my DIY for less than half of the Chief lists, and I have 29 cubic feet in the system.
 
bbchien said:
Chris, ask a doctor friend if he can get a medical oxygen supplier to get you an aluminum tank at an "inside rate". I did my DIY for less than half of the Chief lists, and I have 29 cubic feet in the system.
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That's more or less what I did. Got a doc friend to write me a rx for O2 which I took to our local welding gas supplier and was then able to purchase an aluminum tank with medical regulator and flow control. Just use it with a nasal canula and it works great. I have 2 E cylinders which I trade off when one is empty I just swap it out at the welding supplier. The tanks and regulator were used and the whole rig was less than $100.
 
bbchien said:
Chris, ask a doctor friend if he can get a medical oxygen supplier to get you an aluminum tank at an "inside rate". I did my DIY for less than half of the Chief lists, and I have 29 cubic feet in the system.
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So Bruce, any chance you could get a medical oxygen supplier to get me about a 6 cubic foot aluminum bottle at an inside rate? From what I've read, thats sufficient for me in the glider for 3-5 hours below 18k. ;)
 
bbchien said:
Chris, ask a doctor friend if he can get a medical oxygen supplier to get you an aluminum tank at an "inside rate". I did my DIY for less than half of the Chief lists, and I have 29 cubic feet in the system.
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I read through your "DIY O2 System" sticky. We talked about all the options and actually priced the different parts (don't have an 'inside-scoop' on the med stuff) and we ended up deciding to go with a complete system this time. Maybe next time when we have a little more knowledge of how a system *should* work, we'll go with a DIY system ourselves.

We'll get to try out the Aerox system tomorrow enroute to Vegas! :D
 
Welding oxygen works great too. It's just as pure as the medical O2 these days.
 
Bill M. said:
Welding oxygen works great too. It's just as pure as the medical O2 these days.
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That's one good thing about this deal -- I have easy access to welder's O2, just not med equipment. So the up front cost will be higher, but the refills will be nice and cheap. ;)
 
bjohnson said:
Chris, How is the Aerox system working for you?
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We went with the Aerox 2D system from Chief Aircraft.

So far, I've only used it on our trip to Las Vegas in March. Overall, I liked it. The canulas were a bit cumbersome, but after talking to experienced high(er) altitude flyers, I think I had it on too tight, which accounted for some of the discomfort.

With the 'D' bottle (13 cu ft), my wife and I both had enough flow for 2+ hrs at 16,500' on the way out and another 2+ hrs at 13,000' on the way back. If I remember correctly, the gauge says we still have over 1/2 tank available. I haven't done the math in quite a while, but if I remember correctly, the 'D' sized tank was expected to give about 7hrs of two-place flight time at 15,000'. (ball park estimate - check Aerox site for exact numbers).

It was very easy to read the flow with the 'in-line' flow gages on both cannulas (a floating ball in a tube). I would set it at the recommended flow rate, and usually pull it back a little while monitoring O2 SAT. The only thing I didn't like was that the needle valves to adjust the flow were mounted on the regulator, so it was a bit of a twist-and-turn battle to get my fingers on the bottle when mounted behind the seats. Also, the needle valves themselves are small screw heads, so precise adjustment was a little tricky. I suppose a trip to a Med supply store could fix things up with some better in-line valves.

It came with its own bottle mounting bracket - much like a fire extinguisher mounting bracket, which is now removed until we plan for another high-alt trip. The aluminum bottle itself is amazingly lightweight for its appearance.

Other than that, I don't really know what to say. I haven't tried the mask out yet. Hopefully this spring I can use it and take the RV to the FL's just to say I did it. :) The cannulas aren't the most comfortable things in the world, but they might get a little more flexible after some more use.

Overall, I think it was a great buy. On the way back from SAF, we were at 13,000' with an average 195kt GS burning 7.4GPH!! I left my O2 off while climbing to 13k. After about 1/2 hr, I noticed I was having to focus on the radios a bit more than normal to tune the right freq, etc. I checked my O2 sat, and it was down around 83%, so I put the O2 back on, and within 15 mins, I was back up over 90%.

Hopefully I gave some info you were looking for. If you have more detailed questions, let me know - I can at least make something up. ;)
 

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I ended up buying a 3 yr old SK 12-24 4-Place Sky Ox system on eBay. The seller said it has only been used 5 times and I feel I paid a fair price of $415.

Chris - Thanks for all your info
 
bjohnson said:
I ended up buying a 3 yr old SK 12-24 4-Place Sky Ox system on eBay. The seller said it has only been used 5 times and I feel I paid a fair price of $415.

Chris - Thanks for all your info
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Glad you found something to meet your needs at a pretty good price! Did you use it on your trip out west? If so, what do you think of it so far? I would like to use it on our trip to Charleston, SC this March, but my wife is so burnt out on it from the Vegas trip, I don't know if I'll ever get her talked into using it again. It's nice to get up there where you can get those 30+kt tailwinds and sip the fuel!
 
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