Question for Inogen G5 oxygen concentrator fans

[Van Johnston]

What kind of lifetime are you getting out of the sieve bed columns? Is lifetime a function of actual usage, or calendar time?

@PaulMillner @Pinecone @David Loftus @Martin Pauly (congrats on your recent ceremony BTW!) @GeorgC @Mike Gagnon

 

[wellknow]

how much do these cost

 

[TCABM]

Huh. Second time I’ve seen questions about this machine in two days. There’s an active thread on mooneyspace discussing these.

 

[Van Johnston]

Huh. Second time I’ve seen questions about this machine in two days. There’s an active thread on mooneyspace discussing these.

Maybe someone else is planning a bucket list trip out west.

 

[TCABM]

Maybe someone else is planning a bucket list trip out west.

A bunch of guys over there have then apparently. 148 replies so far.

Inogen

Okay guys and gals. How did you get an Inogen? I have been trying for years to score one of those but keep running into the same problem. Called the company and they say you need a doctors script. Go to my family doctor and he says that I don’t have breathing issues so he won’t write a script. Ca...

mooneyspace.com

I *think* [mention]Pinecone [/mention] may have chimed in over there, too.

 

[Van Johnston]

A bunch of guys over there have then apparently. 148 replies so far.

Inogen

Okay guys and gals. How did you get an Inogen? I have been trying for years to score one of those but keep running into the same problem. Called the company and they say you need a doctors script. Go to my family doctor and he says that I don’t have breathing issues so he won’t write a script. Ca...

mooneyspace.com

I *think* [mention]Pinecone [/mention] may have chimed in over there, too.

There are some threads here too and (to answer the Mooneyspace question) they say you can get one with your pilots license.

There is a used one being advertised locally. Trying to figure out if I should be concerned about the remaining life of the sieve bed, or just consider it all used up and factor the replacement cost into my offer.

 

[Van Johnston]

how much do these cost

About $2k new

 

[robin ardoin]

Replacement cartridges are relatively cheap.

 

[flyingron]

About $2k new

I think he was asking about the price of the replacement columns. The pair is about $120.

 

[GeorgeC]

What kind of lifetime are you getting out of the sieve bed columns? Is lifetime a function of actual usage, or calendar time?

@PaulMillner @Pinecone @David Loftus @Martin Pauly (congrats on your recent ceremony BTW!) @GeorgC @Mike Gagnon

IIRC, it's mostly a function of usage, and there's a way to get into a diagnostic mode that will show you how many hours are on it. Replacement columns are not too bad. Replacement batteries seem spendy. I got good deal on a G4 from a used medical equipment broker.

 

[robin ardoin]

Keep in mind, the devices are designed for near continuous use on patients with significant COPD. Our use is rather insignificant in comparison. A new zeolite cartridge would last many, many years in typical PP aviation use.

 

[David Loftus]

The first few times the warning message comes up, you can just hit the buttons indicating you have changed the columns and it will be happy for a few months. One you start getting low oxygen output on a regular basis, you can swap for new columns. I got 3 years out of my first set with my G5. Absolutely love it

 

[Van Johnston]

IIRC, it's mostly a function of usage, and there's a way to get into a diagnostic mode that will show you how many hours are on it. Replacement columns are not too bad. Replacement batteries seem spendy. I got good deal on a G4 from a used medical equipment broker.

Thanks. Looks like the phone app tells you % life remaining.

Keep in mind, the devices are designed for near continuous use on patients with significant COPD. Our use is rather insignificant in comparison. A new zeolite cartridge would last many, many years in typical PP aviation use.

Thanks, that makes sense. The manual says they are good for about a year. I assume that is for the near continuous use case. From my reading, the columns don’t have an unlimited shelf life tho, mostly from absorbing moisture from humidity.

The first few times the warning message comes up, you can just hit the buttons indicating you have changed the columns and it will be happy for a few months. One you start getting low oxygen output on a regular basis, you can swap for new columns. I got 3 years out of my first set with my G5. Absolutely love it

Perfect; that is the anecdotal data I was looking for. Thank you!

 

[Pinecone]

They are changed based on time in use.

Think about it, if you fly 200 hours per year, using it all the time, that is about 8 1/3 days per day. People use them 24/7 for several years.

 

[LesGawlik]

There was a group buy on this forum about 1+ years ago. I bought the Inogen as part of the group buy. I never used it until March of this year. I had two people using cannulas for 3 hour flights, mostly above 13-15k. Saturation was measured with two pulseoxes.

 

[PaulMillner]

What kind of lifetime are you getting out of the sieve bed columns? Is lifetime a function of actual usage, or calendar time?

@PaulMillner @Pinecone @David Loftus @Martin Pauly (congrats on your recent ceremony BTW!) @GeorgC @Mike Gagnon

I have a G2. I fly 200-300 hours/year, a lot of that with O2 running. I'm based at a coastal airport, so the ambient humidity is high, though the temperatures are moderate. My first columns lasted six years...

Paul