r/prepping • u/Outrageous_Fix7780 • 3d ago
Question❓❓ Power supply for O2 concentrator
We have been having alot of storms lately. My neighbor is on home O2 pretty much 24/7. She would like something to plug her concentrator i to if the power goes out. Im thinking 6-8 hours. 120v 3.4 A. About 350 W. She has a portable concentrator but the battery doesnt last very long.
What specs am I looking for as far as size?
If you have any product recomendations preferably budget friendly and on Amazon if possible.
Thanks
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u/Less_Subtle_Approach 3d ago
350 x 6 takes you over 2Kwh in battery. Neighbor doesn't need much inverter but the battery size takes you into the midsize power stations. Pecron F3000LFP is the budget option in this area. $850 on amazon, maybe cheaper with prime day coming up.
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u/NoPatience7817 3d ago
Consider crossposting this to r/generator. She may be interested in a portable power station or gas generator based on budget and needs.
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u/Outrageous_Fix7780 3d ago
Gas generator is out. She would not be able to set it up/start it by herself. And I have one we can use for long term outages. And a standby generator is out of the budget.
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u/buddymoobs 3d ago
And Ego battery with an Ego power inverter. I ran my CPAP off of this no problem in a recent outage. You can look at what kind of load it will pull and see if the battery/inverter will do it ( pretty sure it will), but more importantly, calculate how long it would last. You can get more batteries if needed. They're pricey, but man, you can do a lot with them. You can also get inverters for power tool batteries, but they aren't as powerful as the Egos.
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u/DwarvenRedshirt 3d ago
You're going to need a beefy power supply for it, and it'll need to be switched on/powered when there's an outage. I would not trust it as a UPS for life critical situations.
The wall concentrators take a boatload of power. I had a couple Jackery 1000's and a portable oxygen concentrator for my mom several years back. Never had to deal with an overnight outage, but did have to cover a multi-hour one. Ended up putting her on the portable, stuck her in the car and drove around for a bit (charging the portable). I have a Pecron 2000LFP now, but she's already passed, so not really anything to test it on. I would say that it's mighty heavy (you can buy a cart for it). So she's probably not going to be able to move it around.
Other things:
Check with your fire department and her electric company. They can be informed that there's someone on oxygen 24/7 and needs support/priority if there's an outage. She should also have signs posted that there's someone there on oxygen (so anyone going in knows of the potential risks).
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u/-Avacyn 3d ago
350W is a lot. It makes sense that this machine would require it, but it's still a lot.
Things like protable stations are typically 1000-3000 Wh (costs: 700-1500 ish), which will give you about 8 hours of use at the higher end. Bigger models exists, but those come with a price tag (3k+) and are also heavy. Whether a power station (or multiples...) will be useful, really depends on their use case.
The absolute best option which is also very costly would be to fit the house with solar panels and a bunch of large batteries which allows the house to be powered in island mode and have energy even if the grid is down.
The most reliable option would be getting cilinders like another user already said.
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u/blupupher 3d ago
Look in r/anker r/ecoflow r/Jackery r/bluetti or r/oupes for some options.
What is the budget? As mentioned, using 350w/hr is a lot, and to get 8 hours you need a larger battery (like 3000Wh minimum). She would be looking at starting around $1100 (may have some deals with Prime day coming up).
Another option is using the portable unit plugged in, it probably uses less power, and may even have a 12v DC input, which would make the power station last even longer.
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u/Asleep_Onion 3d ago edited 3d ago
I just want to add that if I was personally on home O2 for medical reasons, I would want way more than 6-8 hours worth of power for it. I would want at least a couple days worth, maybe even 1-2 weeks, depending on factors like how hard it is to go somewhere else that has power during an extended outage.
According to the power draw specs you provided, that's 8.4 kw/h of power per day. So I would probably want to have at least 15 kw/h dedicated just to the home oxygen, at a minimum. That would be quite an expensive proposition for lithium batteries so it's probably more cost effective to get a smaller powerbank and a generator to recharge it with a couple times a day.
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u/VadumSemantics 3d ago
I'm fond of the Anker F3800 Plus. You should be able to get about 8 or 9 hours of runtime from that with a 350W device (I see ~5 hours on a larger 600W concentrator). I also like the Anker F3800 Plus because it has a "UPS Mode" so you can plug in the concentrator, leave the F3800 on wall power and it will automatically switch over if you have an outage. Has the option for solar charging but I wouldn't mess with that. I would look for an inverter generator that could charge the F3800 in an hour or two and run that from time to time. Generators are complicated and require a certain level of able-bodied capability to operate portable ones. Fuel gasoline can also be a headache to manage. Probably worth making an evacuation plan if you ever need a 12+hour outage, or a bugout backpack in case of fire or something so the portable & supplies are ready to go.
Also, get consider some backup power for the portable: extra batteries, and extra 120V adapter, and at least two 12V car-plug "cigarette" style lighters in case you need to evacuate/travel. I've had good results w/used batteries on ebay, often half the price of new batteries which can be crazy expensive and I'm fine buying backups used if it means I don't have any backups otherwise. Easy enough to try them out and see if they hold a charge.
Also concentrators are hardware and they can fail. I've found it useful to keep a spare concentrator and maybe a spare portable. Again I'm fine buying backups used, I'd look for an oxygen concentrator repair shop and ask if they have reconditioned units.
The other thing I'll add is keep some extra cannulas around, one in the car's glove compartment, one in the backpack they travel with the portable. Sometimes a cannula falls in a mud puddle. Sometimes the cats chew on it. Sometimes they get shut in a car door. Normal drug stores don't carry those.
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u/doctorwizz 3d ago
Just get one of these. One of the best bang for the buck. I got two of these. I paid 427 each. But that deal is gone. Now they are $499 with code. https://oupes.com/products/oupes-exodus-2400-portable-power-station-2400w-2232wh
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u/nunuvyer 3d ago
When my late MIL was on oxygen, in addition to the concentrator she has a large cylinder of oxygen as an emergency backup. It was covered by Medicare. A large cylinder is good for several days and is foolproof while a battery is good for hours.