RV Customization For O2

[sandpaper600]

We fulltime in our class A motorhome and I just started on O2. During this first week, I could put together a montage reel of the hose being stepped on, wrapped up, or caught on something that resulted in my head being pulled back like someone reining in a wild horse! I think I could have given Peter Sellers a run for his money.(think Inspector Clouseau!)

I thought of a way to make the hose situation MUCH more manageable and raise the convenience factor a bunch. For me, I have my concentrator near the front of the coach, but our "living room" is nearer the back, and our bathroom is all the way in the rear.

Dragging 25' of hose around isn't working too well. What I want to do is run a hose from the concentrator to a barb connector that would penetrate the wall into the living room and then have a quick release fitting mounted on the wall. I would have another setup just like this one penetrating the wall leading into the bathroom.

By doing this, I could have the male part of the connector attached to my 7' cannula and just walk room to room, hooking and unhooking as I go. When I would need to use the hookup in the bathroom, I could run a spare 7' hose along the couch back, hooking the main line into the bathroom fitting.

I'm kinda running into a wall on the fittings though. The barbs and short pipes are easy, O2 suppliers have them, but the quick connectors, there's where I'm stymied. Some of the ones I have found are $80 - $90 each >-(

Anyone using a quick connector with their O2 setup?

[sandpaper600]

@Beverley&Ken - Thanks. I didn't think of aquarium stuff. I'll take a look at that. No worries about tube length. At the longest it would only be 21'. It would just be easier to manage because most of it would be always tucked back without me having to fiddle with it.

@Ductape - Quite a few things I don't like about POC's. The battery life is a big one. Not only that they only last about 4 hours per charge, but the tend to go bad after a few years (depending on # of recharge cycles), and then the cost for a new battery can be $300 - $500.

Another issue is that if medicare pays for the POC, you can no longer have O2 tanks. With them it's either/or. Taking 2 "E" tanks with me gives me almost 11 hours away from home. Can't get that with the POC.

Also, I would still be on the in home concentrator at night, so I still would want to solve this hose problem.

[Ductape]

Have you considered a portable battery powered concentrator? Some of those are very light and wearable.

[Beverley_Ken]

Go to an aquarium store (on line) and look at the air distribution systems. They have manifolds , shut off valves etc. Instead of quick connections, big $$. Use a barbed connector and a shut off valve close to it. Aquarium tubing, fittings are the same size as oxygen tubing.
Just watch the total length of tubing and number of fittings as it may reduce air/oxygen flow.

Ken