CALL FOR OPINIONS: Oxygen Systems

[Schllc]

I’ve owned a few mooneys with the standard o2 setup and a few with the precise flight. 
Personally, I don’t believe I will fly high enough to require a mask again unless I have another pilot along, which is another story.....
But I fly with a cannula a lot  

I like the precise flight system so much, I would pay to have it built into any plane I own. 
Your supply lasts at least 3x as long, but more importantly, it doesn’t destroy your sinuses like a constant flow does. 
 

 

[Davidv]

I highly recommend the Precise flight boom cannula either with the X3 or just an A5 regulator.  With the A5 you use a ton of oxygen but unlike the mustache, you can tighten the boom on your headset to ensure the cannula tips always have good contact with your nose.  I would feel bad after long flights with the oxymizer and I think it’s because I wasn’t getting good O2 at times.

[kortopates]

5 hours ago, Davidv said:

I highly recommend the Precise flight boom cannula either with the X3 or just an A5 regulator.  With the A5 you use a ton of oxygen but unlike the mustache, you can tighten the boom on your headset to ensure the cannula tips always have good contact with your nose.  I would feel bad after long flights with the oxymizer and I think it’s because I wasn’t getting good O2 at times.

Good to know. Just want to confirm this means you're able to use the Precise X3 Demand conserver with your original Mooney built-in O2 system with altitude compensating regulator? 

[larryb]

I also use the MH O2D2 with the built in O2 tank. With two people between 12K and 17K I use an average of 11 psi per hour from my 115 cu-ft tank. A whole year of flying on a single fill.

[FastTex]

I'm looking for an oxygen system as well. I rarely go up there (>10k) but now I want to have that option. Plus I read several articles about the positive of using the O at lower altitudes. So, without any intent of hijacking this thread, it seems the options are:

1) Aerox Customizable Portable Oxygen System (size D, 2 users, filled with bag and oximeter, $873.90)

2) O2D2 System (EDS, Regulator, Cylinder) - MHOxygen (AL-415, 2P, O2D2-415-2P-F $1,255.00)

3) XCP (constant Flow) Systems - MHOxygen (AL-415, 2P, XCP-415-2P-MH4-F, $760.00)

The cylinder size might change but I wanted to compare more or less the same capacity. Also, I would prefer the mustache strip.

Suggestions?

Thanks!

[mike_elliott]

Aerox has donated a 4 place system to the Mooney Summit's silent auction this year. Here is your chance to pick one up AND support our charity to aid downed Mooney Pilot's families. Insure you win it, simply bid list like you would pay at Spruce, sportys etc. and know that the moneys you spend will go to a great cause.

 

[FastTex]

Talked with Aerox, the contact Mike gave me was very helpful. I'm buying a 2P portable system. If anyone is interested in a discount coupon, please PM me.
Silly question: is filling these things an expensive PITA (pain in the aspen!)? How do you guys fill these tanks?

[Niko182]

1 hour ago, FastTex said:

Talked with Aerox, the contact Mike gave me was very helpful. I'm buying a 2P portable system. If anyone is interested in a discount coupon, please PM me.
Silly question: is filling these things an expensive PITA (pain in the aspen!)? How do you guys fill these tanks?
 

I go to a scuba shop.

[Will.iam]

12 minutes ago, Niko182 said:

I go to a scuba shop.

Isn’t the scuba shop just filling it with air and not pure oxygen?

[Niko182]

49 minutes ago, Will.iam said:

Isn’t the scuba shop just filling it with air and not pure oxygen?

thats why ive been really sleepy on flights up high.

Jokes aside, they have options between compressed air or O2. They charge 20 bucks to fill up my o2 bottle.

[M20F-1968]

Welder's supply, same O2 as anywhere else, but you your own bottles cleaned for O2.  I have a 4 bottle cascade.  The fittings, valves and gauges were bought at an online welder's supply.  The Scott fitting for the side of the airplane was purchased from Mountain High.  Well under 1/2 of what the equipment would cost at an aviation oxygen supply company.

John Breda

[carusoam]

For more info on how people fill their own bottles…. There is a thread for that…

Often a two bottle cascade system works pretty well…

Large O2 bottles are for sale at low costs everywhere…

Something to do with end of life care…

PP thoughts only, 

Best regards,

-a-

[Will.iam]

2 hours ago, Niko182 said:

thats why ive been really sleepy on flights up high.

Jokes aside, they have options between compressed air or O2. They charge 20 bucks to fill up my o2 bottle.

I knew they had nitrox filling but did not know they had pure O2 good to know. 

[carusoam]

Welding shops

dive shops

home healthcare 

Are places to find O2

 

They all come with challenges for getting the right fittings to adapt to fill the bottle that you have….

 

PP thoughts only, not a mechanic…

Best regards,

-a-

[jlunseth]

I have built in O2. I bought four of the Precise Flight oxymizer systems and awhile later one of the Aerox mic'd masks. I have quite alot of hours on both, although the more Angel Flight flying I do the less I go up into the oxygen altitudes because the flights are not that long and I don't want to risk patients who may already be compromised.

The best part about the Precise Flight system, or any other free-flow system for that matter, is the ball-type flow meter. You have it in your lap and if you start wondering if your O2 is working all you need to do is see if the ball is up where it belongs. Although I have the oxymizers I have never found that they help reduce the amount of O2 you need to use. The flow meter has a high and a low scale, supposedly you can use the low scale if you use the oxymizer. Whenever I used to do that, my pulse oximeter would tell me I needed to use more O2, so I just use the high scale, which is for non-oxymizer cannulas. Every time I bring that up a couple of people say, no, theirs works great, so maybe they work for some people but not for me. My VO2Max is pretty good though.

I now use the mask only a handful of times every year. The problem with the mask is that, first, you need to be on a long flight, at least two hours, to justify the long climb to 19k+, and it probably needs to be a west to east flight because the winds almost always outdo the gain in TAS when you go the other direction. And second, the mask makes it difficult to eat or drink, so there you are, on a long flight and can't eat or drink. Not very convenient. If you get one, mine came with the mike in a vertical position and that did not work at all. I found I was able to bend the mike cable to a horizontal position several years ago, that works, and there it has stayed for about a decade. There is really no need to buy more than one mask, I seem to remember it was around $400, and the cannula works fine for passengers, just not legal for the pilot. The mask does help a little in preventing the nasal drying effect of a cannula.

There is lots of capacity in the 115 c.f. tank as Paul K. said. There is really no need to go to the complication of a demand system. The free flow cannula system works great and plenty of duration. The mic'd mask works fine also, just the eating a drinking thing. On the other hand, I have found some really nifty speeds up in the 20k altitudes. Peoria to Fredrick, MD in 1 3/4 hrs.  Williston to Minneapolis in an hour and a half. Those are the trips where you might see ground speeds in the neighborhood of 300 kts. in a measly old 231, while sipping fuel.

[Igor_U]

20 hours ago, Will.iam said:

I knew they had nitrox filling but did not know they had pure O2 good to know. 

I have a scuba shops 100' away from our house but they can't fill O2 only. Nitrox is the only option. 

[jlunseth]

Yeah, not all scuba shops will have O2. It is used for technical diving up to 100% concentrations, like deep dives where you are on exotic gas mixes or shallow safety stops, and it is also mixed with air to make Nitrox. In our area about 40% of the shops have O2. Have to check fittings and not all shops will sell it to you if you are not scuba certified for pure O2.

[A64Pilot]

Most SCUBA shops do have 02 as Nitrox is nothing more than “enriched air” Pure 02 is usually blended with air to make Nitrox. Partial fill method can also be used, but it’s slow and a pain. Most shops unless you know the owner won’t fill an Aviation tank though, it’s just out of the ordinary, plus O2 is dangerous. even a tiny bit off oil can cause a tank to explode. A friend was filling a Deco bottle and had eaten fried chicken, when he loosened the fitting, the O2 caused the slight bit of chicken grease to burn his fingers.

Purchasing breathing or medical O2 is odd, most places will insist on a prescription, I have no idea why, I didn’t know O2 was a drug?

Anyway filling an O2 bottle can be dangerous, this was a few years ago but Bill was a Master pipe fitter before he opened his cave shop and knew his business and everything’s kept 02 clean, it had to be the customers bottle, some will unknowingly lube the valve threads with silicone grease and that can certainly cause an explosion.

Most cave divers deco on pure 02, we drop the deco bottle at 20’ when we enter the cave, because deeper than 20’ 02 is toxic and will kill you if you accidentally breathe it

If you use any lube at all, use only 02 safe lube, it’s widely available at any Tech Diver shop or of course online

https://www.gainesville.com/article/LK/20040729/news/604164141/GS  I’d even go so far as to put a bag over the fitting when it’s not being used, and if there is any doubt simple green is usually used to 02 clean valves and tanks in the SCUBA world

Personally I’d just rent a regular O2 bottle or two at the local gas supply, just welding tanks. if you use a whole lot then you want a cascade system where you initially fill the tank with the lowest bottle then work to the highest, so you take the least gas from the highest pressure vessel, but if your a casual user, then one or two tanks is enough and just get it refilled when it’s half full or so, whatever pressure you can live with, most just exchange, so your paying for a full tank and only using half.

‘I believe our regulator fittings are CGA fittings, CGA just means compressed Gas Association,Medical amd SCUBA use other fittings, but welding tanks etc I think are CGA. that’s why a fill hose is so easily obtained for us, no special fittings.

Only breathing gasses used are Tri-mix, Helium, Nitrogen and Oxygen, Air, and Nitrox which is just 02 added to air. The Commercial dive industry uses  Heliox which is pure helium and 02, but us tech divers use Tri-mix

Edited August 20, 2021 by A64Pilot

[Austintatious]

Count my vote for the MH o2D2.....  saves a ton of OXygen...  I only have to fill my tank once per year and I use O2 on EVERY flight.  About 100 hours per year.

 

you can hear that you are getting it and better yet it sounds an alarm if your passengers aren't breathing properly.