Running an oxygen concentrator on a power station in a blackout

A power station runs a home oxygen concentrator for hours, not days. The Philips EverFlo, a common home concentrator here, is rated at under 300W on Australian 230V power, so a 1,024Wh station keeps it going for roughly three hours. That's useful for a short outage or to bridge the gap while you switch to a cylinder, but your backup oxygen cylinder is the real plan, and your oxygen supplier should sign off before you plug the concentrator into anything other than the wall.

The concentrator figures come from the EverFlo user manual supplied in Australia, the backup and planning advice from Queensland Health, Lung Foundation Australia, Energex and Energy Made Easy, and the station specs from EcoFlow Australia. All are linked at the bottom. We haven't run a concentrator on a station ourselves, so every runtime here is a sum with the working shown.

Why this isn't like a CPAP

ResMed lists a typical 56.1W for its AirSense 11 CPAP with the humidifier on, and our CPAP guide shows a 1kWh station covering a night or two. A concentrator is a different animal. It runs a compressor all the time to pull nitrogen out of room air, and that compressor is what eats the battery.

The EverFlo manual lists the Australian 230V, 50Hz models at less than 300W. The 120V American version is listed at 350W, so ignore that figure if you come across it on an overseas page. Philips doesn't give a lower figure for lower flow rates, so we've planned on the full 300W. If your concentrator is a different brand, look for the power consumption line in the specifications at the back of its manual, or ask your supplier.

Hours per charge, worked out

The sum is the battery's watt-hours, times 0.85 for inverter losses, divided by the concentrator's watts. Take the EcoFlow DELTA 3 Plus: 1,024 x 0.85 = 870Wh usable, and 870 / 300 = about 2.9 hours.

The small station is in the table to make a point. At 286Wh it covers well under an hour, so it's no good here even though its 600W inverter can carry the load. For anyone on oxygen around the clock, even a 2kWh setup covers an evening, not a night. A whole day at 300W is 7,200Wh going in, which is 7,200 / 0.85 = about 8,500Wh of battery. That's a lot of station to keep charged and carry, and it's why the health services build blackout plans around cylinders.

If the station is also running the fridge or the modem, add those watts before you divide. Our runtime calculator does the adding up.

Cylinders come first

Lung Foundation Australia says large stationary cylinders are sometimes supplied as a backup for people on long-term oxygen, for a concentrator fault or a long blackout. In Queensland, the Medical Aids Subsidy Scheme (MASS) at Queensland Health offers backup cylinders to eligible people as part of its oxygen packages, and says every client should have a power failure emergency plan. Your specialist makes the request, so raise it before storm season rather than after the first outage.

Check your cylinder is full and working at the start of each season. Energex's storm checklist asks exactly that of life support customers, along with whether your backup battery is charged and whether you've got a way to get to hospital if the battery runs low and the power's still off.

Ask your supplier before you plug in

Queensland Health's home oxygen handbook tells concentrator users to contact their oxygen supplier before running a concentrator from a generator, to get its minimum specifications. It doesn't mention power stations, but we'd treat one the same way. Ask your supplier whether your model is fine on a pure sine wave inverter, how many watts it needs at your flow rate, and whether it pulls extra when it starts.

Once they've said yes, plug the concentrator's own cord straight into one of the station's AC outlets. The EverFlo manual says not to use extension cords or electrical adapters, so leave the powerboard out of it. Do a trial run on a normal day, read the watts off the station's display, and redo the sum with your real number.

Heat, airflow and charging

The EverFlo manual gives an operating range of 13 to 32°C and asks for 15 to 30cm of clear space from walls, furniture and curtains. A summer blackout with no air conditioning can push a closed bedroom past 32°C, so pick the coolest room with some airflow. The same heat matters for the station, which has its own charging limits; our bushfire season guide lists them for the main brands.

Charge the station during the day while you're home and awake, then unplug it. The Queensland Fire Department says not to leave lithium-ion batteries charging unattended, to charge on a hard surface away from bedding and curtains, and not to use a battery that's hot, swollen or damaged. Keep the station and the concentrator well apart from any heat source, and use a torch in a blackout, never candles. Queensland Health is firm about naked flames near oxygen.

Portable concentrators

A portable concentrator runs from its own battery, and Lung Foundation Australia says most give a pulse of oxygen only when you breathe in, which stretches the battery. A power station can top that battery up through the concentrator's mains charger. Charging rates and battery sizes vary a lot between models, so get the figures from the maker's manual or your supplier rather than guessing.

Register as a life support customer

Energex lists an oxygen concentrator as eligible equipment for its Life Support Program. You register through Energex or your retailer, and your doctor fills in a form. Energy Made Easy says that once you're registered, you can't be disconnected and you get at least four days' notice of planned interruptions. Energex is clear that registration doesn't guarantee supply or put you first for restoration after a storm.

People using a home oxygen concentrator may also be eligible for Queensland's Electricity Life Support Concession, which helps with the running cost. The rest of the house is covered in our blackout and cyclone season guide.

Where to buy in Australia

Buying from the brand's Australian store means 230V AU outlets, the local warranty and local support. Prices move around a lot, so check on the day.

• EcoFlow DELTA 3 Plus (1,024Wh, 1,800W)EcoFlow AustraliaSee it at EcoFlow Australia
• EcoFlow DELTA 3 Smart Extra Battery (adds 1,024Wh)EcoFlow AustraliaSee it at EcoFlow Australia