Portable Concentrator Or Liquid Oxygen

[CoastRanger]

Where can I get information or a comparison between having a portable concentrator and a portable liquid oxygen tank?  Specifically, I got the liquid oxygen tank when I was expecting the portable concentrator.  Am I better or worse?

Thanks,

Tom

[CoastRanger]

Thanks for the reply.  I didn't think about the difference between a hose for nose feed ("nose-hose"?) and a full mask.  The package is actually for my father.  Right now he uses a nose feed during the day and a mask at night.

The debate revolves around portability.  For use at home, he has a large concentrator that would be difficult to move around and requires 110 AC power.  For the past two years that has been adequate for his needs.  I think he wants to get out and about a little more, and that's what's driving this effort.

The liquid O2 that was delivered is stored in a container about the size of a 30 gallon trash can.  It can fill a can that is about the size of a half gallon of milk.  The "mothership" will have to be refilled periodically, maybe once or twice a month.  There is no transporting the mothership and the "shuttle" will only supply 2 or 3 hours of use.  If we travel 8 hours to see his brother, the shuttle would be depleted before we made it halfway there.  And there is no provision for the duration of the visit.  Another consideration is that we live in hurricane country.  I have witnessed evacuations where people were in their car for more than 12 hours with no guarantee where they would end up.

A poll of family, friends and know-it-alls indicates the portable concentrator might be a better solution as long as there is a power source available.  A battery pack provides for about 2 hours of operation, and the model I looked at will plug into the accessory power plug typical in all vehicles.  If I team that up with the ordinary O2 tanks (for several hours of emergency air), I think I will have the most efficient and practical package.

I would appreciate any thoughts anyone might have.

Tom

[allmymarbles]

I have the portable concentrator. It's handy, but there are problems. It only supplies oxygen when you breathe in through your nose, so if you are talking you may not get as much oxygen as you like. It works best when you keep your mouth shut - a difficult feat for  me. Also mine supplies one, or two, or three liters. But whereas I can get by nicely with two liters on liquid oxygen, I barely make it with three on the portable. Again that may be because I talk so much.