Using Oxygen Safely at Home main image Using Oxygen Safely at Home image

CPAP Club iconUsing Oxygen Safely at Home

Oxygen itself does not burn and will not explode. What it does is make everything else burn far more easily, faster and hotter — clothing, bedding, hair, beards, even skin and fabric that oxygen has soaked into. A fire that would normally be manageable can become serious in seconds. Your concentrator is safe, well-made equipment; these precautions are about the room it runs in.

Prefer it on paper? Download the printable version to keep near your machine. A copy is included with every concentrator we send out.

Fire risk — the five that matter most

  • Keep three metres clear. Three metres between your machine, tubing and cannula and any flame, heat or spark — gas cooktops, ovens, heaters, open fires, BBQs, toasters and pilot lights.
  • No candles anywhere in the room. That includes scented candles, tealights, oil burners, incense and any diffuser with a flame. These are the ones people forget, because they are lit for atmosphere rather than for light — and because they tend to be lit by someone else in the household.
  • No smoking. None. Not by you, not by anyone else in the room, and not while the machine is merely switched on. That includes e-cigarettes and vapes — they contain a heating element and a battery.
  • No oil, grease or petroleum products. Not on your face, lips, hands or in your nose while using oxygen. That rules out petroleum jelly and Vaseline, Paw Paw ointment, Vicks VapoRub and most lip balms. Water-based only.
  • Keep aerosols and flammable liquids out of the room. Hairspray, deodorant, air freshener, cleaning fluids, hand sanitiser, petrol, paint and thinners.

Everyday use

  • Let it breathe. A concentrator gets warm while it works. Keep clear space around the intake and vents, never cover it, and never run it inside a cupboard, under a bed or beneath bedding.
  • Plug straight into a wall socket. Not into an extension lead, power board or double adaptor.
  • Put the electricals away. Avoid hairdryers, electric razors and electric blankets while oxygen is running.
  • Keep it clean and keep it clear. Dust is the enemy of the compressor, so follow the filter cleaning schedule in your manual — you can order replacement filters and cannulas here. Route long tubing where nobody walks; it is a trip hazard.

Register as a life support customer — do this first

If someone at your address depends on an oxygen concentrator, ring your electricity retailer and ask to be registered as a life support customer. It is free, and it is the most useful phone call you will make this week. Ring them again if you move house or switch retailers — registration does not follow you automatically.

  • Your retailer will send a medical confirmation form for your doctor to complete.
  • Once registered, your supply is protected from disconnection, and you must be given at least four business days' written notice of any planned interruption.
  • Rebates are available in New South Wales, Victoria and the ACT. Ask when you register.

Have a plan for blackouts

  • Torches, never candles. A blackout is exactly when people reach for candles, and exactly when you will be running on battery. Keep a torch or a battery lantern where you can find it in the dark, with spare batteries beside it.
  • Keep your spare battery charged, and know how long it lasts at your prescribed setting — not the headline figure on the box. Runtime falls steeply as the setting rises.
  • If you use your concentrator overnight, keep a charged battery beside the bed, along with our number and your prescriber's.
  • A third battery is worth having if you regularly spend long days away from power.

If there is a fire

  • Switch the concentrator off at the wall if it is safe to do so, and take the cannula off.
  • Get out and stay out. Call 000 from outside.
  • Tell the operator there is oxygen equipment in the house, and tell the crew when they arrive. It changes how they approach the fire.

Tell the people around you

  • Make sure everyone in the household knows oxygen is in use, and knows the rules about flame, smoking and petroleum products.
  • Tell visitors and tradespeople before they light anything.
  • Check your smoke alarms work and test them monthly.
  • Some households display an oxygen-in-use notice at the front door so visitors and emergency crews know before they come in. We do not stock these, but Australian safety sign suppliers sell them from a few dollars as stickers, magnets or rigid signs — K2K Signs, TUFFA Products and Discount Safety Signs Australia all ship nationwide. Search for “oxygen in use sign”.

Common questions

Why three metres?

It is the distance at which an oxygen-enriched pocket of air has thinned out enough to stop behaving differently to ordinary room air. Closer than that and a spark that would normally die out can take hold instead. Three metres is roughly the width of an average lounge room, so in practice it means the machine and the kitchen do not share a space.

Can I use an oxygen concentrator with my CPAP machine?

Only if your prescriber has told you to, and not with a pulse dose device. A pulse dose concentrator delivers only when it senses you drawing breath, and inside a pressurised CPAP circuit there is no breath for it to detect. Bleeding oxygen into CPAP needs a continuous flow source joined through an oxygen port or enrichment adapter. Ring us before you order — the connection method matters as much as the machine.

Is it safe to run overnight while I sleep?

Only if your prescriber has specifically advised it, and generally not with a pulse dose device — breathing becomes shallow and irregular during sleep, which makes breath detection unreliable. Continuous flow is what is normally prescribed for overnight use.

Can I change my flow setting?

No. Your setting was chosen by a qualified practitioner, and too much oxygen carries its own risks. On a pulse dose machine the setting numbers are not litres per minute, so a setting of 3 does not mean 3 LPM. If your therapy does not seem right, ring your prescriber rather than adjusting the dial.

Can I take a concentrator on a plane?

Portable pulse dose units that are FAA approved are accepted by Australian carriers, but Qantas and Virgin each require their own paperwork submitted before you fly rather than a decision at the gate. Airlines also expect enough charged battery to cover 150% of your flying time, carried in the cabin.

Not sure about something? Ring us. We would far rather answer a question now than sort out a problem later. Call 1300 992 727 or send us a message.

This page is general safety information. It does not replace the advice of your prescriber or the user manual supplied with your device. Browse our oxygen concentrator range or parts and accessories.