Questions & Answers
Oxygen Concentrators:
Q Why cant I obtain a Portable Oxygen Concentrator from the NHS to take abroad?
If you need oxygen on your holiday abroad, you’ll need to arrange it at your destination before you travel. UK companies generally don’t allow their equipment to be taken outside the UK. Your respiratory specialist or oxygen supplier can give you details of oxygen providers abroad. You’ll need to organise and pay for this yourself.
You can buy or hire portable concentrators but make sure you have a spare battery pack or back-up cylinder. And remember your international plug adapters. Keep one in your hand luggage and carry a spare!
Q Do I have to have a prescription to purchase an Oxygen Concentrator from The Oxygen Store?
No, but as a reputable supplier we will always ensure that you are under medical supervision before we will sell an Oxygen Concentrator to you.
Pulse dose oxygen delivery is based on breathing and inhaling, which customizes your oxygen delivery to your breath rate. Continuous flow, on the other hand, delivers oxygen at a constant rate, indiscriminate of the user’s breathing.
Q Which Oxygen Concentrators am I allowed to take on an airplane?
Depending on the Airline you're traveling with each Airline has their own policies regarding carrying and usiong oxygen on board as well as which medical certificates or forms that you can obtain from your GP.
EasyJet:
- Do not provide supplementary oxygen but you are allowed to carry 2 x oxygen cylinders of your own on board, you will need a medical certificate confirming the cylinders are required for medical reasons.
- Oxygen concentrators (either mains or battery powered) are permitted on board and medical certificate is not required. Batteries will need to be use on board (be sure the batteries have enough power for the duration of the trip, including possible delays)
BMIBaby:
- The airline is only able to provide oxygen of up to 2l/min. If you require oxygen at a higher flow rate you will not be able to fly with BMI Baby. If you require oxygen on board, you must make a request at least seven days before you fly.
- You are not allowed to take your own oxygen on board.
- You can take your own personal oxygen concentrator (POC) on board, it will need to be run off the batteries when on board (be sure the batteries have enough power for the duration of the trip, including possible delays)
- There is a £40 fee for medical clearance of POC’s.
BMI :
- The airline can provide oxygen on board for a fee, only BMI supplied oxygen bottles may be used during the flight.
- You must inform the airline and complete a medical form before you fly.
British Airways:
- can provide in flight oxygen free of charge on all flights but this is restricted to one passenger per flight
- Contact their passenger medical clearance unit for availability and advice about flow rates.
- British Airways cannot provide ground oxygen whilst in transit through the airport.
Emirates:
- can provide on board oxygen subject to availability and with at least 48 hour’s notice.
- A Doctors certificate is required advising of the litres per minute.
- There is no charge for the service, although your GP may charge you for the certificate.
Jet2:
- is unable to supply oxygen for use on board its flights.
- However you may carry your own therapeutic oxygen, subject to having applied for and received appropriate medical clearance from the airline.
- You will need to provide a medical certificate confirming that oxygen is required for medical reasons and confirmation that you are fit to fly, for which you need to contact your GP.
Monarch:
- passengers requiring oxygen must contact the airline at least seven days before travelling and have a fitness to fly form completed, passengers are not allowed to travel without it,
- Passengers need to have appropriate insurance cover which you must produce around check-in.
Ryanair:
- if passengers require oxygen for use during the flight they should notify the Ryanair special assistance line, preferably on the same day as the booking is made as there is limitation on this service.
- The airline will then send you a medical clearance form, which must be completed and returned to Ryanair.
- Passengers also must also carry your fitness to fly certificate with you.
You should not be using oxygen whilst smoking or in any kind of smoking environment, oxygen whilst not being flammable itself, is an accelerant towards fire. .
Q Do the Oxygen Concentrators come with any warranty?
All of the Medical and Portable Oxygen Concentrators we supply come with a 3 year warranty besides the Inogen One range which still has a 3 year warranty but the sieve beds and battery on the machine is reduced to 1 year. You can even upgrade the warranty to 5 years on certain machines. Once this warranty runs out, we can still service the machine and send it off to the manufacturers for repairs but we would have to charge.
Q How do I know if my Oxygen Concentrator is delivering oxygen at the correct purity?
If you are using a Medical Oxygen Concentrator supplied by The Oxygen Store, all of the Medical products listed on our site have an inbuilt purity sensor which alarms when the purity drops below a manufacturer set % purity of oxygen. Alternatively if you want to double check you can purchase an oxygen meter or check the % oxygen levels in your blood using a Pulse Oximeter.
Q I see multiple machines a fraction of your prices on auction sites, why are yours so much dearer?
If you want a reliable high purity machine then I would look into the most reputable brands such as Airsep, DevilBiss, Inogen and many others found throughout our web page as all the portable machines we supply are FAA Approved, we do only supply trusted manufacturers who create high purity machines. Most concentrators which are sold on said auction sites are manufactured for incredibly cheap prices and as a result of that they are releasing 30-40% oxygen purity from the machine for the majority of the time.
Accessories:
Q I have a 10 hour flight and require 2LPM Continuous Flow and I cannot find a machine which provides the needed battery life, what can I do?
We can provide additional batteries with our Oxygen Concentrator Hires so that you can have another for your flight but you may need to keep in mind the rule of 150% of required battery life to cover for any flight delays!.
Q I don't like using nasal cannula, can I use an oxygen mask with a portable Oxygen Concentrator?
You can only use a mask with a continuous flow Oxygen Concentrator, this could be a static Concentrator, or a Portable Oxygen Concentrator with a constant flow setting, such has a Sequal Eclipse, Equinox, GCE Zen-O or a Devilbiss Igo. See our webstie for the aforementioned products listed.
Q What is the maximum length of tubing I can use with a Oxygen Concentrator?
The maximum length of tubing can vary from machine to machine due to the pressure output. On static machines such as the VisionAire 5 it is not recommended to exceed 50 feet of tubing with a 7 foot cannula or mask. On Portable machines which only deliver Pulse Dose Flow, it is only recommended to have the length of the cannula or mask you are using e.g 7 foot. Of course this can change massively with industrial grade machines or smaller machines so it is always best to check the specifications of your machine to make sure you are not exceeding the recommended tubing length.
Q Which is the better delivery method of oxygen, a cannula or a mask?
This would mainly come down to personal preference of which you would find gives you more comfort. You can get high flow models of either a cannula or a mask so the flow rate is not normally an issue. We do also offer an alternate delivery method with the OxyArm which would include wearing a headset with the oxygen being released from an adjustable arm.
Payment:
Q I have a medical condition, do I still have to pay VAT?
If you are a UK Resident and have a medical condition, you can fill out a VAT Exemption form and self declare VAT Exemption. Please note that this is for medical products only.
Q I am a VAT registered business owner, do I still have to pay VAT?
If you order as a business and your company is not based in the UK but inside the EU, you will have to fill out your VAT Number when ordering and we can refund the VAT.
For customers who order/deliver to countries outside the EU do not have to pay VAT although clearance duties and fees would be your responsibility and you may have to pay an additional postage rate depending on the country. Please contact us for our International shipping rates as they would vary from product to product.
Taken from the Gov.uk site on tax on shopping:
Get a VAT 407 form from the retailer - they might ask for proof that you’re eligible, for example your passport.
Show the goods, the completed form and your receipts to customs at the point when you leave Northern Ireland or the EU.
Customs will approve your form if everything is in order. You then take the approved form to get paid.
You can either get paid immediately at a refund booth, for example at the airport, or send the approved form to the retailer or their refund company. The retailer will tell you how you’ll get paid. Some retailers charge a fee for handling your form. This money will be deducted from your refund. If there are no customs officials available, you can leave your form in a customs post box. Customs will check it and contact your retailer to arrange the refund if everything is in order.
Oxygen Cans:
Q I have just received the can but it feels completely empty? What can you do about this?
All of our cans will feel empty and be almost weightless and it is a compressed gas so as soon as the nozzle is pushed, the oxygen will be released.
Q I have COPD and I feel like my condition is deteriorating, is this what I should be buying?
If you have a medical condition, I would strongly recommend looking into purchasing an Oxygen Concentrator as in the long run it may save you a lot of money although we would always recommend you speak to your doctor or GP beforehand. All the Concentrators we supply are medically approved whereas the cans are 99.9% Breathing Grade Oxygen.
Q What are the main purposes of the oxygen can?
The can will increase the percentage in your blood which can help with a wide variety of things such as headaches, tiredness, sports performance, altitude sickness and a whole range of other matters.
Q What is the difference between this product and the air?
Oxygen levels in the air are generally 21% whereas in the cans the purity levels are 99.9%.
Q Would it be okay to take some of these cans on an airplane?
It would not be possible to take as the cans as there is a strict hazardous goods policy for the majority of the airlines. There is more information about what you're allowed to take on most airlines in the oxygen concentrator section if you would like to know more about what you're allowed to take on a airplane.
Q Do I need to buy a new mask with every can I purchase?
No, once you have purchased a can and mask, if you are happy to re use the mask then you can attach the mask to our 'Replacement' can.
Q Can I claim VAT Exemption for your can and mask product?
Unfortunately this would not be possible unless you were as the can is not classified as a medical product.
If you have any other questions or enquiries which are not answered here, please email them to questions@baro2.com