DeVilbiss 525 DS Home Oxygen Concentrator Review
$995.00
DeVilbiss 525 DS Home Oxygen Concentrator
You can be bold enough to call oxygen life. So many things center around having it. Among the many tasks oxygen carries out in the human body, detoxification, and energy production stand out.
The saying “you don’t know what you have until you lose it” becomes true when one begins to have challenges with breathing. Within a period of time, unfortunate things might happen and something that came freely now has to be fought for. Diagnoses like the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) or sleep disorders like Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) necessitate such patients to go on long-term oxygen therapy through the use of oxygen concentrators or oxygen tanks with or without CPAP/BiPAP machines.
DeVilbiss, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of oxygen concentrators is known for designing durable and power-efficient oxygen devices. This review would be looking at the DeVilbiss 525DS oxygen concentrator. It has had impressive rankings as one of the best-selling, best oxygen concentration levels, best altitude performance, highest oxygen output pressure, and one of the overall best 5-liter oxygen concentrators in the market. That’s how packed it is. Let’s take a look at its features.
Features of the DeVilbiss 525DS Oxygen Concentrator
Special features:
Oxygen Sensing Device: This is a low-purity sensor inbuilt into all 525DS concentrators to ultrasonically measure the oxygen purity and ensure the oxygen output is always within the safe recommended level. If the oxygen purity level falls, this oxygen-sensing device would act as a safety feature.
Other features:
Size, Weight, and Design
The DeVilbiss 525DS oxygen concentrator is almost three times smaller than the average 5-liter oxygen concentrator. It measures 23 inches in height, 14 inches in width, and 12 inches in depth. Its compact size, rolling wheels, and carrying handles make it less of an obstacle when positioned in the room and also easy to move from one place to another.
It weighs about 37 pounds, which falls within the expected range for a 5-liter oxygen concentrator.
Flow setting and Oxygen purity
As you may have already learned, this DeVilbiss oxygen concentrator provides continuous flow settings of up to 5 liters per minute. This means the device supplies continuous flow oxygen without any interruption unless there is an obstruction with the oxygen tubing or the unit is turned off. You would always get the same amount of oxygen regardless of the activity you are participating in.
Oxygen Outlet
Coupling the DeVilbiss oxygen concentrator is not as hard as you think. Parts are easy to identify and assemble. The oxygen outlet is situated at the front of the concentrator. This is where the oxygen connector goes and in turn provides an outlet for the nasal cannula to be connected.
If your doctor recommends humidification, the humidifier bottle can be simply attached to the outlet through its wing nut. Another oxygen outlet on the humidifier bottle can be connected to the cannula. The unit could also come with a recessed humidifier nook to help protect the humidifier bottle from possible damage.
Power consumption
The DeVilbiss home oxygen concentrator utilizes 310W of electricity, which makes it energy-efficient because even if you use it for 3 hours and 13 minutes, it only uses 1 unit. If your doctor has recommended oxygen support for longer periods, DeVilbiss might be a better alternative for you compared to units that may use more.
Another fantastic feature of the DeVilbiss 525DS is the Turn-down technology. At lower flow settings, the oxygen concentrator will consume less power. Therefore, you wouldn’t have to worry about paying hefty electricity bills if your prescription is merely 2 or 3 LPM.
Operating altitude
One of the DeVilbiss 525DS’ best features is its ability to operate at an altitude of 13,123 feet, making its compressor the most powerful of all of them. Look no further if you live in a hilly region and are sick of searching for an oxygen concentrator that will deliver oxygen without losing its purity due to high altitude. We did say at the beginning that this unit already ranks as one with the best altitude performance.
Safety Features
Patient safety is extremely important when dealing with equipment like this. The DeVilbiss 525DS comprises both audible and visual alarms to alert the user to a possible system malfunction.
When the device is turned on, a green light shows normal oxygen levels, but when a yellow light comes on, it indicates low oxygen levels. If oxygen levels continue to fall, a red light would come on and an audible alarm would go off. The audible alarm system would also alert you when there is a power failure, overheating, or low oxygen.
Other safety features include the following:
- Pressure compensated flow meter to ensure the correct flow rate is maintained.
- Pressure relief valve
- Thermal protection on the compressor
- Double insulated cabinet
Noise Level
The DeVilbiss 525DS produces 48 decibels when working normally. This may be louder than the hum of a refrigerator but still matches up with its competitors.
Accessories available for the DeVilbiss 525DS Oxygen Concentrator
The usual accessories are packaged with the unit.
- The unit itself
- Nasal cannulas
- Power cord
- User manual
Other components that have not been mentioned include the following:
- Optional pediatric flow meter
- Readily accessible patient controls
Warranty
The DeVilbiss oxygen concentrator comes with a 3-year warranty.
Final Thoughts
DeVilbiss is a well-known brand on the international market for its durable designs. Its key attractive features are power-saving technology, high altitude operating capacity, strong compressor, and safety features. The oxygen concentrator has demonstrated its durability and dependability over time by offering top-notch warranty service choices and some incomparable specs. It may lack some things you are looking for, but its perks outweigh any disadvantages it might have.
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RAJ K MALHOTRA –
It is a very reliable unit and I would recommend it to others.
Bruce Drasher –
This new version (2017) of this unit gives 2 beeps about every 3 seconds and it is sometimes disruptive for sleep. I spoke to their technicians and they are aware of the problem and are supposed to be working on the problem. The unit i purchased 3 years ago does not have this problem. I would not purchase this item unless you use a noise machine to mask the beeps.
GeeGee –
Machine is nice & quiet. However, I am used to having a place to reel in extra tubing when I’m not using it. Now I’m using a mini bungee chord looped around the handle. For me, the biggest issue is the humidifier bottle. It is difficult to work bent over when you have respiratory issues, and sitting on the floor is out. Thank you for listening.
pjsterling –
The humidifier bottle location is beyond awkward. It won’t sit in the little alcove so has to sit on the floor which is hard reach plus every time the tube moves it knocks over the bottle. I ended up putting the bottle inside a winter boot. Very poor design.