Oxycon is driving me nuts!

[kerensky]

Hello peeps -advice needed here.

Recently - Well-  yesterday and last month and a couple more times before this...... My Oxycon has been playing up.

Today I decided to take it apart and clean it out properly - ha! so I thought, anyway to cut a long story short, I washed the outside foam filter, cleaned the inside of this cavity with my hoover and then tried to "OPEN HER UP".  I have the variety that has the hinge at the back and it appears to only have one screw holding these two sides together, at the bottom of the machine - so I took this out and tried to get the two sides apart. Basically - unless I really start using a lot of force I don't think that it is going to happen, so I gave up.

I have now put it back together and today it seemed ok.

So - What should I do? Does anyone know how to get these machines open, my understanding is that there are some internal filters that I need to clean periodically ?

The problem I am having is that half way through my session it starts to lose pressure and the dial drops to between 2-2.5, very annoying....  

Do you think that it has had it?  I know that they hate the damp and that mine is a reconditioned one,  should I consider buying a new one or perhaps get this one serviced?  I bought it from Martin a couple of years ago - but haven't really used it that much, or have I?  Inside the cover is a counter with a dial - I am assuming that this is how many hours it has run in it's life - what does yours say?  Perhaps someone could tell me the average life span in terms of hours with these machines, and then I could  figure out if it needs replacing.

If it keeps playing up I might be forced to replace it, any ideas on how much a new one would cost - and where I might buy it from?

What would you do?

K  
X

[glassworks]

there are TWO bolts to undo... one at the top and one at the bottom?.. i'm sure martin or someone will have a pic showing the locations.. if i remember correctly the one is in the handle, the other down by the wheels..

[kerensky]

there are TWO bolts to undo... one at the top and one at the bottom?.. i'm sure martin or someone will have a pic showing the locations.. if i remember correctly the one is in the handle, the other down by the wheels..

Yikes - couldn't find that - glad I didn't force it, still might be tempted to buy another though - handy to have a back up......

[glassworks]

sure thing...

they ALWAYS seem to give problems over winter!... the fine particle filter is CRITICAL to being clean on these style units.. they have metal valves in the compressor and are more prone to damage by very fine dust bits... like all oxycons they are basically air pumps, and the filters are the very frst thing i would check out before anything else..

[Dragonfire Glass]

...and talk to Martin - his after sales care is excellent 

[glassworks]

what collete said!....

we STILL have the original oxycon i bought for griet right before we fell off the edge of sanity into lampworking!.. ;-)

[kerensky]

Thanks  very much for the advice - I will be taking it apart again tomorrow and giving it a good clean - glad I don't have to give up on it just yet - they are quite expensive...

Got to say also that it is sooooo damp here at the moment - if we get any more rain the "Ark" will appear next to my shed!

[llewennog]

ive been thrashing my original one for 8hrs a day for 2 odd years, Not had to resort to servicing mine yet. Although it did start to get a little tempremental about starting just before I moved house, brought it inside for a few days to allow it to warm up/dry out (highest rainfall anywhere in the uk here) ran it inside for a day and its back to its original great form!

On a side note anyone here now anythin about the homefill systems, you use your oxycon &  a specific medical pump to fill your own oxy bottles, Great idea if I can fill a K tank in 2 nights!