Wouldja believe it, here in los angeles you actually need a doctor's prescription for a 3 dollar bubbler aka oxygen humidifier from a medical supply house! What next, a prescription for what passes for air in these parts?

I thought on the old board there might have been a mention of how to fashion one of these but I haven't been able to find it. Did find a thread with some links to an aquarium supply house, and I can follow up on that.

Today I bought a plastic water bottle at the drug store, poked a hole, cut one of the hoses to one of my rebreather masks in half and tried to fashion something.... well, it leaked like crazy, filled up the bag to the mask. I have to be the unhandiest guy on the planet. Assuming one considers LA part of it.

OTOH, dogs love me. (and I them)

I'm trying to hook up whatever I can make to my welder's O2 tank, the O2 from which isn't too pleasant to breathe, and I'm hoping the addition of some good clean H2O wou- er, wait, that doesn't apply to our water either. Ok, I'll use filtered, but you get the idea.

Any ideas, rants, blusters, feints, jabs, wisecracks or even nonsensical and completely random alabaster flensing deck innuendos most appreciated.

David

Screw that. PM me your mailing address and I'll send you one.

Thats really nice of Brew to send that to you.  
I think you had the right idea with your contraption.  If you wanna try it again, maybe use a 1qt gatorade bottle or something.  
Hose goes out from the O2 tank and into the bottle through the cap and the hose goes down to the bottom of the bottle.  Another hose goes from the top of the bottle to your reservoir bag.

U could probably get it to work rather well, but u do have to worry about pressure in the gatorade bottle.  Bubblers have a pressure overflow valve, it keeps them from blowing up.  It's probably just easier to wait for the mail man.    ;)

First, thanks to you both for responding. I've written to Brew privately to thank him for his generosity. What a great offer - I can't say enough for him. I'm headed out of town for a few weeks and think I can order one of those durn things online somewhere to be here when I get back. Brew - you're the best.

MoneeMan - you've definitely given me insight. But being The World's Unhandiest, I'm making a mess instead of a bubbler. I think the trick is in how to devise a closed system.... because I've got more leaks than the Titanic here. Probably I just need another, bigger bottle and a better way to attach the hoses. Trial and error. It worked for Edison and all those people sailing off the top of the Empire State Building by god, it'll work for me.

Thanks guys.
David

You're funny.

  PM me yer address, and I'll send ya a spare. Just in case.
[smiley=smokin.gif]

It's hard, perhaps impossible, to overestimate the generosity of spirit of the people on this board. I am humbled. I've just written a personal message to Kirk, wholly inadequate though it was.

With folks like these, even amid the pain, one retains hope for the human race.

David

You can also use Google to find medical equipment suppliers online and get a bubbler fairly inexpensively.


For the Do It Yourself types, A large glass Mayo jar can make a good bubbler.

1.  Clean the jar and the lid very well with very hot water, detergent and bleach, rinse well with very hot water and let air dry.

2.  Drill two holes in the lid just large enough to shove the air hose through.

3.  Cut an O2 hose and shove the end from the tank in one hole so that it touches the bottom of the jar.

4.  Stick the mask side of the hose in the other hole so that it protrudes through the lid about 3/8 of an inch.

5.  Seal both hoses in the lid with silicone sealant and allow to dry and cure completely.  The silicone can take several days to completely cure. Read the directions on the silicone container carefully.  

6.  Pour about an inch and a half to two inches of distilled water in the bottom of the jar and screw it shut tightly.  Putting a few ice cubes in the water will help chill the O2 which may or may not help.

Remember to clean your bubbler, hoses, mask and the mask's reservoir bag regularly as the added moisture could cause mold or mildew to form in them.


There are definitely some good people on this board, sufferer and support alike.  I couldn't imagine my life had I not found clusterheadaches.com.  It is truly debatable if I would still be alive without DJ and the people here.  Many others here with the same story.

Silicone sealer! Capital suggestion, Gator. This is something I need to try. In general that seems like an excellent recipe for bubbling. Thanks for posting. And I certainly second your last comments about the board and its habitues. Whaddabuncha guyzngals!

Thanks for the great advice, although I'll still no doubt manage to smash my thumb with a hammer... even if one isn't specifically called for in the instructions!

David