An alarm means the concentrator needs attention. The sound or light alone does not identify the fault: alarm codes, priorities and required actions vary between models. Keep the instructions for your exact unit accessible and ask the supplier to demonstrate the alarms before you rely on it at home.
Check the person first
Severe or worsening breathlessness, chest pain, confusion, unusual drowsiness or blue-grey lips need urgent medical assessment. Do not wait for a service call or a reassuring pulse-oximeter number. Follow the person’s emergency plan and use their prescribed backup oxygen as directed while help is arranged.
If the person appears comfortable, the alarm still needs a response. Feeling well does not establish that oxygen delivery is adequate. Follow the model’s alarm instructions and the backup plan agreed with the treating team.
Read the exact message
Note the words, symbol or error code, the light colour, and whether the sound is continuous or intermittent. A photograph or short recording can help the supplier if it is safe to take one. Record when it began and whether it followed a power interruption, a move, cleaning or an accessory change.
An alarm may concern power, oxygen concentration, pressure, temperature, flow or an internal fault. These are possible categories, not a universal code chart. A green light on one machine may not mean the same thing on another.
Make only the checks you were taught
Once the person’s oxygen needs are covered, the manual may direct you to check the power connection, visible tubing for kinks or disconnection, the prescribed flow setting, or obstructions around vents. Correct only straightforward external problems within the user instructions.
Do not open the cabinet, bypass a safety feature, remove an internal filter or change the prescribed flow to silence an alarm. Do not reconnect a damaged lead or a wet device. A burning smell, smoke or visibly damaged electrical equipment needs an immediate safety response, not a trial restart.
Some models have expected startup indications. The manual should explain their duration and what shows that the unit is ready. Do not assume that a persistent alarm is just warming up. Repeated power cycling can also erase useful fault information without resolving the cause.
Contact the supplier with useful details
Give the model and serial number, alarm message, current prescribed setting, when the problem began and which manual-directed checks you completed. Describe any change in sound, heat, smell or displayed concentration. Ask whether the device should remain out of use and what replacement or service arrangement is available.
A pulse oximeter measures the person’s oxygen saturation; it does not test a concentrator’s output purity. The supplier may need to arrange an appropriate technical check. Keep the service reference and the advice received with the equipment records. Before returning to the main unit, confirm that the fault is resolved and that it is ready for use.