mary

Does anyone on this board know where I can rent a nebulizer machine for asthma while in London. Have checked and found that I can purchase a converter and a plug adaptor. However, our current machine is 60 Hz and 50 Hz is standard in England, therefore, cannot use our machine. I cannot rent this equipment in the U.S. and will need to do so in London. Has anyone had this problem previously. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

kate

sorry if this appears twice, I'm having a spot of bother posting.<BR><BR>I'm sure the National Asthma Campaign (UK charity) would be able to advise you. They have a helpline:<BR><BR>+44 845 7 01 02 03<BR><BR>or website:<BR><BR>www.asthma.org.uk

Rex

Have you checked into battery-powered (or car battery powered)? I'm sure that such things exist - - and your local asthma organization might help locate such a thing.<BR><BR>I found a few sources under "battery powered nebulizers" on yahoo.com - - <BR><BR>and don't forget using www.uk.yahoo.com - - two listings there under "nebulisers rental battery powered" (note the spelling with "s") - - of those, this looks somewhat promising:<BR><BR>http://www.lunguk.org/info/holitext.doc (essentially just a list of resources) - - not a provider per se.<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex Bickers, M.D.<BR>Westerville, Ohio<BR>

hamlet

A travel agent or your local medical supply company should also be able to help you out with this. Check out oxygentraveler.com or call them at 800-878-3672. I believe there are several other companies that do this, but I don't know any other names. Good luck.

janis

I know someone who took his nebulizer to the UK, France and Italy and had no problems. Double check - I believe you can get transformers that convert both the voltage and cycles. <BR><BR>Since US appliances are 60 cycle and work in the UK just fine (with a transformer) I don't understand why your nebulizer is different.

Walter

Mary: 1st off try and contact the company that makes this machine and ask them if they think there would be any problems with 50Hz with the voltage stepped-down. This machine is just a simple electric motor that drives an air pump, isn't it? US hairdryers and electric shavers are also 60Hz motors and they work at 50Hz. This is just an educated guess but I think I'm right (famous last words, still call the company though At 50Hz the motor will spin ~17% slower? But it might not effect the air flow/pressure. I haven't used one of these machines in 10yrs (ex-girlfriend's son) but when the machine is running is there air being released by a pressure valve near the air pump? It's a simple machine and I'd guess that the air pump overproduces air pressure but they have a small chamber with a very small release valve that keeps the air pressure constant so the air flow to the nebulizer remains steady. If so, even with the motor/pump running slower it probably wouldn't effect it. Or if not, how much would a ~17% loss in speed actually effect the air flow from a direct pump. If you do/can take your own just be sure to purchase a good heavy duty converter that can handle that machine's wattage/amps. Regards & Good-Luck, Walter

top

Curious if mary ever felt like she found a solution or got the answer she was seeking.<BR>

mary

Thanks to everyone who answered my question regarding medical equipment. I contacted a physician in London by e-mail (name given to me by some at work). His response was that I was not able to use a 60 Hz nebulier. He advised me to purchase one once we arrived in London as they were very inexpensive. However, someone on this post recommended the Asthma Association (which I had totally forgotten about) and they gave me the names of various companies that sold medical equipment. However, none rent equipment so I finally purchased a nebulizer that worked on 50-60 Hz and automatically convered from 110-220 to 240. This can be used anywhere in Europe and was the best way for us to go for peace of mind. Thanks again to all who responded.

Steve

Consider buying an Omron Microair Ultrasonic nebulizer for your asthma.It's about the size of an ear thermometer when put together.Runs on four AA batteries for 210 hours of use.Comes in a carrying case about the size of a medium sized toiletry case.Cost is about $250.You can check it out at www.egeneralmedical.com or www.allergysupply.com.The kit includes an adapter to run on 110V but you can also pay extra to buy the adapter for 220V.I have never found the need to use the adapters as the nebulizer works well with just AA batteries.Make sure you buy extra mesh caps for the machine as the cap seems critical to the proper functioning of the nebulizer.