Using Oxygen Tanks and Regulators

How to Use an Oxygen Tank

Place the oxygen tank securely upright in a stand.
Remove the plastic safety seal that covers the valve stem at the top of the tank.
Find the regulator. It has a T-handle at one end, a hole through the middle, and a round gauge on the side that shows how much oxygen is in the tank.
Look inside the center hole for two small metal alignment pins. They will need to line up with two holes on the tank’s valve stem.
Hold the regulator with silver hose barb pointing downward. Hold the tank’s valve stem upright and slide the regulator down over the valve stem until the pins slide into the holes. You may hear them click into place.
Hold the regulator still with one hand, and use your other hand to turn the T-handle at the end of the regulator clockwise (to the right) to tighten it in place.
Fold the valve stem to create a lever that can be turned. Slowly turn it two full turns counterclockwise (to the left). Now the tank is open.
The round pressure gauge on a full “E-cylinder” tank should read 2,000 psi—the needle will point to the green section of the gauge.
Connect your oxygen tubing to the silver hose barb that is pointing down from the regulator.
Turn the flow selector on the end of the regulator to the flow rate prescribed by your doctor.

How to Use an Oxygen Tank