Pre-install checklist

This page collects the four site-readiness pages into one list you can print and work through. Every item traces to a published source cited on the page it came from — nothing here is a rule of thumb. Where a figure depends on your specific chamber, the item tells you which document to get it from rather than supplying a number we would have to invent.

1 · Documents to obtain from the seller

• [blocker] The K-number for the FDA clearance the seller relies on, and the applicant name on that record. Verify it in FDA's database yourself; 69 clearances exist under product code CBF (openFDA 510(k) records). See what clearance actually means.
• [blocker] The Indications for Use statement from that clearance, so you know what the device is cleared to be marketed for.
• [blocker] The operator manual and instructions for use, in hand. FDA recommends reviewing these for device operation, maintenance, and fire prevention and safety measures (FDA Letter to Health Care Providers, 25 August 2025).
• [blocker] The installation drawing for the exact model and revision, showing clearances and the service withdrawal dimension.
• [blocker] Written warranty terms and what voids them.
• For rigid chambers: pressure-vessel documentation, the window's design life, its fabrication date and any inspection records — ASME PVHO-2 makes the user responsible for the window's safe service life and caps continued service at 10 years or 5,000 cycles beyond design life without testing per its clause 2-7 (ASME PVHO-2-2019 preview pages).
• A prescription or practitioner order pathway, since hyperbaric chambers are prescription devices (FDA CDRH letter, 22 August 2013; 21 CFR 801.109).

2 · Electrical

• [blocker] Rated amps at operating load for the chamber's compressor, in writing. Note that the specifications we surveyed publish a circuit requirement — "Standard 120V / 15 AMP Circuit" (Summit to Sea Grand Dive) — or a voltage — "110-120V" (OxyHealth Fortius 420) — or nothing at all (Sechrist H-series).
• [blocker] Starting or inrush current for the compressor motor.
• [blocker] Whether the manufacturer requires a dedicated circuit per device.
• Power draw for each oxygen concentrator. The AirSep NewLife Intensity 10 publishes 590 watts at 120 VAC 60 Hz (specifications).
• [before delivery] Dedicated circuits installed and inspected, with permits where required.
• [before delivery] Grounding arrangement confirmed. FDA recommends ensuring "the HBOT device is properly grounded" (FDA, 25 August 2025).
• Commercial only: standby generator with 24 hours of fuel, or 96 hours in areas prone to extended outages (UHMS standards and codes FAQ).

3 · Space, floor and access

• [blocker] Chamber external dimensions and crated dimensions. For scale: the Sechrist 3600H is 106 × 61.0 × 44.50 in externally with a 35.50 in internal diameter (specifications).
• [blocker] Service withdrawal dimension. The 3600H installation diagram shows 193.0 in — roughly 4.9 m, nearly twice the chamber's own length (specifications).
• [blocker] Floor capacity. NFPA 99 requires that the foundation "shall be designed to support the chamber and all associated equipment" (NFPA 99, 2015 edition, clause 14.2.1.1.9); UHMS additionally raises flooring indentation rating under chamber loads (UHMS FAQ). Weights range from approximately 55 lb for a fabric chamber (Grand Dive) to 3,500 lb for a Sechrist 4100H.
• [blocker] Delivery path measured end to end: exterior door, every interior doorway, corridor widths, turns, stair widths and landings, ceiling heights, lift internal dimensions and rated capacity.
• [before delivery] Positions marked on the floor for chamber, compressor and each concentrator, with the service withdrawal envelope taped out.
• Commercial only: confirm the room is for the exclusive use of the hyperbaric operation for a Class A or Class B chamber (NFPA 99, clause 14.2.1.1.7).

4 · Room environment

• [blocker] Year-round room temperature range against the equipment's published limits. Sechrist H-series: 50–100 °F operating, 30–90% relative humidity at 77 °F (specifications). UHMS reports a manufacturer recommendation of 68–74 °F, with seals affected below 50 °F and above 100 °F beyond the acrylic's design conditions (UHMS FAQ).
• Concentrator location within its own published operating range of 41–95 °F (AirSep specifications), and away from the chamber's own heat.
• Humidity plan. UHMS notes ">60 percent humidity will nearly eliminate static potential," and calls for antistatic procedures whenever chamber atmospheres exceed 23.5% oxygen (UHMS FAQ).
• Cooling capacity for the heat the equipment adds — a 590 W concentrator is a continuous heat source during a session.

5 · Ventilation, oxygen and fire

• [blocker] Published purge flow and supply pressure requirement. Sechrist H-series: purge 80–400 lpm at 15 psi, supply pressure 50.0–70.0 psi (specifications).
• [blocker] Relief-valve settings as shipped and emergency vent capability. Sechrist publishes two relief valves at 35.00 psi (3300H) and 36.00 psi (3600H, 4100H), and an emergency vent from 30 psig to 0 in a maximum of 119 seconds (specifications).
• [blocker] Written statement of the maximum oxygen fraction the chamber atmosphere will reach in your intended configuration, and how it is purged. Oxygen accumulation from inadequate ventilation increases chamber fire risk (chamber ventilation study).
• Listen to the system with ventilation running at operating settings. Across 41 centres at 2.4 ATA, in-chamber levels ranged from 40.5 dB(A) without ventilation to 100.4 dB(A) with it (sound level study).
• [before delivery] Prohibited-items list and clothing requirement written and posted. FDA recommends controlling prohibited items "including electrical or static devices" and clothing "made of hyperbaric compatible materials … such as cotton" (FDA, 25 August 2025).
• Skin and hair products assessed. Flammability potential increases with oxygen fraction and pressure (skin care product study).
• Commercial only: sprinkler to NFPA 13 or water mist to NFPA 750 in the chamber room and ancillary equipment rooms; 2-hour fire-resistant-rated construction for a Class A chamber and its ancillary service equipment (NFPA 99, 2015 edition, clauses 14.2.1.1 and 14.2.1.2). Confirm the edition your authority having jurisdiction enforces.

6 · Freight

• [blocker] Crated weight, against a typical liftgate rating of roughly 1,300–1,500 lb per lift (Freightera guide). A 2,220 lb Sechrist 3600H exceeds it; a 55 lb fabric chamber does not.
• [before delivery] Delivery service level agreed in writing: curbside, liftgate, residential, inside delivery, appointment window.
• [before delivery] Rigging arranged if weight exceeds liftgate capacity, with responsibility for cost stated.
• [before delivery] Inspection procedure agreed, including the concealed-damage deadline.
• Camera ready and someone competent present to inspect and sign.

7 · Operations, before first use

• [blocker] Attendant arrangement. FDA recommends ensuring "the patient is properly monitored and supervised for the duration of the treatment" (FDA, 25 August 2025). The two most recent MAUDE death reports under product code CBF both describe flash fires during self-treatment (openFDA MAUDE).
• Written compression, communication, stop and decompression procedures. Middle-ear barotrauma is documented at real rates in supervised settings — 262 of 2,610 patients in one five-year analysis (PMID 32574438).
• Breathing interface and fit procedure. Properly fitted masks produced 96–99% end-inspired oxygen while improperly fitted masks ranged 64–100% (PMID 871282).
• Maintenance schedule and consumables list from the manual, with the first service date diarised — see maintenance.
• Commercial only: staff training records, and confirmation of who may operate the chamber. UHMS recommends an appropriately trained provider be "available immediately throughout the administration" (UHMS Position Statement).