Last updated on September 9th, 2025 at 04:23 pm
Managing oxygen therapy at home shouldn’t come with unnecessary hurdles—especially when it comes to tubing that kinks or tangles. A kinked oxygen tube can reduce oxygen flow, compromise treatment, and even create tripping hazards. That’s why knowing how to keep an oxygen tube from kinking is essential for both safety and comfort.
While small changes in how you set up and use your tubing can make a big difference, investing in the right protective accessories takes your oxygen therapy to the next level. At M.M. Newman Corporation, we manufacture Heli-Tube® spiral wrap—a proven, long-lasting solution that prevents kinks, adds visibility, and keeps tubing organized. In this guide, we’ll cover practical strategies and highlight how Heli-Tube® helps patients and caregivers breathe easier, knowing their tubing is safe and reliable.
Common Problems with Oxygen Tubing
Though oxygen therapy helps those who use it to breathe more easily, the tubing itself can create its own issues. Like a miniature garden hose, oxygen tubes can catch on furniture, snag when going around corners or get shut in doors, all of which can cause the tubing to kink. When these oxygen tubes develop kinks, it can significantly reduce oxygen flow, limiting the effectiveness of the therapy and making breathing more difficult. Once the tube kinks it weakens the tube in that spot making it more likely to kink again in the same spot.
If you use oxygen therapy, knowing how to keep oxygen tubes from kinking will help make the treatment more effective. Here are a few simple pointers to reduce the risk of this happening:
- While you may occasionally require the entire extension, coiling up excess tubing and putting it next to the oxygen concentrator will keep it out of the way, helping to prevent both snagging and people from tripping over it.
- Creating collection points around the house involves this same concept, allowing you the freedom to pivot around a specific location while in other rooms to help prevent from having to drag the line from room to room.
- Another way to keep the tubing from kinking is by placing it near the concentrator in such a way that it gives you a gentle warning tug.
Additionally, as with wires, an oxygen tube develops a memory for how it should coil, so coiling will get easier over time.
How to Keep Oxygen Tube from Kinking with Hardware
As with most pliable tubing, no matter how hard you try to keep oxygen tubes from kinking, they can still tangle. Even new tubing that comes in rolls without any kinks may not coil easily, creating a tripping hazard. If kinking continues to be a problem, we have found a new solution using spiral wrap that has a few other added benefits.
Here are all of the added benefits of wrapping the oxygen tube with Heli-Tube® Spiral Wrap:
- Heli-Tube® acts like a protective cushion to keep the tube from kinking and protecting it from solid objects as you wrap around corners and through furniture that will help avoid a reduction in the oxygen flow.
- Heli-Tube® protects the tube from being stepped on by making the tube thicker so you will feel it as soon as your foot comes down. The added structure of the spiral wrap also absorbs your weight and makes it less likely that you crush the oxygen tube if you do step on it.
- Heli-Tube® comes in a variety of bright colors which are much easier to see than the clear tubing when it is stretched out across the floor.
- We do want to mention that, depending on dexterity, some folks do have difficulty putting on the spiral wrap but, afterward, we’ve heard from customers that this has been a great solution.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do oxygen tubes tend to kink so easily?
Oxygen tubing is lightweight and flexible, which makes it prone to snagging or bending sharply around furniture and doorways. Over time, these repeated bends create weak spots that collapse airflow. Using protective tools like Heli-Tube® spiral wrap from M.M. Newman Corporation adds structure to the tubing, preventing these stress points.
Is coiling excess tubing a good idea?
Yes. Neatly coiling tubing near the concentrator keeps it from dragging, tangling, or creating trip hazards. For maximum protection, many patients coil their tubing and then wrap it with Heli-Tube® spiral wrap, ensuring both organization and kink prevention.
What are “collection points” and how do they help?
Collection points—like a small loop near your favorite chair—give tubing room to pivot as you move around. This prevents tugging and bending in high-traffic areas. Reinforcing these points with spiral wrap makes them even more reliable.
What size and color wrap is recommended?
For oxygen tubing, a 3/8″ OD Heli-Tube® spiral wrap is ideal. M.M. Newman Corporation offers multiple color options, including bright orange, yellow, and green, which improve visibility and reduce trip risks.
Why buy from M.M. Newman Corporation directly?
As the original manufacturer of Heli-Tube® spiral wrap, MM Newman ensures you get a product that meets strict quality standards. Buying direct guarantees authenticity, consistent sizing, and support from a company with decades of experience in tubing protection.
Protect Your Oxygen Tubing with Heli-Tube® from M.M. Newman Corporation
M. M. Newman Corporation manufactures polyethylene spiral cable wraps that can protect oxygen tubes, and help prevent them from tangling and disrupting oxygen flow. The best size for protecting oxygen tubes is 3/8″ OD Heli-Tube®. Though it comes in natural or black colors, we recommend one of our bright colors to make it more visible and more visually appealing. This is a one time purchase as you will be able to reuse the Heli-Tube® each time you need a new oxygen tube.
Keeping your oxygen tube free from kinks is more than a matter of convenience—it’s central to safe, effective therapy. Whether you’re coiling excess tubing near the concentrator, setting up collection points around your home, or using a durable spiral wrap like Heli-Tube®, these solutions help preserve oxygen flow and reduce hazards. Contact us to request your free Heli-Tube® sample!
We want to give a special thanks to a kind gentleman in Texas that figured out this solution to help prevent their oxygen tube from kinking. He even got the added benefit of the Orange DayGlo tubing brightening up the room in University of Texas colors.