In the spring the lower level of my raised ranch gets a little musty and I run a dehumidifier to keep the problem in check. To once and for all kill any mold/mildew spores I would like to purchase a ozone generator. Does anyone have a source for new or used?
Big John
I just bought 2 from Amazon
do they actually work ?
i've read the blurb but these things don't always live
up to the hype.
Rich
Mike:
What brand did you get?
Big John
Rich:
I bought one from Maintenance Warehouse (now HD Supply owned by Home Depot) for a 127 unit apartment complex I managed and it got rid of odors permanently from furniture, Carpets, the room in general, YES THEY WORK! They are hard on foam and leather so length of treatment should be watched carefully.
Big John
Rich:
They work so well that people with lung disorders such as asthma and emphysema should not be in the same room with them.
They do make small home versions you can get on E-Bay but the ones you need to do entire rooms and really treat the area of odors are the commercial types.
I have no source for you Big John. Sorry. :(
Chris
Yes Chris is correct the instructions/disclaimer clearly tell you that no one should be in the room when it's running. The problem that has caused California to limit the sale of these units to only cleaning profesionals and the like is fly by night's misrepresenting them as air cleaners. Often times units labeled as air cleaners produce way too much ozone to allow safe operation with people in the room.
The ones I bought are A2z Ozone Inc. Aqua-6 Ozone Generator
They are small portable units, but if you put them in a room and close it off you can smell the ozone well enough. Advertised output is 600MG/H O2IN
Ozone has many therapeutic property's, but large raw doses can burn the lungs of even healthy people. The units I have, you would have to put your nose directly under the exit tube and breath deep before any noticeable discomfort occurred. I tried this once and it was not pleasant, but some fresh air and a few minutes later I was fine and much wiser. If anyone wants to get ozone into their lungs for health reasons it should be diffused into a jar of Olive Oil and then you can breath it in without burning the lungs. There is a lot of scare tactics about ozone, because big parama does not like people to know about cheap alternatives to their expensive drugs. Ozone happens naturally in the environment, you know that nice clean crisp smell in the air after a good rain? That's ozone. But with all things, care should always be exercised, some drugs, or herbal alternative's can be beneficial in small doses, but not so much by the handful.
hiya
If you were to use them in a boat would they
totally get rid of any musty mold smell ?
what about diesel smells if the diesel was
cleaned up but the boat was still smelly.
Rich
My guess is that musty Yes, Fuel Oil NO
Quote from: BigJohn on April 25, 2011, 04:37:33 pm
They are hard on foam and leather so length of treatment should be watched carefully.
I'm ozone ignorant. Please explain how they are hard on foam and leather.
Sofadoc:
I'm far from an expert on these machines, but I have read a lot of information on them that talks about the corrosiveness of ozone. In short what I have read says not to over do the application of ozone in order to minimize oxidation. Below find some information I've taken from the Internet about the use of ozone generators:
Ozone treatment is offered by many firms who specialize in fire, water and smoke damage restoration. While ozone exposure is useful to "knock out" some smoke odor, if not used VERY carefully, it can cause rapid deterioration and oxidation of fabrics. This damage is real and irreversible! Anything with an organic structure (like textiles, carpets, furniture, books, and paper) can be severely and irreversibly damaged by ozone causing loss of aesthetic value.
The problem is that the concentration of ozone (measured in parts per million) combined with the elapsed exposure time, must be carefully monitored to achieve effective treatment without inflicting more damage from the ozone. Ozone is toxic in small amounts. Treatment with ozone should be used as a last ditch effort, when all else has failed and administered only by qualified personnel capable of monitoring the procedure very closely. Information documenting the effects of ozone has proven to be very useful in identifying and resolving some claim issues. Patrick B. King & Associates Ltd. is experienced in recognizing the effects of over-exposure to ozone, and as a result, they have experimented with other remedies which are successful and non-toxic.
************************************************************************________________________________________________________________________
HOW CAN I MAKE THE BEST USE OF MY ZONTEC ELECTRONIC DEODORIZER?
There are four primary considerations to ensure that you receive the maximum benefit from your Zontec Electronic Deodorizer. They are:
Model Selection
Zontec Electronic Deodorizers are manufactured for a variety of applications and uses. It is highly recommended that you refer to our APPLICATION DATABASE or contact a sales representative prior to purchasing your Zontec unit to ensure that you get the Electronic Deodorizer that is right for you. Considerations include: the area to be treated, the nature and severity of the odors present, temperature, humidity, and a host of others.
Ozone Concentration
Generally speaking, Zontec recommends using as little Ozone as possible to treat offensive odors. Due to the oxidizing nature of Ozone, there is no benefit to "over saturating" an enclosed area for anything less than garbage odors or fire or flood restoration projects. Once the Ozone has oxidized the contaminant, there is nothing left to attack as the contaminant has been destroyed? With nothing more to react with, the Ozone will simply revert back to Oxygen in a short period of time.
Application Time
Ozone will effectively eliminate most all odors in a very short period of time - depending on the severity of the odor and the output of the Zontec Electronic Deodorizer that you are using. For example, the PA200 was designed to effectively deodorize a standard guest room in a hotel or motel in under 15 minutes. In commercial or industrial applications and when dealing with stronger odors, we recommend an initial saturation period of a few hours, followed by a break without treatment. If any odors remain, repeat the process (of saturation followed by a break) as required. Most odors will be eliminated during the initial saturation and even stubborn odors (such as mildew) will be removed after only a few treatments.
Unit Placement
For maximum dispersion and effectiveness, Zontec recommends placing your Electronic Deodorizers as high as physically and practically possible in the room. On the top of a bookshelf is an ideal location or, as a permanent solution, use a Wall or Ceiling Mount Kit available from Zontec. Ozone is heavier than air, meaning that once the Ozone has left the generator it will fall through the air as it disperses through the room.
BigJohn: Thanks for the explanation.
Quote from: mike802 on April 26, 2011, 07:30:21 am
I tried this once and it was not pleasant, but some fresh air and a few minutes later I was fine and much wiser.
lol
I finf if funny that when they say don't do this we just have to see why
been there done that. Lol
sounds like a really good idea to offer as a service
for boat owners to get rid of the moldy smells if not
the fuel oil smells..
got me thinking now :-0
Rich
Rich:
If you want to do a little investigating on your own I'd suggest you look into several companies:
Rainbowair (a lady by the name Sue I'm told is the owner and she will take calls)
http://www.ozoneexperts.com/department/Rainbowair-Activators.cfm
Zontec (another old name in the business) http://www.zontecozone.com/
Max Blaster USA (a new name to me that I've been investigating)
http://www.maxblasterusa.com/
They have an owner's manual online, click on "instructions"
thanks BigJohn
I did go 'a wandering to see what i could find and the more i think about it
the more sense it makes to offer this as an addition to the canvas and upholstery
I do.
The times i've recovered stinky old foam one of these would have helped.
I am just wondering though how long the boat interior would stay smelling fresh before
the stink returned. ?
damn shame the Maxblaster ones are in the US and on sale, I would have bought
two or three of them at that price, they are double that here in the UK. :o
regards
Rich
I just found a 3000mg/hr unit for £150 so i'm going to buy one and try it out
Quotewhat about diesel smells if the diesel was
cleaned up but the boat was still smelly.
I don't know how well it would work in a boat, but I once got some fuel oil on my clothes. My wife put them through the washing machine and they still smelled, so she put them in a plastic bag and ran the hose from the ozone generator into the bag and the smell did come out. It took several repeated treatments though.
There is a lot of info on ozone at this link for anyone who wants to bone up on it. http://educate-yourself.org/ozone/
Well I let it snap for a new Rainbowair-5401-II-Activator1000-Series-Ozone-Generator, as this is the same brand that I bought for an apartment complex that I once managed. My experience with this brand was very positive and I'm hoping that I have a repeat performance! I bought it on Ebay from ABC Vacuum for $200 less than list only $399 shipping included.
Big John
I just got one too, 3000mg/h all i need now is some idea on operating
times etc as i have no idea.
rich
Rich:
I got mine today, and it works great. I plugged it in and turned it on and in less than a minute I had that chlorine bleach smell filling the room. My manual says ozone is part science and part trial and error, meaning start slow and use more and more time until it gives you the results you want. Warning nothing living in the area being treated (exception tropical fish) and you will find leather and natural rubber get dried out with long or repeated use. The jury is out so to speak as to harm if any it does to electronics, to be safe remove them or cover them up.
One last thing I thought I'd comment that ABC Discount Vacuum although a little lax on sending out the tracking number for the shipment, did everything they promised and very speedy at that!
Big John
glad you got set up Big John, let me know how you get on with it
as I'm not sure when i 'll get to use mine.
what size is your unit ? mine is 3000mg/hr
I did set up one of my customers for a free treatment as I know his boat
is very smelly :-) but it's catching up with him when we both have time to spare
is the problem.
Rich
Rich:
Mine is 1000 mg/hr or so they claim, no one can prove the claims they make, as there is no standard for measuring. A 3500 mh/hr unit in pure oxygen is the same as a 700 mg/hr unit in normal room air. But it sounds like you got a good-sized unit that will work well for you. Mine has 4 plates how many do you have?
John
i have no idea how many plates . the unit is pretty well enclosed
so i'd have to take it apart.
I only got this one as it was fairly cheap compared to the others
I was looking at.
What I didnt realize is some car detailers also use Ozone
to kill the car smells , could be another avenue ?
Rich
Yes Rich car detailers use ozone as well, often they fashion an adapter to the outlet of the machine and attach a hose to direct the ozone into the car. The reason for keeping the machine outside the car is it needs an ample air supply to function best.