Factors to Help Determine Ozone Generator
Size:
The recommendations we give are conservative
and designed for professionals in the mold redemption, fire & flood restoration, and odor
removal businesses. When charging for a service in these professions, companies cannot
afford to have to come back and retreat, or re-initiate the application. This is the
reason for our conservative recommendations. Before choosing an ozone
generator, it is important to understand ozone generator ratings and industry
differences outlined in the following two paragraphs.
It is fairly common for some companies to
advertise and recommend the size or output of an ozone generator with only square footage
ratings for general
air purification
results in mind, rather than actual output levels needed for germ killing with
Shock treatments. There is
some confusion of output ratings (usually square footage ratings) or how much ozone will
be needed for a particular application. Some of these sizing recommendations can be
misleading. (note that ppm, or "Parts Per Million" is not an ozone output
measurement and should never be used to compare ozone generator outputs, only go by the
Milligrams per Hour; "mghr"). Since sizing an ozone generator is dependant on
several factors, we try to avoid giving unqualified square footage and ppm ratings.
Square footage ratings must also disclose whether they are for
air purification, or for
Shock treatments, as the mghr
output recommendations will be vastly different.
One of the biggest competitive
issues when purchasing an ozone generator is the ozone output rating in
Milligrams Per Hour (mghr or mg/hr). The most important thing to understand is
that while mghr is the only fair way to compare the output of an ozone
generator, the rating of 1 mghr of ozone output with one company does
not always equal the 1 mghr rating with another company. In fact, we
often see discrepancies that are over-rated by a large margin; sometimes several
hundred percent.
The International Ozone Association (IOA) has an interest in this issue and
expects to push ozone generator manufacturers to get a NIST
(National Institute of Science and Technology) government accepted standard
for mghr ratings. The NIST standard was expected to be in place by
now, but as the IOA is a Non-Profit organization, it has been difficult to get
the required time allocated from appropriate directors to put towards this
issue.
Allergy Purifiers LLC (o3ozone &
www.o3ozone.com ) offers very conservative ratings designed for the
professional fire, flood, MOLD, ODOR, and crime
scene / death scene protein decomposition clean up industries.
Note that 0.2% of ozone is a significant level; this
is why ozone concentration is measured in Parts Per Million (PPM).
It only takes 3-4 PPM to kill off all germs,
including MOLD, Bacteria, and Viruses. |
For Recommendations on just air
purification, see
"How To Purify Air"
After reviewing the information on this page to find the basic variables that affect your
application, you are welcome to email us your application information / variables for
recommended output of an ozone generator at
info@o3ozone.com.
There are a couple questions and a
few variables to consider when choosing an ozone generator.
The intended use should be determined. The basic choice
is:
1)
Air Purification
2)
Shock Treating along
with air purification.
We highly suggest including
Shock Treatment use.
Shock treatment use is when ozone in put into a room at high levels, usually for a few
hours, to even a few days, to kill germs,
mold, smoke or any odor. Shock treatment use requires significantly more ozone than
air purification, but is the best way to get maximum effectiveness of an ozone generator.
6 variables to consider to
determine the appropriate size ozone generator:
(1) Type of
contamination:
- Odors only in the air, such as smoke, indoor air
pollution, chemical fumes, exhaust, and other emissions can be eliminated with ozone
usually in short time with mild shock treatments. However,
Mold, organic or
protein
decomposition, skunk, smoke damage from a building fire, heavy cigarette or cigar smoke
build-up from tenants or heavy smokers, and other extreme odors require longer treatment
times, and, or a higher concentration of ozone for several hours, to several days of
treatment time.
(2) Level of
contamination:
- If the contamination is severe, more time, and or more
ozone will be needed for the treatment. In the case of
HEAVY MOLD, HEAVY FIRE DAMAGE (SMOKE),
or Crime Scene Clean-UP (decomposed protein), an expert construction company or
specialist familiar with proper clean-up / remediation procedures should be consulted.
You can get an idea of what will be necessary for complete remediation of these heavy
contaminant issue types by viewing our
MOLD page. Similar procedures will be followed for Fire / Smoke, and crime scene
clean-up and other decomposed protein treatments.
(3) Size of treatment
area:
- The size of the treatment area is extremely
important in choosing the right size ozone generator.
(4) Temperature:
-
Ozone is depleted much more rapidly in
high temperatures, than in low temperatures. At COLD temperatures, such as
freezing, ozone may not be depleted for over 30 Days. It is important to
use ozone in temperatures above 60 degrees Fahrenheit. See
understanding ozone depletion.
(5) Humidity:
- corona
discharge ozone generators will produce more ozone in dry air, than in humid air.
If you are choosing the new
UV PRO 550,
UV PRO 2800, or
UV PRO 4000 ozone generator, or one of our industrial systems found on the
Ultra Pure Products page, high humidity will not be a factor.
See the fully adjustable
HVAC UV 560 Duct mounted ozone generator air purifier.
Why are UV ozone
generators a better choice than corona discharge ozone generators?
(For all air or surface sterilization
Shock treatment applications such as
MOLD, Smoke, Fire odors, musty smells, flood odor,
protein decomposition odor, germ and virus remediation, etc.)
The Biggest difference between corona discharge and UV ozone
generation methods is that UV ozone generators have stable ozone
output levels throughout humidity ranges, while the output of corona
discharge ozone generators is significantly reduced by just moderate
humidity levels such as 40–70% (ozone output is reduced by approx. 40-70%
with 40-70% humidity). In addition, with UV ozone generators, the cleaning
requirement is almost eliminated compared to corona discharge ozone
generators. Also, the ozone produced from a UV ozone generator is cleaner
(no nitric acids) and smells better than ozone produced from corona
discharge machines, and is just as powerful and often more powerful as ozone
produced by corona discharge
ozone generators.
UV ozone generators include
UV PRO 550, UV PRO 550AT, UV PRO 1100AT,
UV PRO 2800,
UV PRO 4000, and
UV PRO 6800
If you need an ozone
generator with adjustable ozone output, two new models, the UV PRO
550AT or UV PRO 1100AT are ideal. The "AT" stands for
Adjustable with 48 hour Timer. These models produce the cleanest
and sweetest ozone ever possible - adjustable down to very low levels or
high levels for shock treatments and are much more dependable than
corona models on the market! Please call 330-497-6900 for
information or to purchase. |
(6) Desired treatment time:
- more ozone will be required for shorter treatment
times, less for longer treatment times.
Recommended equipment:
For commercial mold or decontamination shock
treatments .5-2 g/hr ozone should be used for every 100 sq/ft, depending on how fast
the job needs to be done and how bad the problem is. With .5 g/hr / 100 sq/ft treatment
should last for 1-2 days +, with 2 g/hr / 100 sq/ft it should only take about 6-12
hours. NOTE that for UV ozone generators, only half the rated ozone above
is usually necessary as these formulas consider only corona discharge ozone
generators used in average humidity (which greatly reduces output of a corona
discharge ozone generator). UV ozone generators ozone output is not
reduced by humidity.
UV PRO 550,
UV PRO 550AT, UV PRO 1100AT,
UV PRO 2800,
UV PRO 4000,
and
UV PRO 6800
CLICK HERE! for information about
industrial output ozone water treatment systems for super high volume commercial and industrial uses.
CLICK HERE to SELECT AN AIR TREATMENT OZONE GENERATOR
For the do-it-yourself home owner,
Shock treatments can be done one
room at a time to allow the use of a much smaller unit. Just calculate the size of your
largest room to come up with the size of unit that you will require. Also most home owners
are not in as much of a rush to do the job, if this is so you can probably do the job with
1/4 of the above recommended ozone production.
The best choices are
UV PRO 550,
UV PRO 550AT, UV PRO 1100AT,
UV PRO 2800,
UV PRO 4000,
and
UV PRO 6800
Corona discharge models can also be used
including
PRO 700,
PRO 3400 V1,
PRO 3600 V1,
PRO 3400 V3,
PRO 3400 V5,
PRO 3600 V5,
PRO 5,000 V and the
PRO 9000
Application Procedures:
Site preparation:
1.
Mold usually occurs because of a leak or humidity
problem. This leak or humidity problem must be fixed or solved or the problem will
continue to persist. 2.
All damaged or rotten items should be removed from the area as well as any carpet, wall
board, or other building materials that are to be replaced.
3. Thoroughly clean all areas possible, remove
any visible mold, mildew, etc.
Ozone application:
Place the ozone generator in an area that will
provide the best circulation and distribution of the ozone. Use auxiliary fans to help
with circulation, this will also help to drive the ozone into the pores of materials. Turn
the generator/s to full output and to the on position. Leave the premises and lock all
entrances. Allow the ozone application to operate for the determined time. If the problem
is especially bad increase the amount of ozone used or the length of the application
accordingly. Upon returning to the premises, turn off the ozone generators by unplugging
the extension cord or use timers available at
your local hardware store for less than $20. Leave the premises and lock all entrances.
Allow the building to sit for 4-8 hrs, this allows the remaining ozone to convert back to
oxygen and reduce ozone exposure.
EXAMPLE for a
1,200 sq. ft. contaminated basement:
The
UV PRO 2800,
PRO
9,000, or
UV PRO 4000 ozone generators have plenty of power for
shock treating a 1,200
- 2000 sq. ft.
basement with heavy contamination or odors. We recommend the treatment time to be no less
than 4-8 hours even though results may be accomplished in 2 - 3 hours. More time is
usually better, even 10 hours to 3 full days of treatment may be required.
If you have a few extra hours to shock treat, such as 10 - 18+hrs, the
PRO 5000 will also do an effective job.
We have customers treating this sized area with
2,600mghr to
3,600mghr with excellent results, though we recommend the
PRO 5000,
UV PRO 2800,
PRO
9,000, or
UV PRO 4000 for ensured results or professional application or where time is a factor. (choice
determined by size of area, contamination type, humidity) It is
recommended to choose one of the UV ozone generators.
CLICK HERE to SELECT AN OZONE GENERATOR from a list
Additional information for mold and mildew
problems:
Mold, mildew, and fungus can be oxidized with ozone.
o3ozone ozone generators reduce or eliminate the ability for the exposed mold, mildew and
fungus to grow as well as oxidizing the existing mold. Mold and mildew grow in dark and
humid places where there is a lack of fresh oxygen. In all cases the moisture and humidity
in the walls, floor etc., must first be removed or solved permanently to effectively
eliminate the problem mold and odor. Once moisture is removed, all visible mold and mildew
should be removed, then a shock treatment procedure can be preformed lasting for 24-72
hrs. A small ozone generator can be used to help control continuous mildew problem odors
if they persist. More details on proper Mold Remediation can be found on our
MOLD page.
A mold test is recommended to know the effectiveness
of the ozone application. If testing is not performed before and after the treatment,
effectiveness may not be known. This test should be done on a regular schedule to ensure
that the contamination does not return.
Understanding Ozone Depletion
It is a myth that ozone will
only be active for a 30 minute period. Ozone has a "half-life" of 30 minutes, which
means, under normal conditions, that 50% of an amount of ozone is usually converted back
into oxygen in 30 minutes, and again, 50% of the remaining amount of ozone is usually
converted back into oxygen for each subsequent 30 minute period - and so the amount of
ozone is being cut in half every 30 minutes.
Ozone is built up in
concentration in much the same manner in which it is depleted, however, when performing
shock treatments, the first couple 30 minute intervals or so will actually build the
ozone concentration slower than the subsequent 30 minute periods. This is because
the ozone reacts or depletes much more rapidly in the presence of contaminants, such as
smoke, mold, bacteria, chemicals, and other impurities. Larger concentrations of
ozone can be achieved over several hours to days if needed for heavily contaminated areas.
An exception to this is when Industrial sized systems (described below) are used where
exceptionally high levels of ozone can be built up in a very short period of time.
Temperature greatly
affects how long ozone will last. In freezing conditions, ozone can last
over 30 days!
So if a competitor claims that
ozone will be gone in 30 minutes, or that it is useless to shock treat for more than 30
minutes or an hour, it is now easy to understand this claim is either made from a simple
lack of knowledge, or to gain more sales and help sell units with inadequate built-in
timers.
Industrial Commercial
Custom Ozone Systems Available:
We offer
component rack systems for custom installation for stationary applications, and
mobile applications for vans and trucks in the mold / smoke damage remediation
business. Some of the other uses for this type equipment include water or liquids
purification, food rinsing applications, water bottling facilities, and wastewater
treatment. Many products relating to these applications can be found on our
Ultra Pure Products page.
An ideal high volume
mobile setup for mold and odor applications will run on an oxygen concentrator,
usually sized to put out 8,000mghr - 120,000mghr This type of setup allows a smoke or mold
redemption company to treat a 5,000 sq. ft. home in approx. 40 minutes very effectively.
A new alternative to this heavy equipment is to purchase several of the
UV PRO 4000 model Ozone Generator as there are several advantages.
Ozone really works when the equipment
meets or exceeds the application. Remediation companies commonly make
capital equipment investments by purchasing Ozone Generators.
Advantages of
the new UV PRO 4000 include:
-The industry's best warranty and service with 6 full years
-size output to your needs -
purchase several
UV PRO 4000 units to get the desired output and treatment times.
-Expandability - you are not limited to a particular output.
Several units can be used to achieve
outputs required for small or large treatment areas.
-Transported much more easily that large
100-400+ pound ozone systems
-If a service or maintenance issue were
to arise, with multiple units, you are not "out of business for repair", instead, only the
capacity may temporarily be reduced for a maintenance issue.
-Space saving and installation
versatility is maximized with individual units
(Please Inquire -
Custom Application 330-497-6900,
info@o3ozone.com) |
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