Ozone Generator

[dfeck]

Has anyone ever used an ozone generator to remove unwanted smells from their home/RV/car? We just purchased an RV that the previous owner used moth balls in. We are trying to remove the moth ball smell by airing the RV out and have had some limited success. I've used lump charcoal and baking soda but I really don't notice a huge difference. I've read about ozone generators using corona discharge but do they actually work or are they snake oil? The smell has diminished but not completely gone. Any feedback?

Thanks,
Doug

 

[Scooby074]

Ive read great things about ozone gens. Matter of fact some are being used in Halifax to counter some sewer odour issues with some success. If youve ever been near this sewer plant, than youd know that this is no small feat.

BUT, my practical experience with them has been less than stellar. We had a car that reeked of cigarettes, had it "detailed" and the guy was supposed to have ran the ozone for several hours. When we picked it up, the smell had improved but the cigarette smell lingered. After a couple of days in the sun the smell was back, pretty much as bad as ever.

I guess maybe the generator wasnt run long enough to remove the smells from deep in the fabric or the generator wasnt strong enough???. So it may be a case of operator error.

 

[Tig]

I'm a little confused at the thought of an ozone generator. Ground level ozone is not a good thing in my experience.

 

[Scooby074]

I'm a little confused at the thought of an ozone generator. Ground level ozone is not a good thing in my experience.

Its not. Ozone can be toxic. Most of the heavy commercial ozone gens warn you to vacate the area during operation.

 

[J_J]

Ozone has some benefits, but also some not so good ones.

Some swimming pools use ozone generaters to help kill mold, etc.

Air pollution

There is a great deal of evidence to show that high concentrations of ozone, created by high concentrations of pollution and daylight UV rays at the Earth's surface, can harm lung function and irritate the respiratory system.[16][24] A connection has also been known to exist between increased ozone caused by thunderstorms and hospital admissions of asthma sufferers.[25] Air quality guidelines such as those from the World Health Organization are based on detailed studies of what levels can cause measurable health effects. Exposure to ozone and the pollutants that produce it has been linked to premature death, asthma, bronchitis, heart attack, and other cardiopulmonary problems. According to scientists with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), susceptible people can be adversely effected by ozone levels as low as 40 ppb.[26

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozone#Applications

 

[Skyco]

Just be aware excess ozone can do a number on plastic and rubber parts. I once read a story where a lady kept having to have belts replaced on her vcr...turns out she was running one of those home air purifiers that makes ozone and it was ruining the belts.

The RV...mist everything with Febreze and after it dries park it in the sun with the heater running....amazing what you can "bake" out.

 

[dmccarty]

My parents had a mold problem in the house. Once the water issue causing the mold was fixed there was still a smell. A contractor brought in an Ozone generator and the smell did go away.

Can you just get a big bucket of Baking Soda and leave it in the RV? Might try that since it might be cheaper.

Later,
Dan

 

[om21braz]

Years ago my dad told me that a collision repair shop he had worked used a hot plate inside the car with some vinegar heated & boiled to remove smells - even autos that involved deaths and some days between accident and finding the car.

 

[heehaw]

if you want to try the ozone generators, go on ebay, they have a large selection and some reasonable prices: i bought one that is sold locally for over $500 an paid way less than $200..as far as how it works, i don't know if its worth it or not?
heehaw

 

[Western]

We have one in the family I have used several times, for me, it works great, it leaves a "rain" smell after it has run. I have used it on a bathroom remodel that had black mold, worked perfect, we ran it about 5 hrs.

They are somewhat sensitive. (the inside elements) so you need you be somewhat gentle, ours has warning tags all over it to vacate or contain the area when it is running.

It is about the size of a med. suitcase, runs on 110v, so it is pretty mobile. My grandfather bought it to use in Hospice homes originally.

I personally would have no problem putting it in my car or rv, open the cabinets, all the doors and let her run for 4-5 hrs.

 

[dirt ditch]

I built one a few years back following the instructions off a long lost website to see if it would eliminate odors and mold out of the basement of a house we were moving into. Only used it a few times while it was plugged into a timer. Think cleaning and painting did more good than that generator. Made it with the glass out of a cheap picture frame and two 4X6 inch pieces from an old metal screen out of a storm window. Got a neon sign transformer off ebay. Had to find it tonight to see if it still worked. It generates a huge amount of ozone. Not something to play around with, in just the short time it was running to take the dark photos it was already starting to affect me. The camera was unable to catch the full purple glow of the corona discharge in the dark but you can still see the brightest points of it. First dark picture is a front view second is the glass edge on.

 

[dfeck]

Some feedback, I did go out and rent the ozone generator. I must admit it really didn't work as well as I hoped it would. It did get rid of some of the smell but it didn't get rid of it all. I ran it multiple times and aired it out between sessions. I did a couple of shock treatments along with 6-8 hours of very low setting treatments. It may work with other types of smells but for moth balls it's marginal at best.

Thanks,
Doug

 

[zzvyb6]

An ozone generator is considered to be an anti-bacterial agentmnot aan organic solvent remover. Careful, ozone can be a problem for asthma sufferers. You need something like baking soda to 'adsorb' the chemical. Not 'absorb', its 'adsorb', where the molecules cling to the adsorbing agent, then you remove the agent from the viscinity.

Sprinkle some baking soda in the area and then vacuum it up in a few days.

 

[The Haymaker]

Many cleaning services use ozone generators cleaning indoors.

Someone mentioned Febreeze. The stuff is a miracle compound in large doses.

You can also throw Snuggle fabric softener sheets everywhere. They work well over a short period too.

Bottom line is the RV is gonna smell like it spent a lot of time behind the brothels in Los Vegas!

 

[Willl]

It generates a huge amount of ozone.

I didn't think you could 'see' ozone ?, and if you can't see it how do you know "It generates a huge amount" ?

 

[dirt ditch]

I Never said you could see ozone even though it is visible in large concentrations. With the generator running, it is creating enough ozone that the pale blue gas is visible within an 1/8" of the glass plate with the room lights on. As fare as "generating a huge amount", well, the screens are wired directly to the transformer. There is nothing to control the voltage so it runs at the full 5,000 volts. After a few seconds or so of turning the generator on, the ppm count is climbing high enough you can't stand to be in the same room with it.

Wikipedia describes the physical reactions better than I can:

Most people can detect about 0.01 ppm of ozone in air where it has a very specific sharp odor somewhat resembling chlorine bleach. Exposure of 0.1 to 1 ppm produces headaches, burning eyes, and irritation to the respiratory passages. Even low concentrations of ozone in air are very destructive to organic materials such as latex, plastics, and lungs.

Want to learn more, here is the link.

Ozone - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[dirt ditch]

I was not as clear in my description of the ozone gas in the former post as I wanted. Lost our water pressure while typing a response so had to run. The well is working again so here is a more detailed response.

The purple glow of the corona discharge is visible in the first 1/8" off the glass/screen plate. The concentration of ozone being created is high enough it is visible as a pale blue gas that surrounds the plate out to about 1/2" from its surface. The color is so faint my camera did not pick it up with the flash but it is there.

I basically built the thing just to see if it worked. The neon sign transformer was 5 bucks + shipping on ebay. Cost of the glass plate, screens, and hot glue was nothing. Took 10 minutes to build, then plugged it in to a timer I already had. Saved $400-500, the cost of a manufactured generator just to see what it does.