Ozone Generator

[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.