#ozone system

Ozone injector installed. The little blue box is the ozone generator. Ozone goes through the blue tube, first going through a check valve, then through a Hartford Loop, then another check valve, then through the venturi, where water passing through pulls out ozone from the tube to take along for the ride.

5 Must Know Facts about Ozonators

Introduction

Activated oxygen most commonly known as Ozone is one of the most powerful disinfectants in the world that is widely used to kill harmful pathogens, bacteria, and bad odors. Ozone is naturally present in the atmosphere through ultra-violet rays that protects humans from harmful ultra-violet radiation. One of the easiest ways it is naturally created is when lightning occurs during thunderstorms. However, the ozone present in the ground level is considered dangerous for humans and can lead to a number of respiratory issues. The good ozone, though is a powerful oxidizer lasts for a very short period of time. It makes contact with the pathogens and destroys it through the oxidation process and reverts to its natural state, oxygen. Hence a need was identified to produce ozone onsite through ozone generators.

Facts About Ozonators

Ozonators, ozone machines, or ozone generators have been in vogue to harness the benefits of ozone in treating spas, water treatment plants, sewage treatment, swimming pools, indoor air, odors both in commercial and residential areas. Ozone is also used in the Food industry to keep food fresh. Ozonators are marketed as activated oxygen or air purifiers to purify the quality of indoor air. Ozone can be produced through corona discharge or ultra-violet radiation. While the benefits of ozone generators have been hugely touted, there are many disadvantages to using them which has been widely debated. In many provinces in the United States, there are strict regulations on the quality of air purifiers that can be sold in the market to ensure that ozone levels are not produced beyond the expected levels. Given the mixed reports, it is important to research the ozone generator of your choice before making the final purchase.

One of the biggest claims made by manufacturers is the ability of the ozone generator to cleanse polluted air. This is based on ozone’s ability to attach itself to the pathogen and destroy it. However, there is no clear evidence to support these claims. In the case of treating molds, ozone is required to be produced at unsafe levels to humans and hence ozone treatment is not recommended as an effective treatment for controlling molds. Similarly, while eliminating odors, while ozone is considered effective since it destroys the source, it has to be produced at levels exceeding 6 ppm, known as the ozone shock. This is because it is only at this level that ozone is at its maximum best. Ozone used in air treatment while effective in purifying the air does not remove allergens and is believed to be not very effective in the treatment of gaseous pollutants. Before you buy the generator, check for certifications such as NOAI approval and ratings to ensure it is of standard quality.

The Unconventional Guide to Industrial Ozone Generators

Introduction

Ozone is produced in the atmosphere by trapping the sun’s heat. The oxygen molecules are broken down through the sun’s ultra-violet (UV) radiation. This is also known as  where ozone is produced naturally through the chemical reactions between the UV rays and oxygen. However, ozone in the atmosphere lasts for a very short time and quickly dissolves. The latter is known to be an effective disinfectant for water treatment including swimming pools, and considered more effective than its popular alternative, chlorine.

Ozone is a very strong oxidant and is capable of destroying harmful pathogens, including odors and smoke. It is also used indoors to purify the air and surrounding environment. Ozone is also approved in food processing and pest management to remove contamination. Ozone generators were manufactured to produce ozone for a sustainable time and realize the benefits of ozone. Air cleaners on the other hand do not offer these capabilities.

Industrial Ozone Generators

There are many varieties of ozone generators or ozonators available in the market that produces ozone on location. The most common method of producing ozone includes the electric corona discharge and the use of ultra-violet irradiation of dry air. Industrial and commercial institutions including hotels, restaurants, condominiums, homes and hospitals to name a few examples, use odor-free industrial ozonators, also known as industrial ozone machines. In fact, because of its odorless, cleansing property, people might welcome the use of ozone in closed spaces rather than chemical deodorizers that can irritate the senses.

Further, a building can become odor free within a short period of time. Industrial ozone generators are also widely used in large water sewage treatment, including sanitization of liquids. Ozone enters the cell structures, breaks it down completely through the oxidization process. Moreover, because it is odorless and does not form organochlorine compounds, ozone is even directly produced in bottled water.

Industrial ozone generators offer a wide variety of benefits such as their ability to quickly remove odors without leaving any chemical deposits; comparatively safer due to its faster conversion time to oxygen; destroy molds and microorganisms in damp environments; last, but the not the least, ozone improves the quality of air in the environment in which it is used thus improving health and safety standards.

There are many types of industrial ozonators available in the market for different uses. The UV based ozonators are considered to have a better capacity to produce output in different humidity conditions while the corona dischargers experience a reduced production of ozone even under moderate humid conditions. The reduction is almost 40%-70%.

AVOID RESIDUAL OZONE IN YOUR SWIMMING POOL

With the advent of greater awareness of toxicity of chlorine among pool owners and users, it has become norm for requesting pool builders, ozone manufacturers, and other pool accessories suppliers to provide system that is chemical free. More often, pool builders, in their obligation to their clients, promise the clients chemical free systems.

Many fly-by-night sellers of ozone systems have taken advantage of this and have started to communicate that when you use ozone, you do not need chemicals such as chlorine. This is not correct, since a good pool- maintenance schedule will always comprise of addition of various other chemicals to the pool to bring about stabilization of the pool chemistry.

You can not avoid this. Ask any water chemist and he will vouch for this. With ozone swimming pool, the promise of ‘no chlorine’ in the pool is not correct. World over, there are standards of residual chlorine with or without ozone and this has never changed so far. Chlorine is required to perform disinfectant property where ozone can not. This is the truth.

Ozone is a toxic gas and needs to be handled well. When ozone is dissolved in the water, the ozone in the water can be stripped and this stripped ozone accumulates on the surface of the water. This ozone is inhaled by the swimmer. On prolong inhalation, this can lead to epithelial cell damage of the lungs.

Small amounts of ozone such as 0.05 ppm as claimed by many ozone manufacturers are not sufficient to treat the water in the pool. Why… because the pool is continuously contaminated by body oils, sweat, saliva, bird droppings, and to top it all 0.42 grams of fecal matter by all adult swimmers on an average.

These are undisputed facts. This small amount of ozone can not handle such contamination, and only residual chlorine can. Measurement of ozone accessories residual in the water is an expensive process and we can never control the residual even if we claim it is only 0.05 ppm.

Then Why Use Ozone at All? Chlorine is used only to perform residual disinfectant property in the pool water. All other anti-bacterial effects, anyviral effects, odour and taste removal, iron and manganese removal, reduction of Pseudomonas and Legionella in the pool, clarity to pool water, removal of bio films and keeping the pipes and the tanks clean, are all wonderful properties of ozone.

Can you ever have a chlorine free pool? The answer is ‘yes’. Instead of chlorine, we can use bromine disinfection which is as good as chlorine and lesser toxic than chlorine. When you use bromide salts in the pool, bromine is liberated in the pool by ozone (HOBr) and this acts in the same way as chlorine. After action, bromine is again concerted to bromide salts.

This bromine disinfection is quite popular abroad.In the indoorpools, that have an acclimatized environment,you can use ozone and can avoid residual chlorine, provided the dose of water treatment is appropriate. Also, if the bather load is very high, perhaps even residual chlorine may be required even in indoor pools.

The risk of using residual ozone goes beyond health. Most pool owners/ users are high net worth individuals, well informed and health conscious. Using ozone residual in the pool will lead to legal complications, against the pool builder, pool maintenance person, pool owner and also the ozone supplier.

This is best avoided if we stick to accepted pool treatment process. Claims that chlorine free pools are following German and Australian standards is totally wrong as both Australian and German standards require complete removal of ozone before it enters the pool and maintaining residual ozone at 0.5 ppm.

OZONE PRECAUTIONS IN SWIMMING POOLS

Introduction General opinion about ozone in the swimming pool industry is that ozone is a magical wand. Many ozone manufacturers make tall claims and this misleads the consultants, the pool builders and the end users.

The final result looks such that ozone does not seem to work, and the pool user is frustrated.Here are some of the precautions, which a consultant, architect, and pool builder should consider while recommending ozone to the pool owner.

Ozone Does Not Perform Magic With ozonation, you still need bit of chlorine, and pool cleaning activities like suction sweeping, filter back washing, scrubbing, etc. It is only the frequency of shock chlorination that comes down and daily usage of chlorine can be drastically reduced if the ozone system is designed well. Other activities should remain.

Low Ozone Dose Produces More Harmful Effects Pool users need to be careful here. A badly designed ozone system, and a low quality ozone generator (assembled ozone generators and UV lamp ozone systems) that generate very minute quantities of ozone (not known to the client), a badly designed ozone injection system, can all contribute to low ozone availability.

In these cases, actually the bacterial counts can increase which makes the chlorination ineffective. Algae blooms are very frequent in these pools since the ozone breaks down organics in the water and makes it more assimable for the algae and bacteria.

In fact,you need to use more chlorine than without ozonators. Pool users fall sick very often as the water is always contaminated.

Badly Designed Ventury Multiplies Problems Ventury is the heart of an ozone application and a bad ventury will add to the problems. Produced ozone needs to be introduced into the water and system design should guarantee more than 99% ozone mass transfer.

A local or a fabricated ventury can not guarantee this and, as a result, the ozone leaks within the plant room causing worries of ozone toxicity. This will also affect the pool ozonation process.

Care should be taken that apart from a good ozone generator, you need a good ozone injection system that includes a good ozone resistant pump and a good back flow preventer.

You Smell Ozone at 0.01 Grams per Hour Ozone is such a strong smelling gas that you nose can identify ozone as little as 0.01 grams per hour. This is 1000 times lower than the actual ozone you require for swimming pool ozonation.

It also means that just because you smell ozone, it does not ensure that the right quantity of ozone is being generated by the equipment. Most ozone suppliers do not have.

ozone measuring devises as each analyzer which can cost up to Rs. 5 lakhs. Buying ozone from the front benchers, fly-by- night operators, ozone assemblers add to this risk.

Only an established “Ozone Manufacturer” (not assembler) can guarantee you a time tested ozone machine, a fail-proof ozone injection design, a good service network and required technical support.

You Need Good Technical Support To recommend ozone,you need a good technical support. Ozone is a chemical process and requires thorough knowledge to design and subsequently trouble shoot if at all problems arising at a later stage.

The manufacturer should be aware of pool balancing methods essential for ozonation. This is the single most problematic issue during ozonation of swimming pools.

It may be noted that packaged water process require ozone in very small quantities.There are many small ozone manufacturers and dealers catering exclusively to these segments.