ozone systems

[hoss]

What is the general feeling on ozone systems? Worth while ,if so do you just buy a simple system or a more advanced system...  

[Spatech_tuo]

What is the general feeling on ozone systems?
 

There is no "general feeling". I am big on them, others are middle of the road and some may not be fans. For what its worth, if you get one I'd get a CD version which while it may be more costly, it will not require a bulb change every 1½ yrs and it puts out far more ozone than the UV type.

[stabone]

Hoss, Spa tech is right, Cd ozone is by far a better ozone system. UV bulbs decrease in output until till they burnout, after the first 100 hrs of use they are producing 40% less.
  Also, ozone sytems that run on a circ pump are nice, because they are always putting ozone in the water. One nice feature and advantage in a tub that runs on a circ pump, because even there standard ozone systems are producing ozone all the time.
 Talk to Trevor about our Peak Ozone System, it is a Cd system with it's own circ pump, and features a mixing chamber that allows the ozone to enter the water in a liquid form, as opposed to a gas. This is suppossed to increase contact time and concentration. If you want more info on this, send a message to JP Keirstead  on this site, he can give more of a scientific explenation  of ozone.  I am sure there are others on here that can give you some good input. Chas, seems to be pretty knowledgable on ozone from what I have read on other ozone topics.

[Vinny]

Stabone,

Can you explain about  how ozone enters the water as a liquid. Everything that I've read indicates (at least I thought) that ozone gets generated and bubbled into the water through a venturi. I am aware that some manufacturers, D1 as a standard and Artesian as an upgrade use a mixing chamber to have the ozone gas mix with the water longer to ensure maximum absorption into the water.  But I believe that the ozone that's in the water is short lived  - something like 20 to 40 seconds.

Although I have put a deposit and am waiting to get my tub, I am interested in learning more about the system you're talking about.

Thanks,

Vinny

[Winnsome]

I found this on Artesians website.  It explains a little about ozone.  Doesn't answer fully your questions though Vinny.

What is Ozone?


The ancient Hebrew meaning is the breath of god. Webster defines it as: 1. Oxygen with a sharp, clean smell, produced by an electrical discharge in the atmosphere. 2. Pure air.
It is created naturally during thunder and lightning storms with concentration levels triple the allowable limit, as set by the EPA. It is created electronically or through ultraviolet light by converting molecules of oxygen into three molecules. Its also referred to as activated oxygen, allotropic oxygen or triatomic oxygen.
Being an unstable gas, its life is about 20 minutes, depending on the temperature. After completing its job, it reverts back to oxygen.


Ozone occurs naturally in the environment. In nature oxygen is released from plants and sea plankton during photosynthesis. Oxygen floats upward into the atmosphere and in turn is converted into activated oxygen by ultraviolet radiation. When you look up at the sky, the ozone layer is what makes it blue. It blocks out the harmful UV rays that cause skin cancer.


The production of allotropic oxygen is dependent on the amount of the suns energy. This explains the hole in the ozone layer over the poles in the winter months when there is a lack of sunshine.
Ozone has a distinctive smell that has been used to purify water since 1893. It can also be used in air conditioning for sanitation and to deodorize along with many medical applications. The first time ozone was used in food preservation was in the early 1900 in a Cologne meat packing house.
Activated oxygen is most essential in meeting the high demand for safe food, and with the extension of shelf-life will provide less waste of food products. Its use leaves no toxic by-products or residues and is non-carcinogenic. It is anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-parasitic, anti-tumor, antiviral and better for health.
Activated oxygen, being heavier than oxygen, is carried in down drafts into the lower atmosphere. As it falls it oxidizes any pollutant or contaminate with which it comes into contact, turning it into a safer compound.
Chlorine is the main compound that reduces the ozone layer in the upper atmosphere. When it comes into contact with water vapor during storms it forms hydrogen peroxide. This is why plants flourish better with rainwater than with irrigation water. This is natures way of cleaning the environment.
Natural concentrations can vary between .01 to .05 parts per million, depending on geographic location, altitude and season. The cycle of activated oxygen is just like the cycle of water in nature. It is created by waterfalls and oceans surf. This accounts for the calm and the relaxed feeling enjoyed while at the beach or in the mountains.


Triatomic oxygen is second only to fluoride as the most powerful oxidizer or oxidant in the world for sanitation. It's the most powerful, natural sanitizer readily available. It will break down most chemicals into that chemicals basic naturally-occurring component parts. After time they are eventually broken down into h2o, carbon dioxide, sulfur, nitrogen and oxygen.

What Does Ozone Do?


* The Ozone layer in the atmosphere protects the earth from deadly radiation.
* Ozone destroys bacteria, viruses, mold, and mildew.
* Ozone eliminates spores, cysts, yeast, and fungus.
* Ozone oxidizes iron, sulfur, manganese and hydrogen sulfate.
* Ozone eliminates oils and other contaminants in water.
* Ozone eliminates odors in air, such as smoke.
* Ozone keeps water clean and sparkling clear.
* Ozone keeps water fresh.

Ozone oxidizes soap, deodorant, hair spray, cologne, makeup, perfume, body lotion, hand cream, sun tan lotion, saliva and urine. In addition, ozone kills all pathogenic bacteria, germs and viruses. Ozone takes care of the big job of oxidizing all these organic contaminants. Ozone frees up the combined chlorine, thus leaving the chlorine free to provide a residual. Ozone ultimately enhances the performance of chlorine and bromine.
Less chlorine or bromine will be needed to maintain a residual. Commonly, ozone reduces chlorine or bromine use by 60-90 percent. The quality of water will be dramatically better with the combination of ozone and chlorine or the combination of ozone and bromine than with chlorine and bromine alone.

[Vinny]

Thanks Winnsome,

I do understand how ozone works but I've never heard of it entering water as a liquid form.

Actually, after talking to my dealer, I decided not to get the mixing chamber.  The dealer's opinion was ozone's effectiveness (not very) didn't warrant the extra expense of the mixing chamber.

As for myself, my opinion is that it probably doesn't do very much for hot tubs at this time based on what I've read. After doing some research on-line about ozone it seems that the "standard" ozonator circuit in hot tubs is nothing like a water disinfection ozonator. Once I get my tub I will learn if I'm correct or not.

BTW, if I'm correct you have a Grand Bahama from Artesian. My dealer insists that I only have to run the ozonator 8 hours (2x4 hours) a day - do you run yours 24/7 or for shorter periods?

Thanks again!

[Mendocino101]

About UV Ozone systems it is not the bulb that burns out it is the Ballast....some manufactures who use a plasma cell instead of the Ballast have found it to put the exact same amount of ozone for what would amount to 7 years of use with no maintence.....

[Winnsome]

Vinny, my dealer said exactly the same thing.  Save your money.  So I never ordered one either.  We just love our Grand Bahama.  Been three months, one water change and still use it every night, except for me for 2 weeks while I had cataract surgery, now completed and my wife who just had a cornea transplant a week and a half ago.  She has 2 more weeks too wait.  But our married son, our youngest who is living with us, wife and 1 year old, use it everyday as well.  Sure puts my grandchild to sleep very well.