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Q.WHAT IS OZONE?
A. Ozone was first discovered in the 1840's and is
nature's natural purifier. It is a chemical known as O³ and is produced, in nature, from
lightning bolts during electrical storms (it's clean, fresh scent is often noticed after a
heavy rain) and by ultra violet rays from the sun . When these rays enter earth's
atmosphere, the oxygen in the upper atmosphere is converted into ozone. This is how
earth's ozone layer is created. The special ultra violet rays of the sun are simply
duplicated using special ultra violet lamps. When air is passed by these lamps, the oxygen
is converted into ozone.Ozone is a form of oxygen also known as "active oxygen".
It is a natural purifier, created by combining three oxygen atoms and is a strong
cleaning, purification and oxidizing agent. As it reacts with organics it oxidizes
unpleasant odors, kills germs, bacteria and viruses.
Ozone does not leave contaminants in the water that smell, look or taste bad nor does
ozone leave potentially hazardous by-products such as chloramines that can irritate your
eyes, dry out your skin, fade swimwear, and damage pool and spa or water storage
equipment. In fact, unused ozone reverts back to life-giving oxygen.
By combining the ultraviolet rays from the sun with the air we breathe, ozone is
naturally generated . In 1906, the city of Nice, France, built the first municipal water
purification plant using ozone. Today, there are over 2,000 plants worldwide using ozone
to purify drinking water.
Q.WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF OZONE?
A.Unlike other sanitizers ozone leaves no unpleasant odors
or residual chemicals in your spa. Typically, you can go much longer between water changes
not to mention reducing your maintenance time and chemical consumption by up to 90%. Ozone
eliminates the problems of red and irritated eyes, dry skin, faded swim wear and other
problems associated with chlorine and bromine. Ozone also has no effect on the chemical
balance of your spas water and will even help in the removal of dissolved minerals, oils
and lotions.
Q.WHY DOES OZONE KILL ODORS, GERMS,
BACTERIA AND VIRUSES?
A. One of the oxygen atoms has a weak bond and readily
wants to transfer electrons. This allows for the transfer of electrons between the
contaminant and the ozone molecule. As a consequence, the ozone molecule will come apart.
When the single oxygen atom combines with the other organic substances it oxidizes them
causing them to be destroyed and eliminated from the water or air. The by-product of this
oxidation process is 0, which is oxygen.
Q. WHAT IS MEANT BY OXIDATION?
A. Oxidation means that a substance undergoes a chemical
change resulting in a different substance. A common example of this is rust.
Q. WHAT HAPPENS
TO OZONE AFTER IT SERVES IT'S PURPOSE?
A. When it combines with the other organic substances it
oxidizes them causing them to be destroyed and eliminated from the water or air. The
byproduct of this oxidation process is simple life-giving oxygen.
Q. HOW LONG DOES OZONE LAST?
A. The rate at which ozone lasts varies. In air it is
directly related to the temperature, altitude, humidity, weather conditions, and
availability of reactive substances. Ozone begins to decompose instantly, however it has a
half life of 20 to 100 minutes in dry air, at which time it converts back to oxygen if no
organic substances are present. In water the rate at which ozone lasts is directly related
to temperature and organic content in the water.
Q. HOW DOES OZONE COMPARE WITH CHLORINE
OR BROMINE?
A. Unlike chlorine and bromine, ozone leaves no harmful
byproducts or odors in your water. Additionally, ozone is the strongest commercially
available disinfectant, yet very safe, and over 3000 times faster than chlorine for
purifying water and is more effective for elimination of e. coli, giardia, legionnella,
and cryptosporidium.
Q. IF I USE OZONE IN MY SPA WATER, WILL
I STILL NEED TO USE CHLORINE?
A. Ozone is very effective as a sanitizer, however because
of the low doses being produced along with ozone's short life span ,it is improbable that
there will be a residual of sanitizer in the water, therefore, it is recommended that you
maintain a 1 PPM residual of chlorine to prevent typical algae problems. With ozone, you
will notice that you reduce chlorine or bromine use 60% - 90%, water will feel soft and
silky and you won't have problems with faded swimwear, red / irritated eyes, or dry skin.
Reduced maintenance time and chemical usage will give you more time to enjoy your pool or
spa.
Q. WHAT SUBSTANCES DOES OZONE KILL?
A. Ozone is known to eliminate the following
substances:
- Bacteria - (such as E-coli, salmonella, streptococcus,
cholera) . These are micro-organisms about 1/100th the diameter of a human hair and are
relatively easy to kill.
- Viruses - (such as influenza, poliovirus, hepatitis).
A virus is a parasitic, infectious microbe which can cause disease in humans.
- Parasites - (such as trichina worms, pinworms,
amoebae, nematodes and fungi). Parasite eggs are large in microscopic scale and relatively
easy to filter out, but are generally resistant to other disinfecting methods.
- Cysts - (such as cryptosporidium and giardia). Cysts
are protozoa that produce a special protective shell.
- Chemical by-products in water - such as chloramines
and trihalomethenes. Chemical water can leave undesirable odors and taste.
Q. AT WHAT LEVELS CAN PEOPLE BEGIN TO
SMELL OZONE?
A. Ozone has a sweet smell to it and can be noticed at
various levels depending upon their sensitivity, generally .003 to .015 PPM.
Q. ISN'T OZONE A POLLUTANT?
A. Ozone pollution or smog pollution alerts are not the
same. This pollution is caused by UV waves striking oxides of nitrogen from auto exhaust
and factory emissions.
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