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woodsroad

woodsroad

Lifer
Oct 10, 2013
13,014
22,151
SE PA USA
OC5-vi.jpg

I just finished the prototype of a DIY Ozone Chamber.
Using an inexpensive ChinaBay ozone plate as the core, I cobbled together the rest of the mechanism using stuff that I had lying around, and mounted it on a ZipLoc storage box from WallyWhirld.
OC2-vi.jpg

The ozone plate is rated at 5gr/hr. It is mounted in a 6x6 conduit box, along with a muffin recirculating fan. The fan draws air in from the container, over the plate, and expels it back out into the container. The box is sealed. Lighted switches allow for the independent control of the fan and the ozone plate.
OC4-vi.jpg

OC1-vi.jpg

Originally, there weren't any switches. But I've turned the plate on for a second, and in that time it puts out enough ozone that I have to open the windows in the 12x20 room to get some fresh air in. It looks like this setup could gas a much bigger container. So the plan is to close the box, turn on the fan, then run the plate for a few seconds. I may need to add an intervalometer that will switch the plate on and off at a set interval.
I'll be gassing some pipes in the next couple of days....

 
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cortezattic

cortezattic

Lifer
Nov 19, 2009
15,147
7,642
Chicago, IL
That's really neat! :clap:

If you had to do it over, what would you do differently?

Also, will the ozone eventually ruin the plastic crate? I heard it can destroy fabrics over long periods of time,

which is why some folks don't recommend continuous use ozone air purifiers.

 
ghost

ghost

Lifer
May 17, 2012
2,001
4
That is awesome! Please keep us posted on the results.
I'd like to make something similar once I'm finished my Weather Machine(tm)...

 
woodsroad

woodsroad

Lifer
Oct 10, 2013
13,014
22,151
SE PA USA
Thanks, Cortez.
Once I start using it, I'll post updates. As of now, the only change that I see would be to use a smaller ozone plate and clean up the construction a bit. Maybe mount the sealed ozone plate/blower box outside of the container, and condense the mechanism down to one unit (instead of a separate switch enclosure). The ozone plate does have to be segregated from the switches, though. Ozone, in high concentrations, is explosive/flammable. Now, if the ozone degrades the plastic, I'll have some other choices to make. Right now, there are several materials exposed to the ozone: Stainless steel hardware, silicone insulated wire, painted aluminum (fan), Polyolefin heat shrink, and two types of PVC plastic. We'll see how it all fares. If the fan has problems, I'll have to go to some kind of externally-mounted plastic squirrel cage blower.
In addition, I have no idea how long, and at what intensity, to gas pipes. I have some old junker stinky pipes to practice on, though! Just flipping on the plate for a second was a choking experience. I'm going to start with running the plate for 3 seconds, and the fan for an hour or two, and see what happens.

 
woodsroad

woodsroad

Lifer
Oct 10, 2013
13,014
22,151
SE PA USA
One other point: Ozone gas needs moisture in order to function as a deodorizer. My plan right now is to put a big sponge in the container with the pipes, or maybe a damp towel spread out. If the sponge or towel don't hold up, I'll have to cobble an ultrasonic humidifier into the design.

 
tbradsim1

tbradsim1

Lifer
Jan 14, 2012
9,219
11,877
Southwest Louisiana
Wood, that's excellent engineering , maybe a timer on the ozone plate? I used my room ozone , small one, cut cardboard box and used it to direct airflow , suspended pipe with a string in front and set it to lowest setting, ran it for 6 hrs, It was way too much. Pipe had a floral taste, loaded it with Carter Hall and floral taste was gone. But Man you are so Hi Tec than my Rube Goldberg attempt.

 
woodsroad

woodsroad

Lifer
Oct 10, 2013
13,014
22,151
SE PA USA
Thanks, Bradley.
I have my father to thank for that. He was always building something for the hospital lab that he ran. My first paying job was going in to work with him on a Saturday and dismantling old equipment. He's have me break it down to parts and hardware, sort it and store it in a multitude of (recycled) small plastic boxes. Then he's build something else out of it. I still have some of those boxes, hand labeled by me in the early 70's.
The blower in the ozone chamber came out of some lab equipment. It is dated 1973.
Tell me about your ozone unit. Does it have any kind of rating on it? Why do you think that 6 hours was too much?
-Dan

 
tbradsim1

tbradsim1

Lifer
Jan 14, 2012
9,219
11,877
Southwest Louisiana
I"ll look at the Data plate and zip you off the specs, I did not have it contained and it filled the room too much, it's a small portable unit I bought off Amazon and works but sometimes too good, can't leave it on too long.

 
peckinpahhombre

peckinpahhombre

Lifer
Dec 24, 2012
7,195
463
I think this is just about the coolest thing i have ever seen. Of course, if I ever tried this, I would go up like a Roman candle.

 
woodsroad

woodsroad

Lifer
Oct 10, 2013
13,014
22,151
SE PA USA
7-vi.jpg

Well, I couldn't wait to try it out.
I have a sealed ziploc bag of musty pipes. They are all nice Danish pipes, but they sat in someone's dank garage for too long, and they smell like...a dank Danish garage. I saturated two sponges with warm water (for humidity), put them on a plate, and in to the OC they went, along with the 4 pipes. Ran the fan and ozone generator plate and discovered that this container is not airtight. OK, revision needed there. Popped a couple of spring clamps on the sides, took it down to the 5th sub basement and let it run for 5 minutes. 5 minutes running is a lot of ozone gas. I switched off the ozone plate and left the fan running. I'll check on everything in the morning.

 
woodsroad

woodsroad

Lifer
Oct 10, 2013
13,014
22,151
SE PA USA
Well, Allan, funny that you should ask.
I just went down to the 5th sub-basement to check things out. If you recall, last night I had loaded the ozone chamber with 4 musty pipes and a couple of damp sponges. The ozone plate was run for 5 minutes and the fan ran overnight.
Results: Two of the pipes are almost odor free, two still have a bit of a musty smell, but the smell is greatly reduced. Prior to treating, they all smelled repulsively musty.
Back into the ozone chamber they went.

 
woodsroad

woodsroad

Lifer
Oct 10, 2013
13,014
22,151
SE PA USA
I have been informed by a friend that ozone has a half-life of one hour. That would explain why the pipes weren't fully deodorized. I had run the ozone plate for a few minutes, but within the hour, only half of that ozone remained. I'll need to find a timer that will turn the plate on, once every hour, for a few minutes.

 
woodsroad

woodsroad

Lifer
Oct 10, 2013
13,014
22,151
SE PA USA
UPDATE
OK, here is what I've learned so far:
-Ozone has a half life of one hour, so the ozone plate has to be running all the time

-The ozone plate gets dirty and has to be cleaned

-Pipes need direct air impingement in order to deodorize.
A second boxer fan will be added to the chamber, laying flat, and pipes will go on top of the fan, bowl face down.
The four pipes that smelled like a dank Danish garage are now odor-free. I didn't ream or clean them before putting them in the chamber. Two of the pipes were odor-free in 12 hours (maybe sooner, I only checked them after 12 hours), two needed another 12 hours. The deodorization was sped up considerably once I directed air flow into the pipe bowls. More testing is needed.
That is all.

 
teufelhund

teufelhund

Lifer
Mar 5, 2013
1,497
3
St. Louis, MO
Really cool... Any chance you'll post some schematics? I get the gist of it, but for some reason all I can envision is a ducted hardware case... Maybe I'll have better luck at my bench with some materials in front of me. Very cool idea and I'm glad it's working for you.

 
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