What Is Ozone?
Ozone is "active oxygen", nature's special element. (Each ozone molecule consists of three oxygen atoms.)
Ozone is a natural purifier.
Ozone is created in nature by the combination of oxygen in air and the ultraviolet rays of the sun or by the corona discharge during a lightning storm.
Ozone has a clean, fresh scent noticed after a rainstorm.
Ozone is the most powerful oxidizer safely used.
Ozone is the alternative water purifier to traditional chemicals such as chlorine and bromine.
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 Is Healthy
Ozone leaves no chemical by-products in water.
Ozone leaves no chemical taste or smell.
Ozone will not burn eyes or make them red or irritated.
Ozone will not irritate or dry out skin, nose, or ears.
Ozone will not leave a chemical film on material or skin.
Ozone will not discolor or damage hair or clothing.
Ozone adds no contaminants or by-products to water.
Ozone rids water and air of unhealthy microorganisms.
Ozone is NOT a carcinogen.
Where Is Ozone Used?
In 1906, Nice, France built the first water purification plant to use ozone.
Los Angeles, California has the largest ozone drinking water treatment plant in the world.
Most bottled water is purified by ozone.
Ozone is used to clean waste water and toxic waste.
Ozone purifies water in well and home drinking water systems.
Ozone systems have brought life back to "dead" contaminated lakes and pools.
Ozone is used to purify air in hotel rooms, boats, RVs, cars, and smoke/fire damaged structures.
Ozone is used in thousands of residential and commercial pools and spas all over the world.
Key Benefits
Reduce traditional chemical (chlorine/bromine) use 60%-90%
Reduce handling and storage of unsafe chemicals
Eliminate constant repurchase of chemicals
Eliminate red, irritated eyes
Eliminate dry, itchy skin
Eliminate costly replacement of faded swimwear
Eliminate foul chlorine/chloramine odors
Eliminate foaming/"bathtub ring"
Eliminate environmental worries
Ozone Is Safe for the Environment as well as Equipment
Ozone will not explode.
Ozone is not a fire hazard.
In the dose required for excellent purification, ozone does not produce harmful fumes.
Ozone will not damage plumbing fittings or pipes.
Ozone Is Convenient in Pools and Spas
Ozone does not have to be purchased or stored. Ozone is generated "on site" and is introduced into the water or air automatically.
Ozone does not affect the pH balance of water, thus minimizing pH adjustments.
Ozone helps reduce total dissolved solids in water so that the water does not have to be changed as often.
Ozone eliminates much of the routine maintenance because it does such an effective job keeping the water clean.
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Information About Chloramines
When any type of chlorine is added to water, it usually forms hypochlorous acid (HOCl - the most powerful killing form of chlorine in water) and hypochlorite ion (OCl-), a relatively weak form of chlorine in water. The percentage of HOCl and OCl- is determined by the pH of the water. As the pH goes up, less of the chlorine is in the killing form and more of the chlorine is in the weaker form. The total of HOCl and OCl- is the free available chlorine.
Chlorine can combine with ammonia and nitrogen compounds in the water to form chloramines, sometimes called combined chlorine. By combining with ammonia and nitrogen, free chlorine in the water is disabled. Chloramines are 60 to 80 times less effective than free chlorine. Chloramines are formed any time ammonia and nitrogen are in the water. Some of the ammonia and nitrogen compounds are introduced into the water by swimmers and bathers in the form of perspiration, urine, saliva, sputum and fecal matter. An active swimmer sweats one pint per hour. The average person sweats three pints per hour in a heated spa. Ammonia and nitrogen compounds are also introduced into the water by rain. Each drop of rain has some dissolved nitrogen from our atmosphere and from automobile emissions.
Chloramines smell bad. This is the smell most often associated with pools and spas in health clubs and YMCAs. Chloramines are eye and skin irritants, and they cloud the water.
Chloramines can be removed from the water by the following three methods:
By adding a mega-dose of chlorine. Usually 3 to 6 times more chlorine than a normal dose is added to the water, or the level of chlorine is raised to 5 to 10 ppm and held there for 4 hours. This is called superchlorination. To remove chloramines, the ratio of chlorine to ammonia must be at least 7.6 to 1. If this ratio is not obtained, then more chloramines will be produced. Swimmers and bathers should not enter the water until the level of chlorine has dropped to 3 ppm or less.
By adding a non-chlorine shock to the water. The most common chemical used for this is potassium peroxymonosulfate. This ?shocking? requires the addition of one pound of shock for each 10,000 gallons of pool water.
By adding ozone to the water. If an ozone generator is installed on a pool or spa, then oxidation of the ammonia and nitrogen compounds will take place whenever the ozone system is operating. The longer the system operates, the more the ozone can destroy the ammonia and nitrogen. Although most ozone systems operate only when the pool or spa pump is operating, there are 24-hour systems available which will continously oxidize ammonia and nitrogen as they enter the water.
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.
· Ozone Generator: The US Spa Ozone System starts with the ozone generator. The ozone generator we use on our US Spa is a CD chip ozone generator developed by DEL Industries. The CD stands for Corona Discharge, which produces ozone by passing air through a corona. As the air passes through the corona it causes the two oxygen atoms (in normal oxygen molecule O2) to split into two free roaming oxygen atoms (O1). Then one of the free roaming oxygen atoms collides with a normal oxygen molecule (O2) and attaches itself, creating an ozone molecule (O3). And this is ozone, the addition of an extra highly accelerated oxygen atom to the normal oxygen molecule (O2). The third oxygen atom (O1) is the oxidizer that will attack the bacteria's cell wall, and neutralizing it.
· Corona Discharge Replaces Older Ultra-Violet Ozone Technology: Many spa manufacturers still use the old ultra-violet (UV) technology to generate ozone gas. UV is less efficient than the new corona discharge technology and eliminates the need for the spa owner to replace expensive UV bulbs.
· Ozone Injector: US Spa uses the patented Mazzei® Ozone Injector to start our ozone purification system. The patented design of the Mazzei® Ozone Injector receives the filtered water and is pushes it through the injector body, where it then creates a vacuum that pulls the ozone gas from the ozone generator and mixes the gas and water together in the Mazzei® mixing chamber that breaks the ozone gas into small gas bubbles to help increase the purification of the water.
Ozone Floor Jet/Drain: After the mixture of ozone gas and water has exited the mixing chamber, the final destination is to reenter the spa's main body of water. The mixture enters the spa through the Ozone Floor Jet/Drain, which is located at the bottom-center of the spa. By introducing the mixture to the bottom of the spa, this gives the ozone gas the last place to fuse the remaining ozone gas with the water. You will be able to see the bubbles travel up from the Ozone Floor Jet/Drain at the bottom of the spa to the surface. The Ozone Floor Jet/Drain is also the bottom drain. When you drain your US Spa the water goes out through this drain. If a spa has a bottom drain and the ozone is not entered there, the drain line itself becomes a “Dead Zone” holding water that will NEVER be circulated and can be an incubator for bacteria.
