Last try at DIY ozone "reactor"...

JustinReef

JustinReef

New member
I keep hearing about using a long length of tubing to create a long reaction time between the water and ozone. Seems very simple but I have a bunch of questions...

1. How is this set up? Something like a mag 5 or 7 hooked up to the tubing? Then how is the ozone mixed in?

2. Obviously the return from the pump should run through carbon but is there anywhere in this method that ozone can mix with the air and need carbon as well?

3. How much and what kind of tubing is best?

4. Any other tips on setting this kind of thing up?


Its been hard to get any info on this type of set up. I did read the article in reefkeeping that touches on this but I would like to hear more and even see some pics. I wanted to build an actual reactor but Im thinking that since Im not the best DIY guy, this may be much easier. If this does nto work though, I guess I will just buy a reactor :(

Thanks.
 
I've not heard of this, however seems like you could make one pretty easily similar to a denitrator.

Get 50' icemaker line from HD.
Get a 12" length of 2-3" PVC pipe.
Get a small powerhead that accepts an airline.
Wrap icemaker line around outside of PVC pipe. I used hot water to make it bend/mold easily and then ran cold water to harden it.

Run ozone into ph with some line.
Run ph output to 50' line.
Fit end of 50' line to one end of PVC pipe.
Fit other end of PVC with tubing back to wherever you want it too go. Use a threaded cap on one end to make carbon replaceable.
Adjust/restrict ph flow as desired.

Should work. Heck, just get a 1" piece of pipe and make a smaller refillable carbon canister and place your 50' loop of line somewhere.

I just played with PVC today for the first time and made a durso today. Its so easy and cheap its hard to believe.
 
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Yeah that sounds good actually. Pretty simple.

So if I am correct, you are saying to wrap the line around the PVC and then have the output (end) of the line drain into the PVC where the carbon would be and then back to the sump?

OR

Just basically have the powerhead supply the line that is placed somewhere (like behind the stand) and then have the output of the line run through a small carbon canister made of PVC?

I guess either way, its as simple as getting the PH to pump water into the line with the ozone connected to the airline and then have the return from the line run through carbon...

Will the powerhead leak ozone at all into either the water or air?

I am assuming once ozone hits the water, it cannot get back into the air, so if the powerhead is underwater already, you just have to worry about the water being filtered through carbon and not the air???
 
What kind of powerhead would you guys recommend for a 50' coil of 3/4" line? It needs to be ok to use with ozone and accept an airline.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11379193#post11379193 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by justinpsmith
Oh and is that ice maker line ozone safe? What is it made of?
Click to expand...

Nope not ozone safe but will last about 6 months so if you use it put it in a buck to catch the water when it lets go. You need 1/2 but better yet 3/4 and a big venturi and pump.

Don
 
I used some of the 1/4" LDPE tubing from buckeye field supply for my reef and refrigerator water, my bad.
Go there and get some line, its cheap.
Also,
http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cach...dpe&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=9&gl=us&client=firefox-a
And I'd try to use the smallest powerhead possible to start with. I think I used an aquaclear 70 on my denitrator, so something about that size should be good. Remember, you want the longest contact time, but don't go overboard with 150'.

Ideally, you want to know the dwell time/contact time of the water.
Once you get it built, time how long it take for some colored water to run from input to carbon. I just take a turkey baster full of food coloring and squirt it at the ph input while its running in 5g bucket.

The smaller the ph, the longer the contact time. The aquaclear 70 probably had 15-20 seconds contact time through 50' when it was throttled down.

I guess the thing to do besides all the testing is just figure out the internal volume of your length of tubing, and size a ph to push that amount through in a minute or minute and a half.
 
Ok thanks, sounds good. I have some older PH's laying around and will test them out. Im still worried about using ozone with them though. I guess as long as they are made of ABS like a lot are, it should be fine for a decent period of time.

Can anyone answer my question about the maxi-jet? Would it be safe to inject ozone right into the venturi option you have with them? Basically the same as if you wanted air injected but with ozone and of course using ozone safe tubing?
 
Small power heads will not push enough water through a roll of 1/4 tubing nor will they drive a venturi. You need a bigger pump.

Don
 
hmmmm

I think you are way over thinking it and this is where K.I.S.S. is best applied here...keep it simple and stupid.

reactors 12 to 24 inches in length work very well with about 3 inches diameter with regular bio-balls with 50 to 200 GPH and air pump through the ozone generator or venturi with the 200 plus gph.

The screwing around with tubing is just not required and will not achieve any advantage and just complicates things.

a 3 inch PVC pipe with an in and out and a couple screw in clean outs and you're done. And cheap at that.

I find that using venturi's off of skimmers is the most efficient use of pump power and dual use. The pump running skimmer with it's venturi pulls and mixes ozone for you when the timer or controller turns ozone generator off and on. Pretty simple....pretty stupid....But very effective. I've been dosing ozone for years and I find that to be the best. Not all systems are the same, but I work this setup type into my systems during design phase.

Good Luck with whatever direction you head.
 
So are you talking about using a pump with a venturi and just hooking the ozone up to the venturi and having that pump the ozone and water into the reactor? Don't you need the ozone and water to have different inputs so that the chamber can be pressurized somewhat. For example, you would never adjust the flow from the pump that is pumping water into the chamber but instead the valve allowing ozone in, if you wanted to change the water level in the chamber. Because of course you only want a few inches of water in the bottom of the reactor.

Anyways, Im not so sure this is simple in anyway. A coil of tubing is much more so, cheaper and does have a big advantage...contact time.

If one was to build an ozone reactor, how is the output set up? I see most have an output back near the top of the reactor. How does the water get back up to the output at the top if the water level is only a few inches?

For example:

o2reactor.gif


Is this basically what you mean?

Now you have me thinking again...I did really want to have a reactor behind my tank instead of a huge mess of tubing...
 
Since I did not post the explanation of the diagram, here it is. Im sure its simple enough for most to see right away what is going on anyways though :)

A. Input for ozone
B. Water input from pump
C. Water output
D. Lid
E. Eggcrate to keep bioballs in place
F. Bottom
G. Water???
H. Bioballs
I. Ozone rich water!

So its really how water gets back up to C. that I am confused about. Just pressure?
 
Bioball ozone reactors dont work well as soon as o3 colides with a bioball you loose the third molecule. Simply put, O3 is what you could call fragile. You need to be real nice to it in order to get good contact time.

Don
 
Yeah thats pretty much what I have been told and why people suggest going with the tubing. Im really confused right now with what to do...I really want to set this up today because I have no time after this weekend. Plus, I have been researching and debating for weeks now!

So instead of bioballs, would a simple reactor like a phosban reactor work? Especially if its like 3' tall or something. Using a venturi still to mix the ozone with the water...

Sorry if that sounds like a stupid idea but I am having secind thoughts about all the tubing behind my tank and another large pump in my sump...
 
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