Who uses ozone?
- Thread starter Tom Berry
- Start date
RedEyeReef
Active member
o2manyfish said:
Dave, are you OK with this??? Using O3 when it is causing fires in your reef??? Fire and electricity/water scares the (you know what) out of me when it comes to my reef and my house.
Will running your water exiting the skimmer (that O3 is injected) through carbon (or anything else) takes the O3 out so is does not eat electrical cords? I was ready to add O3 to my system before learning this fact.
Does anyone else have this issue with O3 eating cords in their reef??? and what about the rubber seal for bulkheads???
Can others please comment on their systems with O3 and their rubber gaskets and cords being eaten by O3?
Dave... you are crazy. One flame in my reef and the O3 would be out of there.
Brad A.
Premium Member
O3 does not equal fires! We have to replace equipment when its damaged or worn out regardless of the source.
I've run O3 for a few years and have not had any fires and have only been shocked twice since 1989.
I havent observed O3 eating electrical cords but I have no doubts that it may. I believe I've had plastic tubes (with O3 in them) crack.
I've run O3 for a few years and have not had any fires and have only been shocked twice since 1989.
I havent observed O3 eating electrical cords but I have no doubts that it may. I believe I've had plastic tubes (with O3 in them) crack.
o2manyfish
o2manyfish
Red Eye,
Your mixing Water, Salt and Electricity -- Even without Ozone these three are very corrosive.
In time almost anything on a reef aquarium will fail.
The positives of Ozone outweigh the risks.
If I removed everything from my tank that had the potential to flame and smolder my tank would not be very successful. The following is a list of items that over the years have failed and caused electrical shorts, smolders or flames. In 15 years of my reef, I have used the fire extinguisher only once.... Boy did that make a mess.
Heaters (All makes)
GFI's
Extension Cords
Power Strips
T5 fixtures
LifeGaurd Pumps
Little Giant Pumps
Mag Pumps
Hagen Power heads
Ranco ETC controller
Ozonizers themselves
UV Units
Flourescent bulb end caps (waterproof and non)
There is a risk in this hobby. These items that failed are not rusty and salt encrusted... Recently (Last week) the connector inside my Ranco ETC (9month old) smoldered and melted with minor flames. This unit was several feet from any water or salt.
I have not had a problem with Ozone and my tank bulkheads.
Dave B
Your mixing Water, Salt and Electricity -- Even without Ozone these three are very corrosive.
In time almost anything on a reef aquarium will fail.
The positives of Ozone outweigh the risks.
If I removed everything from my tank that had the potential to flame and smolder my tank would not be very successful. The following is a list of items that over the years have failed and caused electrical shorts, smolders or flames. In 15 years of my reef, I have used the fire extinguisher only once.... Boy did that make a mess.
Heaters (All makes)
GFI's
Extension Cords
Power Strips
T5 fixtures
LifeGaurd Pumps
Little Giant Pumps
Mag Pumps
Hagen Power heads
Ranco ETC controller
Ozonizers themselves
UV Units
Flourescent bulb end caps (waterproof and non)
There is a risk in this hobby. These items that failed are not rusty and salt encrusted... Recently (Last week) the connector inside my Ranco ETC (9month old) smoldered and melted with minor flames. This unit was several feet from any water or salt.
I have not had a problem with Ozone and my tank bulkheads.
Dave B
RedEyeReef
Active member
So will running the skimmer exit water threw carbon take out ozone and keep cords and rubber gaskets from cracking? And any experience with bulkhead gaskets being effected by ozone?
o2manyfish
o2manyfish
Redeye,
Carbon works for removing some of the odor. But because Ozone is so unstable you can run the skimmer exit water through a cup of gravel and that is enough to break apart the o3 bond and remove the excess ozone.
Dave B
Carbon works for removing some of the odor. But because Ozone is so unstable you can run the skimmer exit water through a cup of gravel and that is enough to break apart the o3 bond and remove the excess ozone.
Dave B
RedEyeReef
Active member
Brad A. and Dave B. Thank you both for this info. I've had two Rioââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s fail, one did have smoke coming out of the water and needless to say I don't use Rio's now. And once because of lack of proper drip loops and an overflowing back filter I had some smoldering from a power strip that should of been located better. That is all in over 20 years of have saltwater tanks. I am very careful with the possibility of fire from my reef or for getting shocked and I do agree that saltwater is corrosive. And once I did get shocked from dropping a light in my reef while cleaning it and my reflex to grab the light landed me on the floor clutching my heart. Not fun.
Since you two have a lot of experience with ozone, I am redesigning my sumps right now and plan on having two separate sumps. One of the sumps containing ozone being ran threw a skimmer. What can I do to get out as much ozone as possible to prevent, as much as possible, ozone from getting to my power cords in the other sump?
Thank you both for your time and experience.
Since you two have a lot of experience with ozone, I am redesigning my sumps right now and plan on having two separate sumps. One of the sumps containing ozone being ran threw a skimmer. What can I do to get out as much ozone as possible to prevent, as much as possible, ozone from getting to my power cords in the other sump?
Thank you both for your time and experience.
o2manyfish
o2manyfish
Red eye,
You don't need 2 separate sumps. If you can configure your skimmer effluent to dump over a container of gravel, you will knock out most of the excess ozone.
Also if you goto a local computer store and try to fine a 4 to 6" 220v computer fan. Then hook it up to 110. Direct the flow from the fan at your skimmer. It will silently circulate the and prevent the build up of ozone in the sump area.
And just make sure that the skimmer effluent does not fall onto any equipment. Because of the size of my sump the skimmer dumps water onto it's own pumps and that of my fluidized bed. So the 3 pumps are constantly bathed in heavily ozonated water.
Dave B
You don't need 2 separate sumps. If you can configure your skimmer effluent to dump over a container of gravel, you will knock out most of the excess ozone.
Also if you goto a local computer store and try to fine a 4 to 6" 220v computer fan. Then hook it up to 110. Direct the flow from the fan at your skimmer. It will silently circulate the and prevent the build up of ozone in the sump area.
And just make sure that the skimmer effluent does not fall onto any equipment. Because of the size of my sump the skimmer dumps water onto it's own pumps and that of my fluidized bed. So the 3 pumps are constantly bathed in heavily ozonated water.
Dave B
RedEyeReef
Active member
Dave B, thank you for that explanation of your sump. I feel better now. Before when I was reading your list of dead equipment, I was concerned about the number of pumps/cords you went through. The only thing I can think of having to replace besides all my Rio pumps, is maybe a Maxi Jet that was 10 years old.
I am interested in hearing more reefers experiences on using ozone?
I am interested in hearing more reefers experiences on using ozone?
RedEyeReef
Active member
Oh another question, what about vinyl/flex tubing between sumps? Will ozone make this brittle of crack?
o2manyfish
o2manyfish
RedEye,
Not that it makes much of a difference, but I use lots of RIO pumps. RIO gets a bad rep cause there are so many more of them sold than other pumps. However, in time pretty much everything fails -- although I have yet to burn up an Iwaki pump - But as loud as they are brand new, who cares.
Dave B
Not that it makes much of a difference, but I use lots of RIO pumps. RIO gets a bad rep cause there are so many more of them sold than other pumps. However, in time pretty much everything fails -- although I have yet to burn up an Iwaki pump - But as loud as they are brand new, who cares.
Dave B
npaden
New member
Off topic but the issue isn't whether the Rio pumps fail more or less frequently than other pumps, it is how the Rios fail. In a cloud of smoke and an oil slick in the water. Other pumps fail just as often but without the catastrophic qualities of a Rio failure. There are just to many instances of a Rio failing and taking out the entire tank for most people to take any chance with them.
FWIW, Nathan
FWIW, Nathan
o2manyfish
o2manyfish
Npaden,
When anything starts to spark and smolder at the water level it creates a black oily residue. This is just one of the effects of burning plastic. It is not limited to any manufacturer. It's a result of plastic buring in or under the water. I have seen the same thing happen with several different pumps.
Dave B
When anything starts to spark and smolder at the water level it creates a black oily residue. This is just one of the effects of burning plastic. It is not limited to any manufacturer. It's a result of plastic buring in or under the water. I have seen the same thing happen with several different pumps.
Dave B
RedEyeReef
Active member
RedEyeReef said:
Anyone on vinyl/flex tubing on ozone?
JB NY
Active member
RedEyeReef said:
I have vinyl tubing on my overflows, returns, chiller lines and on my refugia. No problems. I try to replace them every 1 - 1 1/2 years just because they get too much crud in them. But they were in fine condition last time I changed some of the tubing, about three months ago(this was after about 1.5 years of using ozone daily).
If you have residual ozone in your sump and running through your return lines you will have a much more serious problem than brittle hoses. Run the ozone through your skimmer and run the skimmer effluent through carbon. Unless you are trying to single handedly replace the ozone layer, you shouldn't have a problem.
jb
jb
