Operating an ozone generator requires diligent maintenance to ensure proper disinfection and water treatment. Tampa Bay's warm climate and aging infrastructure create ideal conditions for bacteria growth in water systems, underscoring the need for well-maintained OzonePro ozone generators. This article explores best practices for maintaining your ozone generator to protect your family’s health.
Why Ozone Water Treatment is Crucial in Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay's subtropical climate sees average summer temperatures over 90°F with high humidity levels. These hot, humid conditions create an ideal breeding ground for dangerous waterborne pathogens like E.coli, Guardia, Cryptosporidium, and Salmonella in reservoirs, wells, and pipelines.
Ozone effectively destroys these stubborn pathogens through oxidation. When bubbled through water, ozone eliminates bacteria and viruses on contact without forming new compounds or byproducts. However, ozone naturally breaks down to regular oxygen rapidly after treatment. Therefore, a properly sized and maintained OzonePro unit running 24/7 is essential to provide constant disinfection.
Compared to dangerous liquid chlorine injections, ozone treatment is a far safer, more eco-friendly way to eradicate pathogens without using toxic chemicals. But like any complex water treatment system, diligent maintenance is required to ensure uninterrupted water disinfection.
Common Maintenance Requirements for Ozone Generators
While low maintenance overall, ozone generators do have some regular service needs. Here are the most vital maintenance requirements:
Replacing Ozone Generator Plates
The core of every OzonePro unit is metal plates coated with a proprietary dielectric material. High-voltage current excites oxygen molecules across these plates, splitting them into single oxygen atoms that combine with O2 to form ozone.
Over years of continuous use, the coating on these plates slowly erodes. As the coating degrades, ozone output drops steadily until plates require replacement to restore full disinfection capacity. On average, commercial ozone generator plates need replacing every 5-7 years.
Cleaning Ozone Reactor Chambers
While ozone itself leaves no residual or byproducts once it reverts back to oxygen, any impurities in feed gas lines or ozone reaction chambers can build up deposits over time. Yearly inspections and cleaning of ozone distribution lines and reactor chambers prevents fouling and maintains even bubble distribution.
Replacing Feed Gas Filters and Dryers
Ambient air fed into OzonePro systems first passes through particulate and moisture filters to provide pure, dry oxygen to the ozone generator plates. The desiccant media inside moisture traps must be replaced every 2-3 years as it becomes saturated with water vapor. Particulate intake filters also need regular inspection and gasket checks.
Checking Power Delivery Components
Ozone generators require very high voltages in the range of 5,000 to 20,000 volts depending on the water flow rate and treatment capacity needed. Over years of use, transformer coils, capacitors, and electronic components slowly degrade. Technicians should thoroughly inspect electrical assemblies during annual servicing to identify and replace any deteriorating parts.
Testing Ozone Concentration Levels
Specialized dissolved ozone meters cost thousands, making it unrealistic for residential water system owners to verify treatment levels. Instead, annual testing by an experienced technician ensures your OzonePro system still produces ozone concentrations sufficient to destroy pathogens as rated. This typically costs around $350 per test.
Why Proper Ozone Generator Maintenance is Non-Negotiable
You would never drive your car for 100,000 miles without an oil change, new tires, or other servicing needs. Likewise, an ozone generator fed a constant diet of humid feed gas while running 24/7 under high voltage loads will inevitably require maintenance.
The whole point of installing an ozone system is to eradicate dangerous pathogens like bacteria and viruses from your home’s water supply. But as critical components wear over years of use, ozone output slowly diminishes, degrading disinfection performance.
Without periodic maintenance and plate replacements, your OzonePro system cannot ensure adequate ozone levels to fully protect your family from stubborn waterborne illnesses in Tampa Bay’s hot subtropical environment. Don’t cut corners - proper ozone generator maintenance is absolutely vital.
Pairing Ozone with Other Treatment Systems
While extremely effective at killing pathogens, ozone treatment alone cannot remediate other problematic water contaminants common around Tampa Bay. Combining ozone generators with specialized filtration provides more complete protection.
Removing Heavy Metals
Decades of intensive phosphate mining around Hillsborough County has led to heightened levels of radium, radon, uranium, and other heavy metals in well water. Too much exposure over time puts your family at risk of kidney problems, cancer, and bone marrow issues.
AquaCarbonGuard catalytic carbon tanks work with ozone to grab and neutralize dissolved heavy metals. Annual media replacements are vital to ensure ongoing metal removal and protect your health.
Filtering Pesticides & Organic Chemicals
Runoff from heavy agricultural areas contains concentrated pesticides and herbicides. Nearby leaking fuel tanks also introduce benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX) into local groundwater. Activated carbon filtration removes these dangerous chemicals.
AquaBlue whole house systems use NSF-certified catalytic carbon media combined with 1 micron particulate filters to grab pesticides, solvents, VOCs, and other hazardous organic chemicals that RO systems miss.
Preventing Scale Buildup
Naturally occuring salts and minerals make Tampa tap water “hard”, leading to limescale accumulation that gradually clogs plumbing and fixtures. Adding a quality water softener like AquaLux prevents scale buildup and associated headaches.
Removing Chloramines from City Water
Most municipal water systems add chloramines, a more stable alternative to chlorine, to keep tap water disinfected. But chloramines mix with organics to create potentially carcinogenic byproducts. An AquaBlue carbon tank filter effectively removes both chlorine and chloramines for healthier water.
Implications of Ozone Generator Failure
If your ozone generator stops functioning fully for any reason, your home’s water supply loses its primary disinfection barrier. Unless another treatment method like UV or chlorine is also installed, bacteria levels can quickly multiply once ozone concentrations drop.
Ozone works instantaneously with direct contact against pathogens in water – once treatment stops, nothing prevents regrowth. Fecal coliforms, Giardia parasites, Legionella bacteria and even drug-resistant “superbugs” like MRSA or CRE can infiltrate your plumbing in just days or weeks without working ozone disinfection.
Don’t take chances with your family’s health - make sure your OzonePro system runs optimally at all times with scheduled maintenance. Catching problems early keeps dangerous pathogens out of the picture.
Scheduling Professional Maintenance is Easy
While ozone generator servicing seems complicated on the surface, our Tampa water treatment specialists make quick work of all required maintenance tasks. We offer complete service packages with scheduled plate changes, rebuild kits, filter replacements, chamber cleanings, feed gas component swaps, and full safety/performance testing.
Take advantage of our Fall maintenance special: for only $299, we’ll inspect your entire system, replace filters and dried desiccant beads, clean contact chambers, test ozone output, and make any necessary repairs to keep your OzonePro generator running like new.
Schedule your maintenance service appointment online at your convenience, or call our office at (727) 236-7161 to discuss servicing options with our water quality experts. Investing a little now prevents big headaches down the road!
Protect Your Family Year-Round
Tampa Bay’s climate challenges water treatment systems to run flawlessly despite scorching seasonal temperatures. Don’t let your guard down against stubborn waterborne bacteria and illness-causing pathogens!
Keep your OzonePro generator maintained properly year-round. Our regular maintenance packages handle every required task to optimize ozone output for safe, pure water flowing freely throughout your home’s plumbing.
We also offer discounts on bundled maintenance plans when you service your ozone generator once a year along with other treatment systems like softeners, carbon tanks or UV units. Contact us today to review the most cost-effective options for your home.
Call to Action: Schedule a Free Water Test and Special Financing
Protect your family year-round while saving money! We offer 0% APR financing for 36 months on all maintenance packages over $600 when you schedule service by March 31st, 2024. Unlimited additional services can be bundled into your visit with no extra trip fees.
While our techs complete all required maintenance on your ozone system, have us take a detailed water sample to check for any new contamination issues. Providing clean, pure water is our passion - call today to schedule your free test and maintenance at (727) 236-7161.
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