Ozone Generators

Xsbank said:

Are they any good? Lots of good claims and lots of the opposite. Stretch is an advocate. Psneeld not so. Should I buy one or rent one or what? My boat has "old boat" odours and rather than gutting her and starting all over inside, I had already decided to live with it. But only if I have to. Will ozone help? I know you have to move out while it does it's thing. I also know some of the generators are wimpy, some will rot your rubber hoses in a couple of days. Some are $120. And some are $8000.

Anyway, help!

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I have a 'Bilge Buster' ozone gadget..... it doesn't work and made the sound panels in my engine room turn into mush...... The 4 foot diameter section directly above the ozone system felt wet. I even went as far as to pull the material down looking for a leak somewhere.

Come to find out, it was the 'bilge buster'. The Ozone deteriorates rubber.... the sound panels have rubber in them. I turned it off and won't be using it anymore. As far as I'm concerned, they don't work. I noticed 0 difference in smells before and after.

I have to say that I think anyone using one of these in a boat is nuts. I don't doubt their effectiveness at eliminating odors, mold, etc., but the side effects strike me as a potentially huge hazard (flooding, fuel leaks, etc.). Not necessarily immediately, but weakened systems that can fail anywhere along the line. And if not inviting of a hazard, risking significant repair expense for damaged parts. To me, it's just not worth the risks of the side effects.

I purchased a bilge buster a few years back after trying everything else, so I thought I'd share my experience, apologies in advance for the long post.

The previous owner hadn't been thorough about dealing with small leaks in port lights, windows, etc (all now repaired), and that, in combination with a fuel tank leak (also replaced) made for a mold/diesel/boat smell so powerful, that upon opening the boat after a week away, it would literally take your breath away. Furthermore, after only a few minutes aboard, clothing and skin would absorb this putrid smell and stay on you all day. First line of attack was cleaning from top to bottom as thoroughly as possible in an 80's vintage boat, and replacing soft goods within reason. It definitely helped but the smell was still fairly strong. After much research and going over the already discussed pros and cons, I went ahead and installed the bilge buster. For the most part, it was mounted in the salon and we left a small fan running to circulate throughout the boat. It took the better part of two seasons (we're in the northeast), but the smell is gone. I did notice that some rubber and plastic bits within close proximity (3-4') of the ozone generator deteriorated and I've had to replace a few things. Since the ER wasn't the main source of the smell, I didn't use it much in there and haven't seen any negative effects. Whenever I arrived at the boat after having it running, I would open the door, hold my breath, switch it off, quickly open the salon windows and leave. 30 min later, the smell of ozone was long gone.

Now that the problem is resolved, I don't use the ozone generator anymore. Just meticulous cleaning, leaving ports/windows/hatches open as much as possible and running a small dehumidifier when it's closed up.

Having said all that, if I had to do it again, if I could avoid an ozone generator, I most certainly would. But, the truth of the matter is that on any boat, there are literally thousands of spots that you cannot physically clean short of tearing the entire boat apart down to a bare hull (not realistic), and replacing every cushion, mattress, curtain, etc at the same time (also not realistic). I've heard there are some fogging enzymes out there that work, but haven't tried them (Pureayre). If anyone has any experience with those, I'd love to hear about it.

BandB said:

And for those who use it for mold, notice one very careful working that Maxblaster to their credit uses. "mold-scent elimination" And that is just what it does. It eliminates the scent but it does not eliminate mold itself so if mold is your problem, you still must get to the source.

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Wow...it either made me blind so I could not see the mold..or made it invisable..either way it was gone. As I stated...for me it has worked.
Hollywood

I've had very good luck using Pureayre products. Never tried the fogger though.

Thanks Capt Bill. Did you buy the marine or regular version?

For the non believers, don't buy one. You are right, they don't work and once you run one it will attack your lungs and all rubber surfaces in your boat and destroy them.

Capthead said:

For the non believers, don't buy one. You are right, they don't work and once you run one it will attack your lungs and all rubber surfaces in your boat and destroy them.

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Thank you...that's exactly what I was trying to tell people with no experience with them....

you know...just in case someone thought they were an OK idea and posted it....

Someone had to say it.

Capthead said:

For the non believers, don't buy one. You are right, they don't work and once you run one it will attack your lungs and all rubber surfaces in your boat and destroy them.

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+1

Rick. said:

Thanks Capt Bill. Did you buy the marine or regular version?

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I have a regular version with different output levels and a timer.

Oops, I just figured out you were talking about Pureayre. I used the regular version. Sometimes you can find deals on it at pet stores.

I tried Pureayre and found it works just not a permanent fix. In fact, I never bought it again. I thought Febreze was just as good.

I'll give pureayre a try. I spoke to the manufacturer (they were very nice, btw) a while back. It's my understanding that it and fabreeze are very different products. The later masks smells, while the former is based around non-toxic enzymes that chemically bond with organic matter and slowly break it down. I imagine that multiple applications would be necessary. They mentioned the fogging solution for a boat as it will basically find it's way into any corner air does. I like the fact that you can basically drink the stuff and it won't hurt you. If it works as well or even almost as well as ozone without the downsides, it seems to the better solution. Cost seems to be a wash.

My understanding is it's made from sugar, hence the enzymes.

Good Luck

Don't forget to wash out and bleach your anchor locker. BTW, this is the classic discussion of dealing with the symptoms and not the disease IMHO, as brought up by Psneeld and others.

A major part of a boat purchase decision should involve the smell test, it reveals much about a vessel's health.

sunchaser said:

Don't forget to wash out and bleach your anchor locker.

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That is a very good suggestion. Anchor locked with line rode in them can go sour and you get a sickly sweet smell that in some ways smells like propane. Washing out the locker and the line clears it up.

That's all good advice but I don't have an anchor locker.

My anchor locker is on deck, not inside the boat.

Capthead said:

My anchor locker is on deck, not inside the boat.

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Hmmm....that is interesting. I don't recall a 42' GB where you didn't access the anchor locker through a access door in the fwd V berth. What year is it?

It's a 1966 and I have replaced the entire deck. I have an ongoing project thread about it. Actually, I haven't completed the anchor locker yet but it will be on deck just below the pulpit. I converted the old locker to a bedding locker for the V berth.

As I complete the project, I'll post pics.

We have a automotive detail shop in our work group and frequently get insurance vehicles in for interior detailing because of mice getting inside , I have yet to see the ozone machine deodourise a vehicle even after stripping interion and cleaning , most of the veicles are written off as insurance companies know these odours cannot be removed longterm

expat said:

We have a automotive detail shop in our work group and frequently get insurance vehicles in for interior detailing because of mice getting inside , I have yet to see the ozone machine deodourise a vehicle even after stripping interion and cleaning , most of the veicles are written off as insurance companies know these odours cannot be removed longterm

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Mice in cars? Where in the world are you? I've never had that problem or known anyone who did. But then I've never lived where mice were a big problem.

If you park on grass in many rural areas...mice love'm like cats on a warm engine....

psneeld said:

If you park on grass in many rural areas...mice love'm like cats on a warm engine....

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Sorry....city boy who parks on concrete or asphalt or other hard surfaces generally. Now you have me trying to remember the last time I parked on grass.