Ozone generators and mildew

[sailorboy1]

Mildew makes my throat swell up! I brought home themamnuals for my new boat the other and even though the boat doesn't seem moldy the mnanuals got to me (at home). In the past I have noticed the normal mildew etc that boats get doesn't reaally agree with me.

Anyone with experience with renting a portable ozone generator for treating their boat for mildew and ordor in general?

[osirissail]

I had and used an ozone generator to rid my boat of mold and other "living" things after it was on the hard for a number of years. They do work - but - you need the "industrial size" units, not consumer units. Hotels/Motels have and use them successfully to rid rooms of cigarette smells and mold. Getting your hands on a hotel/industrial one might be difficult but not impossible.
- - They are deadly so you need to remove any living creatures from the boat that you don't want to kill. Then seal up the boat or area of the boat to be treated. Extra fans placed in the "zone" to be treated help circulate the Ozone so it is more effective. Normally it takes a day or two of operation to thoroughly kill everything. Then another day or two of ventilating the area to get the deadly ozone out.

[svHyLyte]

Don--

We have used a Panda Ozone Generator from time to time since the mid '80's. They work but one must be very careful as Ozone has horrible effects on the lungs--take my word for it. Ozone will also have an adverse effect on plastics, rubber and electronics. Keeping the boat as dry as possible and as clean as possible is foremost. Keep air circulating. With that, you'll have few problems. An over-night blast with an Ozone generator will kill off a lot of mold spoors and smells but the boat needs be aired out well before returning aboard.

FWIW...

[Mark Johnson]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

Mildew makes my throat swell up! I brought home themamnuals for my new boat the other and even though the boat doesn't seem moldy the mnanuals got to me (at home). In the past I have noticed the normal mildew etc that boats get doesn't reaally agree with me.

Anyone with experience with renting a portable ozone generator for treating their boat for mildew and ordor in general?

They do kill mildew, but you don't want to be in there with it running. For allergy relief, you still need to wipe down the spores with Chlorox water, to get them out of there. Also... "long term" use of Ozone generators eat up rubber, like engine hoses.

Mark

[boatman61]

ROTFLMBO....... Man I'm so glad I was raised in Pakistan and not the US of A....

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by boatman61

ROTFLMBO....... Man I'm so glad I was raised in Pakistan and not the US of A....

One of my memories is the large scorpions.........under the bed!!!!!!


Could have used a ozone gen there!

[Pete7]

Wouldn't bleach and a damp cloth be a little safer and cheaper?

Pete

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by Pete7

Wouldn't bleach and a damp cloth be a little safer and cheaper?

Pete

That only gets to surfaces you can touch.

Behind head liners and such it can reach.

My boat doesn't have any but when (not if) it does I will give it a try.

[sailorboy1]

All I'm asking about is a begaining of the season treatment after the boat has been shutup for 5+ months. And bleach isn't going to treat cushions and mattress etc.

[clockwork orange]

Thats just dandy,a guy i knew was trying to sell the things back in the late 90s and lent me his demo model which i ran in my apartment for a couple of days, he neglected to tell me not to be in there with it, hmmm. Anyway, it sure freshened the place up. I dont know if he sold any, they were to expensive for me.
Steve.

[ATC]

We have two Ozone Generators, one on the boat & one for the dirt dwelling. The unit at the dirt dwelling runs 24/7 (for six years) with a setting of 2.5 on the one to ten scale. If we turn the unit up any higher than 2.5 we feel discomforts in our eyes.
The unit sets where it can be drawn into our ac/heat pump and distributed through the entire house.

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by Absolute

We have two Ozone Generators, one on the boat & one for the dirt dwelling. The unit at the dirt dwelling runs 24/7 (for six years) with a setting of 2.5 on the one to ten scale. If we turn the unit up any higher than 2.5 we feel discomforts in our eyes.
The unit sets where it can be drawn into our ac/heat pump and distributed through the entire house.

WHOA!

Not me.

There’s a long list of data to support what’s being presented here. Research performed by both the U.S. and Canadian governments, as well as others, all agrees with this. Ozone up there is a good idea. Down here, it’s a bad thing. Even in a best case scenario, even “safe” levels of ozone will to little or nothing to provide helpful benefits. Once the concentration is high enough to be killing off harmful or offensive aspects, it has become dangerous to our health. There is no practical effective way to use an Ozone generator safely in your home.

Ozone Generators, Snake Oil of the Modern Age

Gibson's Repair - Ozone Generators - Beware!!!

Danger: Air Purifier and Ozone Generator Health Effects

Dangers of Ozone Generators | eHow.com

There is lots.

[clockwork orange]

I dont know what level i ran it at but fortunatly it was only a couple of days, when i was away from home and came back you could sure tell it was on, it smelt like that fresh smell after a lightning storm. once you were home for a while you didnt notice it. I wont be doing that again but would use one to freshen up the boat if they wernt so expensive.
Steve.

[sailorboy1]

I'm surprised this isn't a more used item. Especially on a live aboard boat basis. Looks that an industrial unit can be rented for a little over $100/week. So I think I'm going give it a go as the cost seems low for the benefit. Plug it in, close the boat up, and leave for a day!

[Pete7]

Don, you are looking for a cure or medicine for a problem. Why not tackle it the other way, remove the problem permanently with lots of ventilation, then some more ventilation and finally ventilate.

We have our fair share of rainfall and temperature changes in England, which are ideal conditions for sucking in water vapour into a boat. Some in the UK use low temperature heaters during the winter to keep the inside dry. Since we don't have power on the pontoon we need to ventilate the boat. I have just counted that we 6 permanently open vents on board which supply enough air flow even during a damp winter to keep the inside dry and mildew free, all be it cold. We made the mistake on a previous boat of trying to seal it up, we then spent hours scrubbing the mildew off and this was only a few weeks.

Cupboards and lockers need to open and a towel in the fridge door when left unattended. Were possible surfaces washed down, hence the suggestion of bleach.

A dry hull with no leaks and no water in the bilges will be needed though.

Pete