Ozone Generators for Automotive Use

[Migue]

The price point and the reviews look great on that unit. I think I will purchase one myself. Are there any dangers of damaging any interior surfaces by using the machine ?

I did some recon on this potential issue and what i`ve found is that it could if used for too long. This unit seems to be on the "weaker" side compared to more potent ones available, so i plan on using it for 30 min. after doing a thorough wipe down/steaming session and see what results i get. Also plan on removing all personal items from vehicle`s interior according to the info i found on this.

I plan on using it in one of my vehicles for the full 120 minutes of the timer and see if i see any damage in the interior.

[bswombaugh]

Keep us posted on your results. I have recently did a couple of vehicles that were smoked in heavily. Steam cleaning helped, but I really didn`t have anything at my disposal potent enough to completely eliminate the smell. This unit looks like it might be just what I need for future jobs where strong odors are involved.

[Migue]

Will update with results within the next week or so. Got a monthly maintenance coming up this Friday and should have my unit by Thu.

The owner bought the car from the dealer and they "removed" the smoke smell but i can smell it every time i service this vehicle . Note that i never offered her any odor removal for this because she is already a smoker and i thought that the smell was from her doing it but i confirmed it was pre-existing(and she does not smoke in her vehicle); she recently asked me if i could do something about it so i`m gonna give this a go.

[RaysWay]

Sub`d.

[heisenberg]

Yes, that`s the one I got and I got about the same price on it.

Migue - just to answer your PM so anyone can read this in the future, I always leave it in the car. It does not need air to generate the ozone, it all comes from the plate in the machine.

Ozone will definitely damage some material(leather, plastic, vinyl, etc) in cars if left in there too long. Some people run the machines for hours and hours, I`ve never had to go over the two hours on the machine`s timer. Give the vehicle a minimum of two hours to air out after running the generator. It will smell a little strange for a while after the treatment, but it goes away quickly.

[Accumulator]

The price point and the reviews look great on that unit. I think I will purchase one myself. Are there any dangers of damaging any interior surfaces by using the machine ?

I wouldn`t expect that output level to damage anything. My ozone generator (which puts out over twice that) can oxidize rubber if run full-blast for a long time, but I dunno if that ~350mg output would do that and I kinda suspect "not".

That unit sure is affordable...but I do question the "no filters" and I wonder about replacing the elements (some are a *LOT* easier than others and if you can`t replace them then it`s a "disposable").

[Migue]

I wouldn`t expect that output level to damage anything. My ozone generator (which puts out over twice that) can oxidize rubber if run full-blast for a long time, but I dunno if that ~350mg output would do that and I kinda suspect "not".

That unit sure is affordable...but I do question the "no filters" and I wonder about replacing the elements (some are a *LOT* easier than others and if you can`t replace them then it`s a "disposable").

Thanks Accum.!

I wondered the same thing about replacement, so I checked the Q&A section and the distributor stated that you`ll get thousands of hrs of use and there are replacement plates available for about $18 or so, so it seems like this one can be opened up and have the plates replaced once worn out. Should last me a long time before needing to replace any of those. I figured that for the price, if it doesn`t end up working out it won`t hurt me and it`ll be worth a try .

[Accumulator]

Mique- Ah, OK...you`ve done your homework! For basic deodorizing that oughta be good for the $. Ozone Generators don`t always do everything people expect, but they still have their uses.

[Van185]

I`ve used a MaxBlaster for several years with really good results, even on some very bad cars. I have not tried any other brands but I would recommend the MaxBlaster.

[Accumulator]

Oh, and I`ve run my Ozone Generator, at full-power (890mg/hour), in the `93 Audi for hours without damaging the leather or anything else (far as I can tell, and I`m confident that I`m not missing something). I just covered up some rubber bits and no problems. At that Ozone level, it did take a while for the Ozone-smell to dissipate...and I don`t mean just a few hours.

No, it didn`t solve the problem (same "the Connolly Leather is aging"-smell issue that many older Jags have), but it was an OK test of Ozone exposure-and-auto interior, at least for my purposes.

[Migue]

Yeah i see a lot of the complaints come from the people who expect them to just work by themselves. I plan on using it as a final step(after vacuum/shampoo/Apc clean up and wipe down/Steam) in deodorizing/sanitizing the interior for those tougher jobs that will require an extra charge for the specialized service.

Accumulator- what interior parts have you covered in your vehicles during use? i know you mentioned my unit will not be as potent as yours, but i`d like to know the methods/media you used (masking tape?plastic sandwich bags?paper?) for additional knowledge and to be extra careful for added peace of mind.

[Accumulator]

Accumulator- what interior parts have you covered in your vehicles during use? i know you mentioned my unit will not be as potent as yours, but i`d like to know the methods/media you used (masking tape?plastic sandwich bags?paper?) for additional knowledge and to be extra careful for added peace of mind.

I covered soft rubber bits by putting some plastic-wrap over them and covering that with a towel to hold it in place. No big production or anything.

One more thing- Ozone "sinks", as in it "travels down" rather than "going up/down/everywhere" (well, how the unit disperses its output will factor in..), something you might want to keep in mind when you position/aim it. Like, to deodorize the headliner it`d be a *LOT* more effective to point it up towards that rather than just having it straight (let alone pointed downwards as when treating the carpet). Yeah, the Ozone does "go everywhere" to some extent, just not as much as one might think so think "directional positioning" to get the best results even if that means repeating the process after repositioning the unit. In the Audi, I ran it several times, changing how it was aimed, even though mine sure did seem to *really* fill up the interior with Ozone each time. Necessary? I dunno...but it seemed worth doing. (This aiming thing can be pretty important when killing black mold, which is how I realized that my unit`s instruction manual wasn`t BSing about the topic.)

[Migue]

Got my unit today, beware that Amazon did not put mine inside a shipping box, so it arrived exposed in its original box .

Looks very nice, smaller than i expected, comes with a small manual that includes plate replacement instructions and a spare fuse that apparently is located inside the unit. Let`s see how things go tomorrow.

[Accumulator]

Got my unit today ... smaller than i expected...

Heh heh, cynical ol` me thinks "of course it is..." If it has multiple output levels I`d run it full-blast.

[Migue]

So i went ahead and gave it a go this morning:

-Vacuumed everything thoroughly
-Steamed whole interior, not intensely since it`s a vehicle i`ve been maintaining , just used the jet nozzle and applied steam to every surface followed with a MF wipe down to dry things up and pick up anything loosened by the steam.
-Removed all personal items from vehicle`s interior(including glove box compartment)
-Set the unit on the rear of the back seat`s center fold-down seat/console and ran it for 30 minutes.
-Once the timer finished, i removed unit from vehicle, left all doors opened ,set up both of my fans and hit the interior with fresh air for about another 30-40 minutes as i was dressing the exterior trim/wiping LSP off/dressing tires etc...) .

The truck smelled like a fresh new car when i was finished with it, so i was pretty pleased with the immediate results. I explained the process to my client and asked her to give me her honest feedback on the smell of the interior next time she gets in her car to drive it. This was a freebie for her since she allowed me to test this with her vehicle, she`s in my same neighborhood and has been a very good happy customer so far.

Next up i`m going to talk to my immediate next door neighbor which has a minivan,2 kids and a large dog . That one will be fun.