Budget Ozone Setup

[mjcoussens]

At this last get-together, there was a lot of interest in my budget ozone setup. Here are the components that I used, cost was ~$120.

Required:
Orp Probe
Ozone Generator
Air Dryer
Solenoid
AC Adapter for Solenoid
Air Pump

Nice to have:
BRS Mini Reactor

I have mine controlled by ORP via Hydros. My set points are 265mv-275mv, and I have it scheduled to run from midnight-3am. ORP has risen from 220mv when I first turned it on, I'm not sure that I need to run my ORP any higher as the difference in water clarity is astounding. Another benefit that doesn't get talked about much is that the "aquarium" smell is completely gone.

Yes, these aren't top-line components. However, I can replace this entire setup 2x and still come out ahead of purchasing a Poseidon ozone generator and ballpark ORP values will suffice just fine for our applications.

The ozone output line is fed into my skimmer intake. I have tape over all but one air vent in my skimmer lid. the remaining vent hole is attached to silicone tubing running to the BRS mini reactor, which I have packed with the cheapest carbon I could find. This helps to capture escaping ozone.

Cheers,

Matt

 

[Lance A. Lot]

What material is your skimmer body made of? FRP? I would be cautious of running ozone into a reaction chamber not made for ozone.
When you say skimmer intake what does that mean? Intake to the venturi?
How often do you calibrate your ORP probes and how easy is it for you to do so? What kind are you using? I have to calibrate mine at least once a month and replace every 6 months to a year depending on drift.

 

[Lance A. Lot]

I do like how you have a DIY ozone destruct system. A lot of people don't consider that. Do you have an ozone monitoring system in place to warn you of a line break, leak, or other failure?
Recently I purchased another one of these for a remote system that was not tied into our more robust monitoring system

C-30ZX Ozone Monitor - Eco Sensors

Simple, Inexpensive Ozone Monitor For water treatment plants, pulp bleaching mills, ozone generator monitors, photocopier and laser printer centers, fumigation projects, HVAC and indoor air quality systems, vehicular pollution monitors, research labs and pilot plants, and wherever ozone exposure...

www.ecosensors.com

 

[mjcoussens]

From what I've gathered, the Reef Octo skimmer I use is suitable for ozone use. So, I'm not too concerned about that yet. I have a Y near my intake venturi, with the air pump and solenoid controlling the ozone entering the skimmer.

I've not calibrated or worried about the probe at all yet. It was ~$24 at Amazon. At that price it's a consumable item I can replace yearly. I feel safe with the controls in place to limit ozone production. Ozone will only be produced if two conditions are met (daily schedule and ORP<265mV). It shuts off when ORP hits 275mV, has a max runtime set of 3hrs and 5 minutes, and it defaults to off if the skimmer is off.

The dial adjustment does leave something to be desired, but I have it set to about 10% of max or about 20mg/h.

 

[Lance A. Lot]

That sounds pretty cool. I have to come see that sometime. I would say 1/5th of my job is dealing with ozone problems and ozone production problems so I’ve been pretty reluctant to want to bring that home but you may yet convince me.

 

[michealprater]

Reef octopus skimmers work perfectly fine with ozone. Calibrating probes... in most cases makes them less accurate than they were. ORP is not an exact science... last word is "potential", as long as it reads consistently opposite of your PH, its working well enough to measure a trend.

 

[mjcoussens]

That sounds pretty cool. I have to come see that sometime. I would say 1/5th of my job is dealing with ozone problems and ozone production problems so I’ve been pretty reluctant to want to bring that home but you may yet convince me.

Please do! You're one of the OGs I've always looked to and relied on for knowledge.

 

[Lance A. Lot]

Calibrating probes... in most cases makes them less accurate than they were.

Will you expand on this statement? George Fisher recommends cleaning and calibrating monthly.

 

[michealprater]

Will you expand on this statement? George Fisher recommends cleaning and calibrating monthly.

Sure. The average hobbyist doesn’t have the setup the George details in this video, so many try to do it by other means and it produces less than accurate results. With the proper equipment, I am sure it works great.