Ozonator noise

[ovonick]

Hello everyone. I am one happy and stressed out owner of the new pool. I have a question about ozone generators. My problem is that ozone generator that my pool company installed produces loud noise. I know the "loud" part is very subjective. It is as loud as my pump at about 1700 rpm and what makes it worse is that ozonator is always on 24/7 and can be heard very well in two bedrooms close the the equipment pad even with the windows closed. I am at the point of talking to the pool company and asking them to take it out.

Is this normal for ozone generators to be this loud? Is this a problem with this particular model or piece that I have? What is your experience?

I have a "perfect pool" ozone generator.

Thank you
-Nick

[Watermom]

Hi Nick and welcome to the Pool Forum. I know nothing (and probably not even that much!) about ozone generators so can't be of any help to you. But, sit tight and hopefully there will be someone who will.

Again, welcome and hope you enjoy the forum!

[PoolDoc]

Hi Nick;

I have a perfect solution for you -- costs nothing, and will help your pool run better: just turn the ozonator off, and tell your company to come get it!

They are almost completely useless on outdoor pools, and the UV based models with an air pump tend to make it hard to maintain alkalinity or pH. (The little diaphragm pumps sometimes used can be quite loud).

By the way, if the company is who I think it is, you need to know something else: the ONLY "chlorine-free" sanitation system legally available in the US is Baquacil or the other PHMB based copies. Without exception, every other claim to provide a "chlorine free sanitation system" I have seen is dishonest either because it's not chlorine free (like salt or bromine systems*) or because it's not a sanitation system (like copper or 'mineral' systems).

There was briefly an EPA approved silver based system (Sildate by N Jonas) but I'm pretty sure that's no longer being sold.

If your company claimed -- in writing -- that they were providing you with a chlorine free sanitation system, I'd love to get a copy of that claim.

* It is possible to have a bromine system that is bromine only, but this has been rarely done except in spas. In any case, bromine is still a halogen oxidizer like chlorine, and the 'toxic effects' of bromine are often considered worse than those of chlorine -- but they are seriously overblown in both cases.

[ovonick]

Thank you PoolDoc for the info.

No, my pool company never promised chlorine-free sanitation. They did promise that my pool will need less chlorine (maybe 1/4 or 1/5 of the regular amount). So I do have chlorine which as of right now I am keeping at 0.5. The ozone generator that they installed is completely standalone (not plumbed into the filtration) with the tube running to the bottom of the pool where ozone is released into water. The idea is that generator which draws only about 20W runs 24/7 and thus provides additional sanitation. I like the idea but I do not like the implementation - as I said it is noisy.

Correct me if I am wrong but from what I read ozone by itself is not supposed to affect the pH or alkalinity in a negative way. Is this right?

I will keep you guys posted as per the resolution of the issue. So far my pool company treated me very well and I am hopeful they will be able to resolve the issue to my satisfaction. I understand they would not want to take it out or replace it with the different product, but I will keep pushing them. Their suggestion so far is to not run ozone generator 24/7 (which is the easiest fix from their side) but I don't like this as a "solution". It is just a workaround.

-Nick

[PoolDoc]

They did promise that my pool will need less chlorine (maybe 1/4 or 1/5 of the regular amount).


Given that ozone DESTROYS chlorine, and chlorine DESTROYS ozone, you can pretty much kiss that idea goodby!

However, 0.5 ppm chlorine, if maintained consistently, in a pool without stabilizer can be very effective.




Correct me if I am wrong but from what I read ozone by itself is not supposed to affect the pH or alkalinity in a negative way. Is this right?


If you were pumping pure ozone, you would not be wrong. But you are pumping almost pure air with a tiny amount of ozone!

The reason is that pure ozone is a TOXIC gas, more dangerous than chlorine gas! I've never understood how people could listen to 'ozone' smog alerts and then turn around and think of ozone as 'safer' and less 'toxic'' than chlorine gas.

Anyhow, while pure ozone can be very effective, it's also very dangerous. US ozonator makers have solved this little problem by making ozonators that hardly make any ozone!

This page
www.poolsolutions.com/gd/lowering-swimming-pool-alkalinity-step-by-step.html
explains how air strips alkalinity from a pool.




I will keep you guys posted as per the resolution of the issue. So far my pool company treated me very well and I am hopeful they will be able to resolve the issue to my satisfaction. I understand they would not want to take it out or replace it with the different product, but I will keep pushing them. Their suggestion so far is to not run ozone generator 24/7 (which is the easiest fix from their side) but I don't like this as a "solution". It is just a workaround.


It's going to be really hard for them to 'fix' something that was 'broken' by the factory! However, it's quite likely that they do not know this.