Ozone (w/ UVC) - How Long?

[charmedbyekkie]

I mentioned elsewhere as an overall post of how to tackle mold, but we're looking into getting an ozone emitter and UVC lamp to clean the house. We plan on using it for a few hours when everyone (including Cairo) is out of the house.

I realise ozone emitters aren't safe for birds, but mold isn't either. So my main question is how long do we have to air out the house before it's safe for him to return? I've read things like "After the 3-6 hours of the ozone generator running, you have to wait another 1-2 hours for the ozone to settle in the room or building." But birds are more sensitive, so I'm quite nervous.

Any experience/knowledge on ozone? Or other airborne things?

 

[SailBoat]

Now that is a question!!!

The most common place I have seen the use of ozone emitters is in Hotels and Motels when a guest(s) had smoked in a non-smoking room or as a clean-up of a smoking room. I have heard of their use in like rooms when there had been a plumbing issue (mold).

Ozone acts much like moisture in the atmosphere in that it tends be build slowly and leaves slowly unless displaced by a strong weather front. And, that would explain the extensive use of several Box Fans and open windows when used in such rooms. As a quick statement on Fans, assure that you place them to remove the air to the exterior of the home or apartment by the quickest route.

How long before the room is safe is the hard question without the use of a meter to read levels prior to operation, at the end of operation and when the room returns to a 'normal' level. This due to its normally slow rate of exchange, how extensive the build-up and how rapid the air turn-over in the room.

If faced with this question, I would contact Hotels and Motels in your area and ask them how long they air exchange before they deem the room safe and likely double that time line. FYI: There is one drawback to this line of thinking and that is how busy the facility!


UVC /UVB is different in that it rapidly falls to lower levels as soon as the source is turned off.

 

[EllenD]

Ha Ha, I NEVER thought I would use my knowledge of Ozone machines here, dealing with Parrots!

I have been selling cars all of my adult life, for about 15+ years, and every single car dealership in the world that sells used/pre-owned cars has an Ozone Machine!!! (They stink, uhg I hate their smell, they smell AWFUL!!! BUT THEY WORK!) It's the only way to get the smell of cigarette smoke (among other things...don't ask, it's better that you the public NEVER KNOW what the used cars that you've bought looked like/smelled like when they were traded-in or bought at the auction, nor what the dealership did to them in-order to make them all nice and clean and shiny and smelling good!) I can smell the Ozone machine now just thinking about it, it stinks up the entire garage when we use it, even though it's put inside the car with the doors all shut, the windows up and taped-over, etc. And the smell lingers for a good 24-48 hours after the machine is turned-off and the car is moved out of the garage...SOOOO....I would actually call the manufacturer of whatever Ozone Machine you are going to buy and ask them, because I guarantee they get these types of questions all the time. We actually get a lot of people looking to buy used vehicles but who have children who are extremely allergic to everything and very sensitive to everything, and they are usually advised by their Allergists to have the dealerships use the Ozone Machine on the cars at least a few times overnight and then allow the car to air-out for a good 24-48 hours after the Ozone machine is removed, then they usually take the car overnight on a dealer-tag to see if their kids have any reaction to anything...

 

[charmedbyekkie]

Thanks, both of you!!! This was immensely helpful and reassuring.

My partner set up the TV cabinet outside on the front yard and encased it with cardboard. He put the UV-C lamp and ozone emitter inside, hooked it up to a plug that he can control via an app on his phone. So we took Cairo out, left the house, and turned it on. After a few hours outside, my partner turned off the device about an hour before we headed home. When we got home, Cairo went to sleep with us inside our room on the other side of the house while we aired out the TV cabinet still outside.

Incredibly grateful to my partner for rigging everything up outside with remote control as well.