Many Hydroponic gardeners have experienced problems with plant odor, mold, mildew, and even mites that contaminate the air. One solution used or considered for use against this problem is an ozone generator. Ozone, when properly used, is the most effective, dependable method of odor elimination.
An ozone generator releases ozone (O3) into the indoor gardening area eliminating plant odors. However, some people may have questions over the safety of ozone generators indoors.
One common misconception arises from the association of ozone with smog and pollution. Ozone is usually mentioned in pollution and climate change news stories, however, ozone is not a greenhouse gas. In fact, ozone plays an important part in protecting life on Earth by absorbing potentially harmful ultraviolet radiation.
Ozone is basically just oxygen (O2) with three rather than two molecules. A natural gas, ozone is created when air in the atmosphere is bombarded with ultraviolet radiation from the Sun. Ozone can also be created artificially by devices using high voltage electrical currents. Ozone is able to kill odors because it releases its third molecule, which then acts as a sort of “predator” of other odors by binding to their sources and eliminating them.
For this reason, ozone has been popularly used by commercial establishments for years as a means of purifying and deodorizing the air.
If you have a Hydroponic indoor grow room, an ozone generator may be the most cost effective solution as compared to other types of air purification systems. The generators are very energy efficient and economical to use. They are also small and easy to fit into practically any type of grow room configuration. Ozone generators are available in a wide range of sizes to handle both large and small indoor grow rooms.
Are there any dangers to worry about? Ozone air generators are safe so long as they are installed and operated properly. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have certain standards for save levels of ozone in occupied areas, which all manufacturers follow.
If your Hydroponic indoor grow room is not occupied, then there is no danger using an ozone air generator. The safe levels required only apply to rooms in which there are people or animals present. If there are people or pets in the areas of the generator, the room should be well-ventilated and the ozone air generator set at safe levels.
The ozone generator should be synchronized to run when your exhaust fan is on. Using a timer to run this device when the exhaust fan is activated will turn the generator on with proper ventilation. You can then arrange your plant maintenance time around the exhaust system cycles, and ozone will only be released when you are out of the indoor grow room and absent from the area. This will solve any concerns about safety and ozone. The short bursts of ozone emitted by ozone generators turn back into oxygen generally within 30 minutes.
In order to keep ozone from penetrating into other rooms, you should keep doors and other openings shut, and preferably sealed if there are large gaps underneath the indoor grow room entrance. You can use plastic sheeting to seal off openings that cannot be closed.
Remember, ozone is only dangerous at high levels. You can work in your Hydroponic grow room so long as the room is well ventilated and the generator is kept at a safe level setting or off. In fact, ozone exists naturally in the air we breathe regardless of whether there is a generator around or not. Dangers arise only when the ventilation is not sufficient to handle the amount of ozone produced by the generator.
If you are venting directly outdoors, ozone air generators do not produce enough ozone to endanger the areas outside of your grow room. Vented ozone quickly dissipates in the surrounding air outdoors. The dangers only apply to confined areas in which the ozone can build up if the settings are too high or the ventilation is inadequate.
One point to repeat is that ozone is not a greenhouse gas! If you closely read those articles about the ozone layer, you will find that scientists are actually worried about the depletion of the ozone layer, i.e., too little rather than too much ozone.
So if you are considering using ozone for your indoor grow room, it is safe so long as the equipment is installed and operated properly within your exhaust system. The benefits of using an ozone generator to eliminate plant odor, mold and pests far out weight the small inconvenience of plant maintenance during times the generator and exhaust system are cycled off.