foggy ozone plate... (question for chemistry enthusiasts ;-) )

Hi everyones...thanks to read! I have the Alpine Living Air Classic (xl-15)
air purifier and since a few months, i've noticed that the ozone output is
greatly reduced, and for what remains, the smell is...well... not the same
it used to be (compared to another machine with new plates a friend bought).
On my machine, i do clean them once a month (did it yesterday) as usual,
using water/ammonia as recommended in the user's manual and on many web
sites. Please look at this picture i took yesterday:
http://www3.sympatico.ca/kilo.watt/images/foggy_o3_plate.jpg

Despite a good cleaning, the foggy substance remains under the screens. I
think it's the reason for their reduced effiency. I'll buy two new ones
shortly. I don't know if the ceramic plates are better regarding this issue
(i know nonetheless that they're less fragile than the glass ones). To go to
the point, i would like to know what causes this foggy film to build on the
glass over the months (years?). This relates more the chemistry than
electronics, so i'm kind of lost here! ;-) TIA for any replies.

--
Alain(alias:Kilowatt)
Montréal Québec
PS: 1000 excuses for grammatical errors or
omissions, i'm a "pure" french canadian!
(If replying also by e-mail, remove
"no spam" from the adress.)

 

Looks like phlogiston. Have you steam-cleaned the screens and replaced
the filters with brand-new? Have you run them through the dishwasher?
Ammonium hydroxide is generally quite ineffective against phlogiston -
try white vinegar, full-strength, right out of the bottle, and a good
#4 toothbrush.

A little pharmaceutical hydrogen peroxide might also prove effective.

Good Luck!
Rich

 

ozone-etched glass?

 

Phlogiston - brought to you by Johnson and Johnson!

You made my day!

 

I have asthma, and for my birthday my sister got me an "Ionic Breeze"
from a Sharper Image store.
Ran it for one week, and one parakeet died. I turned it off, did some
research, and had her return that ozone-spewing POS. The other parakeet
developed some disfigurement of the cere over its beak, but lived for
about another year. They were both young birds.

http://www.epa.gov/air/urbanair/ozone/chf.html
"Triggers a variety of health problems even at very low levels... May
cause permanent lung damage after long-term exposure."

http://www.epa.gov/air/urbanair/ozone/hlth.html
"Ozone can irritate lung airways and cause inflammation much like a
sunburn. Other symptoms include wheezing, coughing, pain when taking a
deep breath, and breathing difficulties during exercise or outdoor
activities. People with respiratory problems are most vulnerable, but
even healthy people that are active outdoors can be affected when ozone
levels are high... Repeated exposure to ozone pollution for several
months may cause permanent lung damage... Even at very low levels,
ground-level ozone triggers a variety of health problems including
aggravated asthma, reduced lung capacity, and increased susceptibility
to respiratory illnesses like pneumonia and bronchitis."

http://www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=50328
"Ozone (O3) is a highly reactive gas that is a form of oxygen... Ozone
reacts chemically ("oxidizes") with internal body tissues that it comes
in contact with, such as those in the lung... Ozone acts as a powerful
respiratory irritant at the levels frequently found in most of the
nation's urban areas during summer months... Long-term, repeated
exposure to high levels of ozone may lead to reductions in lung
function, inflammation of the lung lining and increased respiratory
discomfort..."

http://science.howstuffworks.com/ozone-pollution2.htm
"Because ozone is very corrosive, it damages the bronchioles and alveoli
in your lungs, air sacs that are important for gas exchange... Repeated
exposure to ozone can inflame lung tissues and cause respiratory
infections."

 

Hi Sparkle...very sorry for the lost of your birds. Avian species are more
sensitive to many gasses in concentrations that humans don't even detect,
including ozone (Remember the canaries that were used in mines). I'm still
unshure about what exactly happened to the birds since the Ionic Breeze is
NOT an ozone generator by itself. The high voltage electrostatic system
employed to catch particules generates a very small amount of ozone by
itself. I've saw an Alpine xl-15 like mine in a pet shop 3 years ago (a
place about 900 square foot)...the guy still uses the machine without
problems on the pet shop's occupants. Because it's a large area.?...i don't
know. I must admit nonetheless that he do sell birds, but no parrots there.
I have a cat at home, no birds. I would probably be affraid to use the
machine in the presence of birds, but could not live without the benefits
that ozone gave us at home.

--
Alain(alias:Kilowatt)
Montréal Québec
PS: 1000 excuses for grammatical errors or
omissions, i'm a "pure" french canadian!
Come to visit me at: http://kilowatt.camarades.com
(If replying also by e-mail, remove
"no spam" from the adress.)

 

Sparkle... i forgot to include this link in my last post. Interesting
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hecs-sesc/air_quality/publications/ground_level_ozone
/part5/chapter9.htm

 

Please stay on topic, since i don't want to start here a textual war about
the indoor use of ozone.

 

Could that be grease? Try some Industrial Methylated Spirit (IMS,
denatured ethanol) for cleaning. Quite good against dirt, but does not
dissolve plastic parts. Cheap too.