Sterilizing My Grow With Ozone

  • Thread starter ken dog
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ken dog

ken dog

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Decided to go sterile this time... And instead of going with UC Roots, I decided to go with an ozone generator and a Milwaukee orp controller.
I got the idea from an article here: http://www.grozine.com/2015/05/05/hydroponic-orp-controls/
...and want to thank the guys at Current Culture for innovating and sharing this design.

I started a little over a week ago by ordering some products... Here they are:
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Much more later.
 
Sterilizing my grow with ozone
Sterilizing my grow with ozone 2
Sterilizing my grow with ozone 3
timmur

timmur

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Thanks for posting this up ken dog. I was actually thinking of using ozone to increase dissolved O2. My UC system has O2 Grow's electrolysis system and a DO probe to control it. I didn't understand ORP until your answer on another thread. I'm wondering if it would make sense to monitor and adjust ORP as well as DO. I would think there is a strong correlation between DO and ORP. I have an ORP meter so I'll take a look at it when I'm dry running my system. Where did you order your equipment from?
 
ken dog

ken dog

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Here I have the Mazzei Venturi set up.
The flow direction is clearly marked on the Venturi injector, and I decided to put it right after the pump to get as much flow in the pipes as I could (4-5 feet), before it entered the reservoir.

It is my understanding that by the time the ozone gets to the reservoir, it will (mostly), all be used up.
 
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timmur

timmur

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Thanks for the pics and details! I'm strongly considering ozone to my set up. If you keep ORP at 300 or so, does this prevent oxidation of the nutes?
 
ken dog

ken dog

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Thanks for the pics and details! I'm strongly considering ozone to my set up. If you keep ORP at 300 or so, does this prevent oxidation of the nutes?

Apparently, not according to the article that I linked in the OP...
It is very difficult to obtain reliable ORP values.

I suspect one could go as high as 400 mV without damage to plants or nutrients... I suspect. LOL
 
ken dog

ken dog

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Finished putting the ozone generator together... Added the check valve, put on all 4 clamps, and wired a male connector to the power leads.
Installed a 2x4, and mounted the ozone generator with 2 screws and the ozone tube exit pointing down... then connected the other end to the Mazzei Venturi tube.
 
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ken dog

ken dog

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Here's a quick picture of the Milwaukee ORP controller before I hook it up completely.. Controller probe plugs and twists into the controller, and looks like a cable TV plug ...and the main power supply looks like a battery charger plug.
The largest plug (which is hardwired into the controller), plugs into a separate power outlet than the main power plug, and is what the ozone generator is plugged into.
 
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timmur

timmur

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Thanks again for all of the detail! I'm really psyched to see this in action.
 
ken dog

ken dog

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Thanks again for all the detail! I'm really psyched to see this in action.

No problem... It is motivating me to get it done.:)

Here is a picture of the ORP meter installed... the probe fits inside a suction cup holder that fits 7/8 inches above the bottom of the rez...
The probe came shipped with a cover that was filled with storage solution... take care not to spill any.

The ORP controller is mounted with velcro on the back of the unit.

It is important to note that the pump is plugged into the same electrical 3 way as the ORP controller and the ozone generator... None of them can work without the other...

I am currently filling the system with RO water.
 
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ken dog

ken dog

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So... I'm wondering if everything is calibrated correctly?... I previously ordered some +400 mV redox solution, and put the probe inside.
After 15 minutes it has stabilized.
I did the same for another handheld ORP meter, from a division of Milwaukee Instruments.
The Milwaukee MC510 is pretty impressive at 402... And the other one I can live with at 419.

Both are Factory calibrated, and both have replaceable probes.
 
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timmur

timmur

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So your controller just turns the ozone generator on based on a set point for ORP?
 
ken dog

ken dog

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So your controller just turns the ozone generator on based on a set point for ORP?

Yes, I can dial in the ORP controller from 0 - 600 millivolts... and the controller can be set to turn on when the setting is either high or low... Your choice.

I have set the controller to turn on when the setting is below my set value, not above.
 
MGRox

MGRox

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give the probes 24-36 hrs to settle and see if they are closer. I wouldn't try to calibrate without that time in solution.

Edit looking good too!
 
ken dog

ken dog

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My system is about halfway full now, and the ORP controller is hooked up with the probe inside the rez 7/8 of an inch (2 cm), above the bottom... It's holding steady at about 312 mV... Not bad for coming straight out of the RO machine.
 
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ken dog

ken dog

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give the probes 24-36 hrs to settle and see if they are closer. I wouldn't try to calibrate without that time in solution.

Edit looking good too!

Thanks.:)
These come factory calibrated, with no provision for calibration... The best I can do is test the probe and see if it is calibrated correctly.

I'm looking at the solution and it says it is good for 60 to 90 minutes after being exposed to air, so I assumed that as long as the probe settled into a measurement and remained steady for 10 to 15 minutes, I would be all set with a reasonably accurate reading.
 
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palm eezy

palm eezy

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I use ozone to treat my water after it goes through the RO. ebay DIY Ozone generator kit inside of a small plastic tote, with an air pump sucking from it. Set on a timer to run 3-5 minutes every hour. It bubbles through standing water in a chain of IBC totes. We have iron bacteria so bad that it requires injecting/dumping bleach into the well from time to time...and this setup has been a key to what success I've had in RDWC. Had an entire year of slime issues until I figured it out. This was when locally everybody seemed to be trending out of hydro but between being substantially invested in it and having an (at times) very demanding regular job, I refused to give up on the automation factor.

I'm very interested in how this works out, as running ozone right in the solution was my first idea. Research (reading various forums) led me to believe that it would be ineffective at levels that didn't interfere with the nutes.

I'm also in the process of trying out a venturi setup on one of my systems. I bought a cheap one from China because I wasn't sure how it would work. My RDWC's are setup a bit different than the CC systems. The reservoirs are outside of the rooms all in a row with all of the meters, chilling components etc. all together. There is a (fairly) lengthy run of pipe for both the pressure & gravity lines which I hope to exploit. Municipal systems often use air injection along/in pipelines... it's more effective than the traditional airstone/2ft water column scenario. My pumps are well oversized and are often throttled back so my hope is that the venturi will give me 'free' aeration by siphoning in air, or at least give me a place to inject it. I've experimented with putting small stones down the gravity/return line with good results, except they impede the flow too much.

What kind of DO meters do you guys recommend?
 
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