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Flood and Fire Damage Restoration with Ozone

Flood waters filling basements and higher floors will soak walls, support beams and especially the basement concrete ground support walls and basement floors. These are usually not sealed from the inside. To make matters worse, these waters likely contain raw sewage and result in severe contamination of the structure.

The usual restoration methods of drywall removal, pressure washing and drying out of the building may or may not work. Even the most perfect bone-drying process does not kill the pathogens. Pathogens protect themselves with a hard shell called a spore, in which they wait for the next opportunity to flourish. Basements are usually damp to begin with, and a proper permanent drying process may be nearly impossible. As soon as normal relative humidity is re-established, the pathogen micro-organisms start to flourish, and people get sick. Even after going through all the emotional struggles dealing with the flooding, the whole building may sometimes be condemned and destroyed. The economical and emotional trauma is extreme.

Fortunately, there is a solution available through ozone disinfection. Ozone is a triatomic form of oxygen. It disintegrates spontaneously into regular diatomic oxygen — certainly the least toxic gas known. In its triatomic formation, oxygen is about 3500 times stronger as a disinfectant than diatomic oxygen and leaves no toxic residuals. Ozone is made from extremely dry oxygen having a dew point well below -88°C (-100°F). This low dew point also adds to the drying process.

Ozone is the perfect solution for flood damage restoration because it has the ability to penetrate deep into the treated building. The ozone unit produces very powerful and highly concentrated ozone. While normally we measure ozone levels using increments of 0.01 mg/L in the air, M20G produces up to 20,000 mg/h of ozone in its purest form from its own source of pure oxygen.
The M20G is portable, easy to handle by one person, and requires standard line voltage to operate (only 5A at 120V). Normal humidity in the air is measured between 60 to 100% R.H. — the M20G supplies dry ozone well below 1% R.H.

Smaller air treatment ozone generators make ozone by using ambient air. Ozone for flood restoration services must be made from extremely dry oxygen to be acceptable and must produce extremely high concentrations to be effective. ECO-TEC meets these requirements with a variety of systems producing the highest possible concentrations of ozone.

The application of treatment is simple:
After all damaged walls and insulation is removed, the affected areas pressure-washed and dried, the ozonation process may start. All external windows closed and all internal doors open to connect the rooms to be treated so that ozone can flow freely.

Install a minimum 500-CFM fan anywhere inside to establish the air movement required for the proper distribution of the ozone. Any common portable fan will do.
Place the M20G outside the treated room or building, preferably in a dry, dust free environment without the possibility of ozone exposure. It could be in a dry, upper floor of the house or inside a van. Do not leave the machine in the treated rooms — ozone levels will be too strong and destructive to the ozone generator (as prescribed in the instruction manual).

Set the timer for approximately 1 hour for each 1000 square feet of floor space. For example, if the floor size of the treated space is 3,000 square feet — 3000/1000 = 3h — thus the timer would be set for 3 hours. Remove all rubber and other corrodible valuables from the treatment space.

Place the tubing from the M20G under the door, aiming towards the fan inside. During treatment, secure the doors to prevent entry and post a "DO NOT ENTER" sign — then START the ozone machine. Within 20 seconds ozone will be pumping into the house at full concentration. Large gaps under the doors should be sealed with a masking tape.

The timer will automatically stop the ozone generator. When the process is complete, pull out the tubing but do not open the door. Let the ozone sit inside for another 24 hours. This time span is required for the ozone to penetrate deep into the concrete, wood, ceilings, and other affected areas. Unused ozone will slowly convert back from its triatomic form to its diatomic form (oxygen) at the rate of 50% about every 17 hours. This is why ozone is most active for the first 24 hours.

Once this first cycle is completed, enter the area with a carbon mask and open all the windows and doors for quick ventilation. If the concrete is extremely soaked and you notice the moisture is returning, an intensive air drying cycle could be repeated followed by another ozonation cycle as the final shot.

The M20G Ozone generator is portable and easy to utilize single-handedly. Much larger ozone units are available for industrial applications and suitable for permanent installation into a van. For larger systems, we will size and engineer an ozone generation system most suitable for your restoration services. The advantage of the M20G is that one unit can be left at every business or house throughout the flooded area, and it can be easily transported from house to business to shed.