Ozone Generator Strategy

bjlasota · 06-06-2018, 05:47 AM

Long story short, I used moth balls to keep the mice away this past winter.

I've been airing my Pop-up Qwest 10B out for the last 2 weeks and while we haven't had super hot weather, I haven't had much luck getting rid of the smell. I've put activated carbon and zeolite all over the place and still no luck.

Couple days ago I purchased an ozone generator that gets delivered today. Has anyone used one of these in a pop-up? From what I've gathered so far is that I want all windows and door shut, let it run for 20-30 minutes, then I'm done. Has anyone done anything else to increase the effectiveness? Leave doors shut for a few days? Fold camper down and run it?

paul_ottawa · 06-06-2018, 07:16 AM

I have not used it in a popup (or any RV for that matter), but I did get a company to do it on my truck (I'm the 2nd owner, and it seemed like the first owner was a smoker unfortunately). I tried sprinkling baking soda around first, and that didn't do much, so I contacted a company to do the ozone treatment.

I had the truck turned on with the A/C on full and he had it run for an hour (not sure the capacity of the unit that he used).

I'd say it got 90% of the smell out. We only notice it when the truck has been closed for the day and we first open it up.

He's going to do a second treatment, but he also mentioned that heat and humidity make it much less effective (which is why he didn't come back on a rainy day).

So, my suggestions would be to do it on a cool and dry day (maybe the evening/early morning would be best), leave it on for an hour+ and have a fan running in the trailer to "spread" it around (he mentioned that ozone was a "lazy" gas, so it needs to be helped move around). He opened the glove boxes, etc and propped up the mats, so I would suggest doing that as well.

After the ~hour, he opened the doors and we stood back for a minute or 2 to let the ozone escape.

It then smelled of ozone for a couple of days, but now it is mostly smell-free.

In short, it definitely helped our truck and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to get rid of smells.

Good luck!

bjlasota · 06-06-2018, 07:22 AM

Cool, thank you for the information. I've read a few things around regarding trucks and such, but nothing specific to campers. People kept saying cold, so that'll help me! Also, the moving the air around will also help! Lastly, you say it smelled like ozone for a couple days. What I'm gathering from others is to not run it for an hour, only 20-30 minutes for such a small space. Thanks again for the input, it certainly helps!!

paul_ottawa · 06-06-2018, 07:30 AM

If you own the generator, then nothing is stopping you from doing multiple 20-30 minute runs, it just depends on how deep the smell is. I also don't know the capacity of the ozone generator he was using versus what you are using. Also, the volume of air (and surface area to cover) of the truck is much less than the popup, so it might need more to get good penetration. Regardless, if you can leave the popup up and airing out for a couple of days, I expect the ozone smell would be gone. I had the windows of the truck opened for about 8 hours after the treatment, then around 12 hours the next day, and the smell was ozone smell was about 90% gone after that. We could just smell it for a bit after the truck had been closed up, or we used the A/C.

I think we used more of a big hammer approach to get rid of the smell in the truck (also so he wouldn't have to make multiple trips). Since the truck was smoked in (3 years old, 90,000km), it was deep into the upholstery and leather seats.

bjlasota · 06-06-2018, 07:35 AM

Excellent, thanks again. I did purchase it, so I'll just take my time. I could take it out this weekend, but the weather isn't looking good, so I'll have a few weeks before I need it again. Plan to use the ozone for the cat room when it's not being used for camper. Thanks again.

I guess a quick way could be to pop up the camper and just pull it down the road to get the best airflow

Jayco2015JayFLIGHT · 02-21-2021, 06:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bjlasota

Excellent, thanks again. I did purchase it, so I'll just take my time. I could take it out this weekend, but the weather isn't looking good, so I'll have a few weeks before I need it again. Plan to use the ozone for the cat room when it's not being used for camper. Thanks again.

I guess a quick way could be to pop up the camper and just pull it down the road to get the best airflow

How did this work for you? How long did u end up running it? I bought one but I'm scared to use it LOL I've read things about it ruining materials and leaving bad odors in foam cushions and what not

bjlasota · 02-21-2021, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jayco2015JayFLIGHT

How did this work for you? How long did u end up running it? I bought one but I'm scared to use it LOL I've read things about it ruining materials and leaving bad odors in foam cushions and what not

I'm reaching back a couple years but it turned out great without any negative effects. I can't remember exactly how many times or how long I ran it, but I believe I ran either 30 min or 1 hour intervals. Then would let it sit and open all the windows for a day. I did it about 5-6 times, however, I probably could have gotten away with 2-3. After the 5th or 6th time, I found out that the smell was stuck in my cushions. I pulled all the cushions out, washed the covers in the washer with oxyclean about 3 times, and ran the ozone in the camper with the foam pads exposed. The smell wouldn't get out of the foam pads. So I wrapped them in painters plastic drop cloth and then put the covers back on. With the plastic on the cushions, the moth ball smell is completely gone.

In the end, I don't think the ozone generator is a 1 stop shop. It helped tremendously, but I also think open air and using a washing machine for anything that can be washed also helps. In terms of foam, if you have anything foam in there, it probably needs to be replaced or wrapped in plastic. Our mattresses are likely made out of some type of foam and we can't smell it in there, so maybe some foam the smell will go away.

Secret from hockey: There's chemicals in grass that actually deodorize. So anything that you can take out of the camper that won't rust can be set in damp grass on a hot day and as the sun dries the grass, it'll evaporate thru whatever you toss out there and help deodorize it. Again, not the perfect solution, but it does help a lot with the smell of hockey equipment. That could have been what got the smell out of our bed mattresses. Good luck!

Jayco2015JayFLIGHT · 02-21-2021, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bjlasota

I'm reaching back a couple years but it turned out great without any negative effects. I can't remember exactly how many times or how long I ran it, but I believe I ran either 30 min or 1 hour intervals. Then would let it sit and open all the windows for a day. I did it about 5-6 times, however, I probably could have gotten away with 2-3. After the 5th or 6th time, I found out that the smell was stuck in my cushions. I pulled all the cushions out, washed the covers in the washer with oxyclean about 3 times, and ran the ozone in the camper with the foam pads exposed. The smell wouldn't get out of the foam pads. So I wrapped them in painters plastic drop cloth and then put the covers back on. With the plastic on the cushions, the moth ball smell is completely gone.

In the end, I don't think the ozone generator is a 1 stop shop. It helped tremendously, but I also think open air and using a washing machine for anything that can be washed also helps. In terms of foam, if you have anything foam in there, it probably needs to be replaced or wrapped in plastic. Our mattresses are likely made out of some type of foam and we can't smell it in there, so maybe some foam the smell will go away.

Secret from hockey: There's chemicals in grass that actually deodorize. So anything that you can take out of the camper that won't rust can be set in damp grass on a hot day and as the sun dries the grass, it'll evaporate thru whatever you toss out there and help deodorize it. Again, not the perfect solution, but it does help a lot with the smell of hockey equipment. That could have been what got the smell out of our bed mattresses. Good luck!

Thanks for the info. I believe my dinette cushions smell for sure. I took a whiff. They already have plastic on them. Do they come like that or did the guy before me put those on. I plan on washing them in the bathtub with my feet smoothing and drying in the hot florida sun after. I'll run the ozone too once or twice. Inhave memory foam mattresses instead somewhere it can decorate them. I may pull them out but would like to ozo ne them

kwalsh · 03-12-2021, 11:55 AM

i got a small ozone generator for my daughters first car, it was an ashtray!!!

i let it run for 1 day then aired t out for 1 day then ran it again for a day and the only time it smells now is when it is closed up for a few days in the heat

Jayco2015JayFLIGHT · 03-12-2021, 12:06 PM

I was nervous to let it run too long or too many times after reading about how it can ruin electronics and deteriorate plastics. I did my trailer with an hour session to start. Then followed 2 more half hour sessions the next day being sure to air out a few hours in between. Had fans running inside as well. Also washed all my dinette cushions and covers. Smells pretty good now.

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