Hello, the apartment I live in has had a bad mildew problem since I
moved in 2 years ago. It is a 3-plex, with a small studio apt. in the
basement. The owner had a mold removal company come out and look at
the problem. They suggested cutting back the landscape to get more
natural light, using dehumidifiers, and also removing the mold in the
crawlspace underneath the house.

Well the landlord did all of the above, but does not want to shell out
the $ to have the mold removed. He is trying to cheap out on this,
claiming the mold removal company only can guarantee their work for
1-year. He says that there was a couple of water leaks in both the
basement laundry room and the basement studio, and that he is also
going to put down another layer of plastic over the dirt in the
crawlspace.

He also wants to run an ozone generator for a few hours underneath the
house. Would it be necessary to remove my pets from my apt. if the
ozone machine is being run under the house, and how effective would
running it for only 6 hours be towards the problem?


thanks
CTV

Cartrivision1 wrote:
Hello, the apartment I live in has had a bad mildew problem since I
moved in 2 years ago. It is a 3-plex, with a small studio apt. in the
basement. The owner had a mold removal company come out and look at
the problem. They suggested cutting back the landscape to get more
natural light, using dehumidifiers, and also removing the mold in the
crawlspace underneath the house.

Well the landlord did all of the above, but does not want to shell out
the $ to have the mold removed. He is trying to cheap out on this,
claiming the mold removal company only can guarantee their work for
1-year. He says that there was a couple of water leaks in both the
basement laundry room and the basement studio, and that he is also
going to put down another layer of plastic over the dirt in the
crawlspace.

He also wants to run an ozone generator for a few hours underneath the
house. Would it be necessary to remove my pets from my apt. if the
ozone machine is being run under the house, and how effective would
running it for only 6 hours be towards the problem?


thanks
CTV

Your landlord may have no choice. Check with your local authorities.
They may insist that proper mold removal be done. To be fair about this
there is mold and there is MOLD. Most mold is harmless, but ugly and
slinky. But some is harmful.

Ozone is nasty stuff. I would not want to be anywhere around where they
are going to pump enough in to attack a mold problem. I would not allow my
pets there either. Make sure everything is very well aired out after they
are done and before you and your pets return.


--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

Good grief, Joe, where have you been? That's an uncharacteristic
answer from you, one of handful of knowledgeable posters here.
Sorry, I'm not trying to be confrontational; honest.

An ozone generator sized for the volume of the space, even
oversized pretty much, would not be a problem to pets or people.
It would however present the same problems for people that it did
for pets.
It's very unlikely to be any problem, but if the guy doing it
isn't a sensible person, the question might be: Is this an
approved generator, is it properly sized, and is it going to be
run per the requirements and usage stated in its paperwork?
EVERY ozone generator sold in the US and UK (I'm assuming the OP
is in the US) has to have approvals and has to include
instructions on using it.

From the FWIW department, ozone generators are the exact item
most motels and hotels use to keep their rooms fresh smelling.
They do a good job of covering cirgarettes and "people" odors.
You'l also find them in many of the better rest rooms in
restaurants, offices and many other places. And some of those
are run 24/7 but that's an exception.
Ozone is that nice, fresh smell you notice after a lighting
storm has passed.

of 931,000 hits at Google, here's a couple of links that talk up
a good hype for ozone generators; don't believe it all, but it's
mostly true.
Sponsored LinksAir-Zone® Ozone Generator
www.air-zone.com Purify Air, Kill Mold, Whole House US
Patented, Factory Direct pricing
Ozmotics Ozone Generators
www.Ozmotics.com Top-quality commercial & industrial high
grade ozone generators.
Ozone generator -purifier
www.jenesco.com Praised for treating mold-mildew, bacteria,
and odors. $129 & up

On the other side of the coin, here's a link against them; but
you have to keep in mind that there are a lot of different kinds
of generators.

Sorry; It's just that I was a compliance tester in a previous
life and tested thousands of them for the hotel/motel industry.




"Joseph Meehan" wrote in message
. ..
: Cartrivision1 wrote:
: Hello, the apartment I live in has had a bad mildew problem
since I
: moved in 2 years ago. It is a 3-plex, with a small studio
apt. in the
: basement. The owner had a mold removal company come out and
look at
: the problem. They suggested cutting back the landscape to
get more
: natural light, using dehumidifiers, and also removing the
mold in the
: crawlspace underneath the house.
:
: Well the landlord did all of the above, but does not want to
shell out
: the $ to have the mold removed. He is trying to cheap out on
this,
: claiming the mold removal company only can guarantee their
work for
: 1-year. He says that there was a couple of water leaks in
both the
: basement laundry room and the basement studio, and that he is
also
: going to put down another layer of plastic over the dirt in
the
: crawlspace.
:
: He also wants to run an ozone generator for a few hours
underneath the
: house. Would it be necessary to remove my pets from my apt.
if the
: ozone machine is being run under the house, and how effective
would
: running it for only 6 hours be towards the problem?
:
:
: thanks
: CTV
:
: Your landlord may have no choice. Check with your local
authorities.
: They may insist that proper mold removal be done. To be fair
about this
: there is mold and there is MOLD. Most mold is harmless, but
ugly and
: slinky. But some is harmful.
:
: Ozone is nasty stuff. I would not want to be anywhere
around where they
: are going to pump enough in to attack a mold problem. I would
not allow my
: pets there either. Make sure everything is very well aired out
after they
: are done and before you and your pets return.
:
:
: --
: Joseph Meehan
:
: Dia duit
:
:

"Pop" wrote in message ...
Ozone is that nice, fresh smell you notice after a lighting
storm has passed.

Yes, at low concentrations. At higher concentrations it's downright
nasty, and has been known to kill pet birds within 30 minutes.

Good grief, Joe, where have you been? That's an uncharacteristic
answer from you, one of handful of knowledgeable posters here.
Sorry, I'm not trying to be confrontational; honest.

An ozone generator sized for the volume of the space, even
oversized pretty much, would not be a problem to pets or people.

If there's enough ozone to kill mold, then there's enough
ozone to be bad for you.

Pop wrote:
Good grief, Joe, where have you been? That's an uncharacteristic
answer from you, one of handful of knowledgeable posters here.
Sorry, I'm not trying to be confrontational; honest.

An ozone generator sized for the volume of the space, even
oversized pretty much, would not be a problem to pets or people.
It would however present the same problems for people that it did
for pets.
It's very unlikely to be any problem, but if the guy doing it
isn't a sensible person, the question might be: Is this an
approved generator, is it properly sized, and is it going to be
run per the requirements and usage stated in its paperwork?
EVERY ozone generator sold in the US and UK (I'm assuming the OP
is in the US) has to have approvals and has to include
instructions on using it.

From the FWIW department, ozone generators are the exact item
most motels and hotels use to keep their rooms fresh smelling.
They do a good job of covering cirgarettes and "people" odors.
You'l also find them in many of the better rest rooms in
restaurants, offices and many other places. And some of those
are run 24/7 but that's an exception.
Ozone is that nice, fresh smell you notice after a lighting
storm has passed.

of 931,000 hits at Google, here's a couple of links that talk up
a good hype for ozone generators; don't believe it all, but it's
mostly true.
Sponsored LinksAir-Zone® Ozone Generator
www.air-zone.com Purify Air, Kill Mold, Whole House US
Patented, Factory Direct pricing
Ozmotics Ozone Generators
www.Ozmotics.com Top-quality commercial & industrial high
grade ozone generators.
Ozone generator -purifier
www.jenesco.com Praised for treating mold-mildew, bacteria,
and odors. $129 & up

On the other side of the coin, here's a link against them; but
you have to keep in mind that there are a lot of different kinds
of generators.

Sorry; It's just that I was a compliance tester in a previous
life and tested thousands of them for the hotel/motel industry.

I think we are talking about two different kinds of ozone generators.
Some generate very small amounts and are designed for the kind of use you
refer to. They mostly just make the air smell like the after the
thunderstorm smell. Frankly I don't like even those amounts. While they
Ozone amounts may be legal, I don't like any additional to the background
already there. That stuff does bad things to all living things.

However I suspect the OP was talking about a far different ozone
generator. They may them with enough output to kill the mold and most any
other living thing in the area. Using the type you were talking about would
not really help with the OP's problem.

Note the following on your first referenced web page: "OZONE IS VERY
EFFECTIVE IN KILLING MOLD by the use of unoccupied room High Ozone Shock
Treatments. "

Note the word "unoccupied room" This is not what you would use in a
motel room to make it smell clean.






"Joseph Meehan" wrote in message
. ..
: Cartrivision1 wrote:
: Hello, the apartment I live in has had a bad mildew problem since I
: moved in 2 years ago. It is a 3-plex, with a small studio apt. in
: the basement. The owner had a mold removal company come out and
: look at the problem. They suggested cutting back the landscape to
: get more natural light, using dehumidifiers, and also removing the
: mold in the crawlspace underneath the house.
:
: Well the landlord did all of the above, but does not want to shell
: out the $ to have the mold removed. He is trying to cheap out on
: this, claiming the mold removal company only can guarantee their
: work for 1-year. He says that there was a couple of water leaks
: in both the basement laundry room and the basement studio, and
: that he is also going to put down another layer of plastic over
: the dirt in the crawlspace.
:
: He also wants to run an ozone generator for a few hours underneath
: the house. Would it be necessary to remove my pets from my apt.
: if the ozone machine is being run under the house, and how
: effective would running it for only 6 hours be towards the problem?
:
:
: thanks
: CTV
:
: Your landlord may have no choice. Check with your local
: authorities. They may insist that proper mold removal be done. To
: be fair about this there is mold and there is MOLD. Most mold is
: harmless, but ugly and slinky. But some is harmful.
:
: Ozone is nasty stuff. I would not want to be anywhere around
: where they are going to pump enough in to attack a mold problem. I
: would not allow my pets there either. Make sure everything is very
: well aired out after they are done and before you and your pets
: return.
:
:
: --
: Joseph Meehan
:
: Dia duit

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

the op said the ozone generator was going to be run UNDER THE HOUSE in
the crawl space, not in the living area

Mark

Even ozone as air cleaners can cause lung problems according to
Consumer Reports when they last looked into this problem. A commercial
ozone generator could easily be several orders of magnitude greater
than the household units CR was evaluating - don't know without the
specifications. Ozone dissipates but could enter the house since it's a
gas. I would ask the local health authorities about quantities of ozone
and crawl spaces and what not. Short answer, keep all living creatures
away if using enough ozone the place to kill tough mold.

Hi, thanks for all of the replies. The ozone machine in question is
only maybe a foot by a foot at most.....a fairly small machine which is
likely the same size that motels use in getting rid of cigarette smoke.
The machine will be running underneath the house in the crawlspace,
not in a living area. I was just wondering if the harmful effects of
it could possibly pass up through the floorboards and potentially harm
my dogs. I doubt it but thought I would check first for piece of mind.

Yeah, my first choice would be for the landlord to let the
proffesionals take care of the problem. I would have to vacate the
place for 3 days but that is better than a mildewy apartment. He would
just assume sell the place than have to make any major repairs or
upkeep, which is stupid as if he sold the house I am sure that he would
have to declare a mold/mildew problem?


CTV

Cartrivision1 wrote:
Hi, thanks for all of the replies. The ozone machine in question is
only maybe a foot by a foot at most.....a fairly small machine which
is likely the same size that motels use in getting rid of cigarette
smoke.

Physical size does not determine the output.

The machine will be running underneath the house in the
crawlspace, not in a living area. I was just wondering if the
harmful effects of it could possibly pass up through the floorboards
and potentially harm my dogs. I doubt it but thought I would check
first for piece of mind.

Yeah, my first choice would be for the landlord to let the
proffesionals take care of the problem.

I would push for this myself. Have you checked with local authorities
about his responsibilities?

I would have to vacate the
place for 3 days but that is better than a mildewy apartment.

That would make sense. I would make sure I took the pets with me.
Ozone does not last long after the source is removed. It is very reactive
so I would guess 24 hours after the machine was turned off, it should be
clear. Note: I would like a professional opinion that 24 hours would be
enough.

He
would just assume sell the place than have to make any major repairs
or upkeep, which is stupid as if he sold the house I am sure that he
would have to declare a mold/mildew problem?


CTV

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

"Mark" wrote in message
ups.com...
the op said the ozone generator was going to be run UNDER THE HOUSE in
the crawl space, not in the living area

Mark


Since crawl spaces are usually pretty drafty you should be able to be back
into the house the next day. In any event, I would/ have opened up every
window in the house for a couple of hours to evacuate the residual gas. If
you have a hot air heating system, turn it on during the treatment in order
to treat the ducts and afterward, during the airing out phase, to distribute
clean air and assist in evacuating the ozone.

"Ozone" is not a gas. It's a charge attachment to the gases that
already exist.

wrote in message
oups.com...
: Even ozone as air cleaners can cause lung problems according to
: Consumer Reports when they last looked into this problem. A
commercial
: ozone generator could easily be several orders of magnitude
greater
: than the household units CR was evaluating - don't know without
the
: specifications. Ozone dissipates but could enter the house
since it's a
: gas. I would ask the local health authorities about quantities
of ozone
: and crawl spaces and what not. Short answer, keep all living
creatures
: away if using enough ozone the place to kill tough mold.
:

Pop wrote:
"Ozone" is not a gas. It's a charge attachment to the gases that
already exist.

wrote in message

No it is a true gas, just one form of oxygen.


o·zone n. 1. A blue gaseous allotrope of oxygen, O3, formed naturally from
diatomic oxygen by electric discharge or exposure to ultraviolet radiation.
It is an unstable, powerfully bleaching, poisonous oxidizing agent with a
pungent, irritating odor, used to deodorize air, purify water, treat
industrial wastes and as a bleach.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

Interestingly, ozone is a gas. It's got a chemical formula of O3. The "3"
should be slightly below the line.

--

Christopher A. Young
Do good work.
It's longer in the short run
but shorter in the long run.
..
..


"Pop" wrote in message
...
"Ozone" is not a gas. It's a charge attachment to the gases that
already exist.

wrote in message
oups.com...
: Even ozone as air cleaners can cause lung problems according to
: Consumer Reports when they last looked into this problem. A
commercial
: ozone generator could easily be several orders of magnitude
greater
: than the household units CR was evaluating - don't know without
the
: specifications. Ozone dissipates but could enter the house
since it's a
: gas. I would ask the local health authorities about quantities
of ozone
: and crawl spaces and what not. Short answer, keep all living
creatures
: away if using enough ozone the place to kill tough mold.
:

Stormin Mormon wrote:
Interestingly, ozone is a gas. It's got a chemical formula of O3. The
"3" should be slightly below the line.


Just like regular every day oxygen is really O2


--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

And what's the oxygen stuff in the medical tanks? (Yes, I know the answer,
and it's a very obvious answer).

What's the difference between medical oxygen and welding oxygen?

--

Christopher A. Young
Do good work.
It's longer in the short run
but shorter in the long run.
..
..


"Joseph Meehan" wrote in message
...
Stormin Mormon wrote:
Interestingly, ozone is a gas. It's got a chemical formula of O3. The
"3" should be slightly below the line.


Just like regular every day oxygen is really O2


--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit