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So, what is ozone exactly? Well, it's nature's way of cleaning
the air. You've no doubt smelled the results after a heavy thunderstorm
-- it's that fresh "just rained" smell.
Ozone is oxygen with an extra oxygen molecule attached. A very
strong oxidant, it's highly reactive with organic molecules, such
as mold spores, amoebae, mildew, viruses, bacterium and a variety
of pathogenic and saprophytic germs. It also reacts with chemical
fumes, smoke, and many organic gases. Ozone rids the environment
of these organisms by oxidizing them. Basically, it breaks down
their cell walls and totally destroys them, leaving only harmless
waste. Even that extra atom of oxygen is destroyed, so there's nothing
left...no odor....no extra atom, only the clean, fresh smell of
pure oxygen.
Ozone occurs naturally in the environment. Here's how it works:
Oxygen released from plants and sea plankton during photosynthesis
floats up into the atmosphere where the sun's ultraviolet radiation
creates ozone by binding a third oxygen atom to normal oxygen's
two. Ozone is also formed during thunder and lightening storms.
A fun fact: natural ozone in the atmosphere blocks harmful UV rays
that cause skin cancer.
When electrical charges pass through oxygen, stable pairs of oxygen
(O2) molecules are separated. They regroup as ozone (O3). As long
as the sun's shinning, ozone is produced constantly in the upper
atmosphere. Since it's heavier than air, it begins to fall towards
the earth. As it falls, it combines with any pollutant it contacts,
cleaning the air. If ozone contacts water vapor as it falls, it
forms hydrogen peroxide, a component of rainwater, and the reason
why rainwater causes plants to grow better than irrigation.
Ozone has been heavily researched; at correct levels it's been
shown to provide healthier environments for both plants and people.
Plants have been shown to grow faster in the presence of ozone.
For humans, ozone is a powerful professional cleaning tool with
hundreds of uses. The hydroponics and greenhouse industry rely on
ozone generators to reduce pollen, mold, viruses, bacteria, air
pollution and odors.
Take note: it's important to be careful when using ozone. Because
one oxygen molecule is robbed from O2 to create O3, the area is
starved of breathable air. For this reason, ozone is corrosive.
It can cause breathing problems and destroy plant tissues. Fortunately,
ozone is self-policing, and gives off an obnoxious, chemical-like
smell well before reaching dangerous levels. The smell of ozone
should be subtle, a sweet, clean, pleasant smell. Unfortunately,
Ozone has a short life span -- about 20 minutes. After that time,
it quickly breaks down and dissipates. Be sure to follow the directions
that come with your ozone generator and use a test strip to check
the levels in your living areas.
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Processes such as sunlight, lightning, ocean waves and waterfalls
generate negative ions that collide with airborne particles, causing
them to clump together and fall to the ground-- cleaning the air
in the process. Ionization eliminates odors, molds, mildew and pollen.
It also takes care of collecting dust, chemicals, smoke, gasses
and other indoor buildup. According to a recent U.S. Department
of Agriculture study, ionizing a room leads to 52% less dust in
the air, 95% less bacteria and 40% fewer airborne viruses. Bottom
line: negative ions are not only good for your allergies, but your
plants will grow faster too.
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We have a respectable range of pumps to choose from for your particular
hydroponic system. It will benefit you to become familiar with the
different kinds that are available.
Submersible
Pumps:
These are usually the choice for a basic homemade hydroponic system.
They provide less pressure than centrifugal pumps, but for your
average drip or ebb & flow system, they are great. The NK-1and
the PE-1
are the most efficient, hard working and reliable general use pumps
that we have found.
Centrifugal
Pumps
These are the heavyweights. They are the champs in the high pressure
arena. They do not sit in the water, they are loacated outside of
the reservoir. They provide more power and move more water than
standard submersible pumps. They are ideal for American Agritech
Aerojet® systems. The smallest of these that we carry is the
TNC Utility
Pump which is great for a single 6 or 8 Tray Aerojet®. The
EcoJet
is the best pump to use for a double sided 6x6 or 8x8 Tray AeroJet®.
For anything larger, we recommend using an EcoPlus.
Air
Pumps
Many hydroponic growers choose to use air pump suitable umping air
into nutrient reservoirs to provide oxygen for the plant roots.
The smaller air pumps are ok for small systems or individual plants,
but if you really want to provide tons of oxygen, you might want
to checkout this powerhouse, the Industrial
Air Pump
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Lighting
Timers
These diligent and hardworking timers from Green Air provide the
most reliable lighting control. With their precision synchronous
clock and high amp switching circuit, they're built to handle high
load lighting equipment. Options include: temperature override (turns
lights off if your room temp exceeds maximum levels; lights come
back on when the area cools down), latching relay (disengages main
contractor in event of a power failure) and an internal self-charging
battery (capable of keeping time up to 90 hours during a power failure).
Industrial
Timers
Industrial timers are durable and offer features that regular timers
do not. Cycle timers are geared for irrigation or CO2 control. Time
is broken into duration and frequency, allowing the you to have
extremely precise interval times. Another industrial -rade timer
we offer is the 24-hour Dual Timer, which is capable of handling
up to two 600 watt lights or one 1000 watt light with accompanying
pump or vent fan. The beauty of these timers is the flexibility
they provide.These industrial timers encourage you to be innovative
creating your gardening space.
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