In this article we’ll address backflow and what you can do to prevent it from happening. Also, we’ll examine how to properly diagnose and resolve this problem from home.

Leaving tubing connected when you’re done using your ozone equipment is the main reason backflow happens. If there is any risk of backflow occurring, it will definitely happen when the tubing is left connected. The easiest way to avoid this is to simply disconnect the tubing between the ozone generator and the bubbler or between the oxygen source and the ozone generator. Backflow can’t happen if it has no path to follow.

Let’s say the water or oil did backflow into your system…Now what?

If oil backflows, unfortunately the machine will need to be sent in for repair. Oil is too thick and sticky to be dealt with by most home users. For the rest of this article we will discuss water backflow exclusively.

The good news is that water backflow isn’t really going to cause any damage to the ozone cell that would require you to send it in for repair. The bad news is that the generator’s ability to produce ozone will be disabled while it’s wet. This can be quickly overcome by running oxygen through the system with the ozone generator turned off. The rate at which it will be fully dried can vary based on how wet the cell is. A good rule of thumb is to run oxygen through the system for about 30 minutes to an hour to ensure the cell has been completely dried out. This will use up some oxygen in the process, but it allows you to get your generator back up and running.

To do this properly, unplug the ozone generator and unhook any tubing connected to the ozone out port. When you’re ready, connect your oxygen tubing to the generator’s oxygen in port, turn the oxygen flow rate to ½ LPM, and let it run for at least 30 minutes. After 30 minutes you can plug in the ozone generator and test it to see if you are producing any ozone. If not, turn off the generator again and continue to run oxygen through it for another 30 minutes. Once the machine is producing ozone properly, you can stop running the oxygen.

How will I know if the generator is producing ozone again?

Since most people don’t own an ozone analyzer (they’re pretty expensive), there are two ways of determining if the generator is producing ozone or not: the smell test or the rubber band test. The smell test is pretty straightforward. Ozone has a unique and unmistakable smell so if you are smelling ozone, it’s safe to say the cell is dry.

However, smell is pretty subjective from person to person. In addition, because things like coronavirus can prevent you from being able to smell anything, you might have a generator that is working correctly but you just aren't able to detect the smell. That is where the rubber band test comes in handy.

The rubber band test can be done in just a few seconds. You’ll first want to locate a normal sized rubber band (like for a newspaper), and set that next to your ozone generator. Then make sure you have the oxygen tank and regulator connected to the generator with the oxygen tubing, and that nothing is connected to the ozone out port. Next you will turn on the oxygen tank and set the regulator to 1/8 LPM and max out the ozone concentration on the generator. Then you just need to slightly stretch the rubber band out in front of the ozone out port.

Since rubber is ‘D’ rated for ozone compatibility, the rubber band test is illustrating the accelerated degradation rate ozone has on rubber. By stretching the rubber band out, this also helps accelerate the process so that you can quickly see whether the gas is ozone or not. If the generator is working correctly, it won’t take very long before the ozone causes the rubber band to break. If the generator isn’t working then you won’t notice the rubber affected at all.

If you’ve had backflow and drying out the cell isn’t working, feel free to contact us. The best fix, of course, is prevention, so make sure you don’t leave the bubbler hooked up and backflow should never happen.