Have you ever had an issue filling an insufflation bag, even though you’ve done it several times before with no problems? Perhaps you attempted to make some ozonated water and noticed there was no bubbling, even though you’re confident nothing changed from the day before? For issues like these, many instantly assume the ozone generator is the problem, but that’s rarely the case. The purpose of this article is to cover some of the typical problems that might prevent a bubbler from bubbling or a bag or syringe from filling.

The first thing to understand when it comes to ozone generators is that they do nothing to propel the flow of oxygen through the unit. This is to say that the flow of oxygen comes entirely from your source of oxygen, either a tank or an oxygen concentrator. To put it simply, between the oxygen in and ozone out ports is essentially a fancy tube with certain parts that convert the oxygen passing through into ozone. Because you’re using slow, pediatric flows for ozone therapy purposes, it takes a completely closed system to generate enough pressure to actually force the ozone into the water to bubble or push the plunger of the syringe back. So if something isn’t working quite right, the issue usually lies outside of the ozone generator.

Keeping that in mind, here are some of the typical issues that might occlude oxygen flow:

The Check Valve

Check Valve Segment

When in doubt, the check valve is always a great place to start troubleshooting, especially if you do not see any bubbling in your flask. This is not a permanent piece and will need to be periodically changed. We’ve made this very easy to both bypass for troubleshooting purposes and to easily install a replacement should you find this to be the issue.

Complete Ozone Out Tubing

If you look at the cloudy silicone ozone out tubing that was provided with your generator, you’ll note that the longer 5’ total length of the tubing is really broken down into two segments – a much longer segment that’s approximately 4 feet long, as well as a shorter segment that’s approximately 8 inches long. This shorter segment contains the check valve which should be closer to the ozone out port of your ozone generator, and with the luer lock system is easy to temporarily bypass. Simply unscrew the male luer lock fitting from your ozone out port, and follow down the tubing past the check valve to where the male and female luer lock are joined to the longer segment of silicone hose. Unscrew this connection to separate the silicone hose into two segments. You’ll note that the longer segment will still have a male luer lock pushed into the tubing, which you can now screw on to the ozone out port of your generator.

Keep in mind this is just a quick test for troubleshooting purposes, however, as use of the generator without the check valve will technically void your warranty. Now you can start your flow of oxygen at your regulator to look for bubbling in your flask. For these types of filling or bubbling tests we do not need to turn on the ozone generator. With the check valve now out of the equation, if you see bubbling when starting your oxygen flow we’ve isolated the problem as the check valve. We sell the check valve by itself, or if you’re looking for more of a plug-and-play option we sell the check valve installed in the tubing with the respective luer locks to make that necessary connection.

Double check your connections

Promolife ozone generator systems are designed to always be used with a male to female mating system to connect the tubing properly to the oxygen equipment, ozone generator, and other peripherals. Any system purchased from 2017 on will utilize the luer lock system, where ozone systems before this date will use male luer locks to secure the tubing to the generator and silicone hose connectors for the peripherals. Either way, both are a male/female mating system and require both pieces to “mate” to form a proper and solid connection to prevent pressure loss within the system.

One common mistake we see is a luer lock barb being pushed into a female silicone hose connector. While it will fit, it is not a proper connection and will cause pressure loss.

Incorrect – Luer lock inserted into silicone hose adapter

For example, tubing should never be pushed over the ports on the generator, but rather use a male luer fitting in the tubing to screw that connection securely into place, which on our generators are actually female luer ports. It’s also important to note that the luer lock and silicone hose connector systems are only meant to mate with each other.

On the topic of tubing and connections, this is another place of potential pressure loss, primarily with tubing that’s older than a couple of years but might happen sooner with heavy use. The silicone hose is “A rated” for ozone compatibility, however ozone will eventually dry out the tubing which in turn causes the fittings installed for connection to lose their seal. This typically occurs on the tubing connected to the glass of the bubbling stem, and a telltale sign of this is a discoloration of the tubing. The normal progression is first the cloudy tubing, which then turns to a pink, then orange, and then brown. If you find this on the tubing, it will need to be replaced. Look for a guide to replace this tubing in the future as it can be a little tricky.

Lastly, when it comes to checking your connections, sometimes it might feel that you were able to twist the luer lock onto the ozone generator ports, however it might be slightly askew and this can cause pressure loss. Consider screwing a lid onto a jar, only to look at it from the side and you notice the lid is a little off-kilter. This can be a similar case with the luer locks, specifically on the ozone generator ports.

Filling insufflation bags

If you’ve checked all of the above and still can’t get an insufflation bag to fill, the first thing to try is to simply blow into the bag. This is an easy test to see if the bag is still viable. If it fills you’ll know the issue lies elsewhere, and if it does not then you’ll know it’s time for a new bag. If the bag does not fill, check the white clamp on the bag to ensure that it is in an open position. If it is, try sliding that clip down the tubing just a little to check and see if the tubing is worn where it was clamping. You might need to squeeze it with your fingers to open a passage if it is worn.

Filling a syringe

Before connecting a syringe, always pump it with your hand first. If the syringe is difficult to move with your hands, the system will not have enough pressure to fill the syringe. It might be time to replace the syringe, or on the 200mL syringe you might need a little lubrication to assist. Because ozone is so reactive with most conventional lubricants, we recommend using a natural vegetable oil like olive or coconut, however keep in mind that this could be an indicator that you’re nearing the lifespan of the syringe.

We hope this cleared up some of the reasons you may see a lack of bubbling or have issues filling bags and syringes. If none of the above solutions work for you, feel free to contact us with any questions.