Is it safe to use Ionizers in recording studio control rooms?

[rashadrm@hotmai]

Does anyone know the disadvantages of using Ionizers (such as the Ionic Breeze etc..) in a studio control room?

[twotracker]

Here's my theory, which is probably wrong, but it may at least get someone who knows to answer up.

We used one in our office for a year or more (before it broke) and any coins lying around were changed to black, as if they were plated. So I'm guessing that the ionizer is changing the surface structure of exposed metals by adding electrons(?) and making them less conductive.
Can't be a good thing, on the other hand the computers in the room never broke down.

[stellar]

yes it can be bad for your brain and you shouldn't be growing weed in your studio anyway!!

[rashadrm@hotmai]

Originally Posted by stellar

yes it can be bad for your brain and you shouldn't be growing weed in your studio anyway!!

and maybe you should stop smoking it... ..... .......fuuck

[Brad Lunde]

Ozone generators are bad for you (the class action lawsuit of tommorrow?). How they have been promoted so long is a mystery. They also destroy rubber and shockmounts, we've had a few clients have such troubles.

There are plenty of air cleaners that do not do generate ozone. Use one of those!
Brad

[stellar]

Originally Posted by rashadrm@hotmai

and maybe you should stop smoking it... ..... .......fuuck

thanks for the finger!!! its just a joke man. have a sense of humor. maybe you should START smoking it.

[Jules]

http://allergyclean.com/news/5112006.htm

Hmm I love my ionizer.. it keeps the air fresh in the studio.. but that is well ventilated..

I have one in our bedroom at the mo to knock pollen out of the air to stop my wife sneezing so much during the hayfever season - reading this.. I am glad we have just moved the baby next door now, he was in with us and the ionizer..

We get sleepy in the control room with our ionizer OFF.. We use it as a stimulant!

Interesting..

[GearHunter]

Ha! We used to use Ozium for that purpose!

[Cap'n Spanky]

On a side note, Consumer Reports said the Ionic Breeze is a piece of cr@p. Don't waste your money.

[thenoiseflower]

[QUOTE=Jule

We get sleepy in the control room with our ionizer OFF.. We use it as a stimulant!

Interesting..[/QUOTE]

I noticed the same thing while playing very long video game sesions

I just dont like how it makes the air feel - "staticy"or "charged" ??? anyone notice this?

[pan60]

Originally Posted by twotracker

any coins lying around were changed to black, as if they were plated.

i wonder what it turns black inside your gear!

[Ethan Winer]

> Ozone generators are bad for you (the class action lawsuit of tommorrow?). <

That's the right answer.

> Consumer Reports said the Ionic Breeze is a piece of cr@p. Don't waste your money. <

And so is that.

--Ethan

[SK1]

http://www.royerlabs.com/bulletins.html#ozone

scroll down to "beware of ozone"

[Greg Curtis]

Originally Posted by SK1

http://www.royerlabs.com/bulletins.html#ozone

scroll down to "beware of ozone"

I'm unplugging mine as I type....

G

.

[GearHunter]

Originally Posted by pan60

i wonder what it turns black inside your gear!

I hope it doesn't turn my heart and soul black...

Oh, wait a minute....


Too late!

[Flymax]

ionizor and ozonator are two totally different things..

ozonator generates ozone and kills mold...not good to breathe...

[dkatz42]

Originally Posted by pan60

i wonder what it turns black inside your gear!

Yep, anything that oxidizes normally will oxidize a lot faster in the presence of ozone, which is oxygen with three atoms per molecule instead of two. This makes it even more highly reactive than normal oxygen.

My hot tub has an ozone generator that burns all of the microbes to tiny cinders, so I don't have to keep it chlorinated constantly. You probably wouldn't want a bunch of chlorine gas in your equipment either.

Contrary to late-night TV advertising, the only way to clean a lot of air is to, well, move a lot of air through a cleaner. There are a lot of floor-standing HEPA cleaners that work well. They're loud as hell, but you can just run them when you're not there.

Another option is to add an electrostatic precipitator to your air handler if you've got forced air (and clean your ducts, particularly the returns!)

[XSergeantD]

Originally Posted by FLYMAX

ionizor and ozonator are two totally different things..

ozonator generates ozone and kills mold...not good to breathe...

Ionizers create ozone also. Very bad units to keep in your bedroom close to your bed.

[Flymax]

wow,, good to know...

[pan60]

Originally Posted by GearHunter

I hope it doesn't turn my heart and soul black...

Oh, wait a minute....


Too late!

lol
yea i am in the same boat.

[drBill]

Originally Posted by SK1

http://www.royerlabs.com/bulletins.html#ozone

scroll down to "beware of ozone"

OK. I'm convinced!! I've often thought of one. Glad I never went thru with it!

[rashadrm@hotmai]

Originally Posted by stellar

thanks for the finger!!! its just a joke man. have a sense of humor. maybe you should START smoking it.

no disrespect intended , after all.... he is smiling......

[rashadrm@hotmai]

thanks for the replies....I think I'll pass

[DeepSpace]

Originally Posted by XSergeantD

Ionizers create ozone also.

Malfunctioning ones do. A correctly functioning ionizer should produce very little ozone and a correctly functioning ozonizer should produce very few ionic particles.

The reason that items near to an ionizer turn black is because of the precipitation of pollutants from the air. The 'black stuff' on twotracker's coins was microscopic detritus from out of the air. Personally, I'd rather have that stuff accumulating on coins etc than in my lungs. YMMV...

[pan60]

Originally Posted by DarkSky

Malfunctioning ones do. A correctly functioning ionizer should produce very little ozone and a correctly functioning ozonizer should produce very few ionic particles.

The reason that items near to an ionizer turn black is because of the precipitation of pollutants from the air. The 'black stuff' on twotracker's coins was microscopic detritus from out of the air. Personally, I'd rather have that stuff accumulating on coins etc than in my lungs. YMMV...

but is it also accumulating on the metal in your gear, would that not cause problems, and way risk it if air fillers are superior anyway.

[slenderchap]

I once had a problem at where the mixing console would start to click after a few hours of use........and there were random jumps in the moving faders.....

after 4 hours of listening to silence..... it did indeed click... and the period between clicks gradually reduced until it happened every few minutes....

This was all caused by an air ioniser which built up so much static in the air that there would be random discharges onto the signal cables feeding the powered nearfield monitors... and onto the touch sensors of the faders.

Maybe this was an extreme case..... but I always advise against using them in studios.

[XSergeantD]

Originally Posted by DarkSky

Malfunctioning ones do. A correctly functioning ionizer should produce very little ozone and a correctly functioning ozonizer should produce very few ionic particles. .... YMMV...

I'm not talking about malfunctioning units. I'm talking about just plain bad ionizing room cleaners like Sharper Image and Brookstones. Consumer Union ran living condition tests and labratory sealed room tests both with ozone producing results above acceptable levels. I won't bore you with the whole results, but the only ionizing units with a decent rating were a Friedrich and Whirlpool unit, all others were graded at 15/100 pont results. as you said YMMV, but here is a short quote of their results (note that limits of O3 are 50ppb)...

"We replicated that test using the sealed polyethylene room specified by Underwriters Laboratories Standard 867 to help ensure consistent results. Ozone levels were measured 2 inches from each machine's air discharge in accordance with the standard. All five ionizers failed the test by producing more than the 50-ppb limit--in some cases, much more.

People don't live in sealed plastic rooms, however. So we also tested these ionizing air cleaners in an open, well-ventilated lab. For comparison, we also tested a top-performing Friedrich electrostatic-precipitator and a Whirlpool HEPA model from previous reports.

We measured ozone levels 2 inches from the machines, as in the sealed-room test, and 3 feet away, since ozone becomes diluted and dissipates rapidly indoors as it reacts with carpet, upholstery, and other surfaces. In our lab tests, two ionizing models--the IonizAir P4620 and the Surround Air XJ-2000--emitted more than 150 and 300 ppb, respectively, 2 inches from the machine.

While few people are likely to sit 2 inches from the air discharge, where our ozone readings were highest, you could be exposed to higher levels than those we measured at 3 feet if you take a cue from manufacturers. The IonizAir's box shows it on a desk near a keyboard and on a nightstand near a sleeping woman. The Ionic Pro CL-369 is shown next to a sofa, while the Surround Air's manual suggests placing it “nearby those suffering from breathing or other health problems.”"

[Jonboy79]

Filters and moving air is the only way to go. I use three filters in my studio and just turn them off while occupied.

[hazel]

I realize this is an ancient thread, but its a topic new to me. I am still unclear from all the verbatim here whether ionizers are good or evil.

Ozone "sanitizers" are obviously not the way to go - unless you are doing a power cleaning and no one will be in the room for 6 hours or so.

Today i just got in the mail from Toronto my HEPA Air Purifier - with a carbon filter and UV and a sanitizer option. Shortly after using this unit my chest was experiencing a strange tightness and the smell was too chemically to seem truly 'clean'.

I started to research the UV light - which I dismantled now, as it produces Ozone. I shut down the ozone "sanitizer" function - that i was coerced into upgrading too. (sanitizer doesn't mean ozone pumper... these sales folks should just be honest)

But the HEPA and Carbon - which i need cuz there is a lot of smoke coming in from the suite upstairs work simultaeously with an Ionizer. I can't shut the Ionizer off.

Do ionizers produce ozone too? Why do I feel statically clingy like someone said they are stimulated - but is this healthy. Anyone know the risks???

all these answers in this forum left me to wonder if the ionizer is ok or not??? word?

hazel