| TherOzone
T-1000 Unit Information |
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Please
note that TherOzone has worked continually to improve and upgrade
aqueous ozone production of its units and now sells and manufactured an
upgraded model, the T-8000.
While the following review by REALITY, is exciting and supportive, we
are constantly striving to improve and develop new ways of effectively
and safely produce aqueous ozone.
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| TherOzone
T-1000 - Technical Specifications (pdf file) |
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| TherOzone Safety
Information |
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TherOzone T-1000, TherOzone
• From:
www.dentistrytoday.com - Thursday, May 14, 2009
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The
advantages of using ozone for disinfection in medicine and dentistry
are well established. Ozone decontamination has been common in hospital
settings for almost a century, and it is used routinely in the food and
health sectors as a disinfectant for edible products and working
surfaces. While ozone at 1 ppm will kill bacteria and viruses on
contact within a matter of seconds, the FDA recognizes up to 5 ppm of
ozone as a food additive.
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The recently introduced T-1000 unit from TherOzone is a countertop
device that quickly and safely dissolves ozone gas into ordinary
distilled water. The process
is virtually automatic; a single button initiates the entire process.
TherOzone provides 3 to 4 ppm of ozone in distilled water, useful for
surface and appliance
disinfection.
TherOzone ozonated water has a half-life of 30 minutes at room
temperature. The ozonated water bottle may be plugged directly into the
dental unit waterline to create a bacteria-free water supply that is to
be delivered into the oral cavity during dental procedures (through
handpieces and water syringes). The T-1000’s redundant safety systems
eliminate any risk of operator exposure to ozone gas; the unit cannot
generate ozone until the sealed bottle is securely locked into place. A
special filter converts excess ozone (O3) gas to oxygen (O2). Remember
not to overfill the bottles with distilled water. While dissolving
ozone into the water, some units make a mewling sound. This is simply a
function of the valves working properly, not a problem. For more
information, call (310) 581-5585 or visit the Web site therozone.com. |
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TherOzone T-1000 (NEW)
USER RATING 5.0 |
REALITY'S CHOICE 4.3 out of 5
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Read
User Comments
Strengths,
Weaknesses, and Bottom Line |
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Manufacturer
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TherOzone
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Raves & Rants |
+ Very easy to use
+ Many potential uses for ozonated water
– Very expensive
– Hard to see fill line through opaque bottle Prices
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Prices
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$8,995.00
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Warranty
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1 year
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Description
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Device that produces ozonated water for purging and disinfecting water
lines in your dental unit as well as using it as a hard surface
disinfectant and to soak instruments prior to autoclaving.
The unit looks like a large, white coffee maker, with a domed top and a
recess in front for the bottle that acts as the reservoir for the
water. At the top of this recess is the gray plastic female connector
for the water bottle. Extending down from this connection is a flexible
rubber tube that ends in a rigid sintered ceramic diffuser section
perforated with 5 micron-sized holes through which the ozone gas is
pumped into the water.
The soft touch control panel is located on the bottom half of the right
side of the front section. The top of this control panel has a green
LED power indicator that glows when the unit is on. Immediately below
is the Start button/LED. Below that comes the Ready light and finally
the Reset button/LED.
The threads on the bottle should fit most dental units with the glaring
exception of A-dec. If you do have an A-dec unit, you’ll need to pour
the ozonated water into an A-dec water bottle before you can purge your
unit.
The large rear section of the unit holds the ozone generating
compressor. A blue plastic accent strip covers the seam between the two
sections and adds a little pizzazz to the otherwise utilitarian design.
The back of the unit at the top has the vent holes for the two internal
cooling fans, while the bottom section has the simple toggle power
button, the connection for the AC plug, and the time clock, which
registers the actual ozone generating time. Since the compressor is
rated at 5,000 hours or 30,000 cycles, it seems obvious that this piece
of equipment should be quite durable.
Half of the evaluators considered the design of the unit to be
acceptable, while the other half really liked the design.
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Weight
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12.1lbs/5.5kg |
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Dimensions |
Height
Width
Depth
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18.3in/46.4cm
8.0in/20.3cm
10.8in/27.4cm (including power cord)
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Use
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When
you turn the unit on, the power LED will glow green, while the reset
LED will be red. Fill up the water bottle with distilled water to the
maximum fill line. While not essential, a funnel makes filling this
bottle easier and keeps drips to a minimum. Even though the written
directions give you the option of using water between 5-20°C or
40-68°F, the manufacturer’s website instructs you to use
refrigerated water. Presumably ozone is better dissolved in cold rather
than room temperature water. In addition, tap water can be used instead
of distilled water, but the ozone dose will be lower.
After filling the bottle to the maximum fill line, screw on the gray
plastic male connector, thread the rubber tube through the hole in the
connector, and push it up into the female connector attached to the
unit. These two connectors just snap together easily and quickly. At
this point, the bottle filled with distilled water is just hanging in
the unit without any support underneath. Once the bottle is connected,
the red reset light goes off. Note that the unit will not start
generating ozone if the bottle is not connected properly. This is a
safety mechanism built into it.
Then you push the start button and the ozone generation begins. The
start LED turns amber and the sound from the compressor is unmistakable
but not distracting or annoying. During the time the ozone is being
generated, there are occasional and brief puff-like sounds, almost like
water hitting a hot pan on the stove.
According to the written directions, it will take about 10 minutes for
the ozone to be generated, while the website states 5.25 minutes, which
is exactly the time we recorded. When it is finished, the ready LED
glows blue, but the two internal cooling fans stay on for an additional
two minutes. All the evaluators felt the machine was easy to use and
the generation time was acceptable.
To remove the bottle, retract the sleeve around the female connector
while holding the bottle with your other hand. The bottle disengages
very easily and, after removing the rubber tubing, the ozonated water
is ready to use. The unit itself generates ozone as a closed system,
which means there is no ozone gas released while it’s being generated
assuming the bottle is connected properly. The unit also converts any
unused ozone back into oxygen, which is another safety feature.
However, some individuals may notice the ozone odor, which is coming
out of the water similar to the fizz when you first open a bottle of
soda, as soon as the bottle is removed from the machine. None of the
evaluators were bothered by this odor, although several staff members
in one office found it offensive. For this reason, you would probably
not want to keep the unit in a treatment room.
According to the manufacturer, the ozonated water has a half life of
about 30 minutes. This means you should use it as quickly as possible.
If you are going to use the ozonated water to wipe down your treatment
room, moistening unbleached gauze or towels would be best, since the
chlorine residue in bleached towels could affect its potency.
Note: The manufacturer sells a third party kit for $65.00 to test
whether the ozonated water really was generated. While the kit itself
reminds you of a high school chemistry set, it is reasonably easy to
use and did confirm that the water that was generated contained ozone. |
Effect on Bond Strength
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Since ozonated water has been proposed as a cavity disinfectant, we
tested its effect on bond strength using total-etch (OptiBond Solo
Plus) and self-etch (Bond Force) adhesives. The results showed that
there is no effect on bond strength.
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Maintenance
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There is no routine maintenance required. After 40-45 hours of use, the
plastic inside the female coupler (the one attached to the unit)
presumably degrades to the point of needing to be replaced.
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Directions
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Our unit came with a plastic-laminated, foldout that is easy to follow
and has numerous illustrations. But as noted previously, some important
information such as the need to refrigerate the distilled water is not
emphasized. The best and more updated directions are on the
manufacturer’s website.
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Strengths,
Weaknesses, and Bottom Line : TherOzone
T-1000
Overall Rating 4.3 out of 5.0
Strengths
Unit is well-made, requires minimal maintenance, and is easy to use and
not overly noisy. Closed ozone generating system is safe – any unused
ozone is converted back into oxygen. Can’t run the unit if the bottle
is not placed properly, which is another safety mechanism. Only
requires slightly more than five minutes to produce the ozonated water.
Antimicrobial effectiveness of ozonated water is impressive, including
the ability to kill MRSA bugs, and no organism seems to be able to
develop a resistance to it. Uses for ozonated water are numerous.
Weaknesses
Very expensive. Most evaluators listed the price as the main
disadvantage. Bottle should be more translucent. Bottle doesn’t fit
A-dec units. Odor is offensive to some people.
BOTTOM LINE
The antimicrobial effectiveness of ozonated water along with the
multitude of uses and the ease and safety of generating it make this
device very enticing, although the price in a struggling economy could
be a major stumbling block for many practices.
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