An ozone generator is hired to shock treat an unoccupied space for odour: smoke, mildew or a smell that survived cleaning. Rates run roughly $50 to $120 a day depending on output. The machine is chosen by output in milligrams an hour against the volume of the space, and nothing living can be inside while it runs, which is what shapes the whole booking.
Output is rated in milligrams an hour
Counter machines are sold and hired by ozone output rather than by room size, and a small unit in a large space simply takes longer with a weaker result. Give the yard the cubic volume of the space and how strong the odour is. A vehicle interior, a single room and a whole floor are three different machines.
Nobody, and nothing alive, stays in the space
Ozone at treatment concentration is an irritant to airways and is not something to work alongside; OSHA lists it among the air contaminants with a construction exposure limit. Plants, pets and fish leave too. Doors are sealed, a timer starts the run, and the operator is outside for the whole cycle and the airing out afterwards.
Run time, then airing out, then judge it
A typical room is treated for a few hours and then ventilated hard for at least an hour before anyone assesses whether the smell has gone. Judging it while the ozone is still in the air tells you nothing, because ozone has a smell of its own. Plan a day per area rather than trying to do a house at once.
If the smell returns, the source is still there
Ozone oxidises odour that is in the air and on surfaces it can reach. It does not remove soaked carpet underlay, wet drywall or a dead animal in a cavity, and those smells come back within days. Treat the source first, hire the machine second, and expect a second run on heavy smoke damage.
Questions people ask about ozone generator rental
How long should an ozone generator run in a room?
A common approach is a few hours for a normal room, longer for strong smoke damage, followed by an hour or more of ventilation before re-entry. Timers on rental units are set to run and then stop so nobody has to go in. Longer is not automatically better if the source is untreated.
Is an ozone generator or an air scrubber the right hire?
They do different jobs. A scrubber filters particulate from air in an occupied space and runs continuously; an ozone generator treats an empty one and then stops. Water damage and dust work want the scrubber. A lingering odour in a space you can close off wants the ozone unit.
How long before the space can be used again?
Ozone breaks down back to oxygen fairly quickly, and with the windows open and air moving most rooms are usable again within a couple of hours. Anything with a strong residual ozone smell needs longer ventilation. Follow the instructions supplied with that specific machine.