Short answer: use silicone or PTFE tubing, glass or quartz, 316 stainless steel fittings and an ozone-rated diffuser. Keep natural rubber, latex, PVC and vinyl out of the gas path. Replace tubing when it gets stiff or discolored.
Why materials matter
Ozone is a strong oxidizer. It breaks down most rubbers and many flexible plastics: the wrong tubing hardens, cracks and leaks, and what it sheds ends up in the liquid you're treating.
Safe in the ozone path
- Silicone: the usual tubing. Flexible and resists ozone well. Still a part you replace from time to time.
- PTFE (Teflon): tubing, tape and seals. Very resistant, but stiffer and more expensive than silicone.
- Glass and quartz: cells, containers and diffusers. Inert to ozone, which is why good cells are quartz.
- 316 stainless steel: fittings and luer locks.
- PVDF (Kynar): where you need a rigid plastic fitting.
Keep out of the ozone path
- Natural rubber and latex: crack and crumble quickly.
- PVC and vinyl: harden and yellow. Common on cheap kits.
- Neoprene, EPDM, nitrile (Buna-N): swell and perish.
- Silicone sealant: not the same as silicone tubing. Keep it out of the gas path.
The oxygen side
Anything on the oxygen side must be free of oil and grease. In oxygen-rich air, oil can ignite. Don't lubricate oxygen fittings or handle them with oily hands. More in ozone safety and ventilation.
When to replace
- Tubing: when it gets stiff, discolored or smells odd.
- Diffuser stones: when the bubbles get visibly bigger than when the stone was new. Smaller bubbles put more ozone into the liquid.
What Synergy uses
The WPS-100 uses a quartz glass cold corona tube that does not touch metal. The WPS-120 has 316 stainless luer lock connections and components A-rated against ozone degradation. Replacement silicone tubing and a stone diffuser are in the shop.
Equipment information only, not medical advice. Synergy generators are sold as water purification systems and have not been assessed by the FDA.