Ozone Pure Water

The systems built in Leander use oxidation to disinfect and eliminate minerals such as sulfur and tannic acid from water. Ozone, or O3, is injected into the water, which is then filtered and used in bottled water, swimming pools, irrigation lines and other places.

"In order to extract manganese, iron and those minerals out of the water, you have to make them expand," Versage said. "What we do is zap them with ozone, which is overglorified oxygen, and we are doing it quickly and strongly to make the molecules expand. When they expand, you take them through a filter, and it's able to extract the minerals from the water."

In some ways, the ozonation process is a lot like the effects from lightning, Versage said.

"When you walk outside after a lightning and thunderstorm, notice how light the air feels and how fresh it smells? Those bolts produced massive amounts of ozone that purify the air," he said. "What we are doing is creating lightning in a cell, which produces ozone gas. We are extracting the ozone and using it as a cleaner and disinfectant. It buffers the water, settles it down a bit and polishes the molecule."

At home, Versage uses the process in his swimming pool instead of chlorine, in part, because it gives the water a sparkle unmatched by other methods, he said. Although not all water impurities can be remedied with ozonation, it is a chemical-free process.

"Ozone is the second-strongest oxidizer on the planet, and it's a natural process. There are no chemicals involved," he said. "The whole thing behind ozone is it's a green process, so we don't want to compromise that in any form or fashion."

Ozone Pure Water's most popular item is the whole house system, which uses ozone to treat all water used in a home. Depending on its size, an installed ozone water treatment system can cost $3,500–$20,000, but Versage said customers spend less on cleansers while using a natural purification method.

"A lot of people still don't understand ozone, and they are under the impression that it's extremely expensive," he said. "But considering the long-term savings, it's worth it."

Ozone Pure Water, 410 Municipal Drive, Ste. 100, Leander, 800-633-8469, www.ozonepurewater.com