Kanberra gel

[Don0190]

after reading the 6 pages there doesn't appear as much usage knowledge as I would have expected

I don't have an odor problem on my boat. But my throat says there is some old in the air. So I guess I'll stay with some other "technology" to deal with that.

[funjohnson]

Originally Posted by Minnewaska

In a follow up email, David gave me permission to share his response. He also said that there was a review of Kanberra in the December issue of Cruising World magazine, although, I don't have it.

__________________________________________________ ____________


Thank you for your patronage to Kanberra Gel and the opportunity to elaborate on the differences from other products.*
*
In order to compare ANY product to Kanberra you would have to look at the following items:
*
1).*Quantity (percentage) of active ingredient(s) in the product
2).*Certified grade of active ingredient(s) in the product
3).*Off-gassing/VOC levels of “inactive” ingredients during product usage (what is being used to “deliver” the oils airborne)
4).*Evaporation rates of product = how much active ingredient is getting into the air
5). Available containers and packaging
*
It is important to first note that as a company we have been working on what is now called Kanberra Gel for 10-12 years.* We are a 19-year old business in New York State specializing in indoor air quality with a heavy emphasis on ventilation cleaning and maintenance.* For 13+ years we have been the largest ventilation cleaning contractor for the US Navy, with an office in San Diego specifically for that purpose.* You may visit Duct Cleaning, Dryer Vent Cleaning, House Mold, Air Filters, Buffalo, Rochester for more information on our history.
*
I mention this because quite a lot has gone into the product.* In the early stages of development, before it was called “Kanberra Gel” we not only kept refining the formula to improve performance, but also the manufacturing process.* Until 4-5 yrs. ago, when the Kanberra Gel brand and formula we now use were developed, we outsourced the manufacturing for various reasons.* As a result of the outsourced manufacturing, there are several of our “older” formulas still out there, so to speak.* BioZap is in fact one of them.*
*
Our product is a proprietary blend of two Tea Tree Oils.* Years ago we experimented with and found that blending the oils greatly enhanced the anti-microbial abilities of the product; however the second oil has a much higher cost to go along with the effectiveness.* The challenge was establishing the right blend for not only antimicrobial performance but longevity.* Making the oils airborne was only a part of it; we found it more difficult to slow down the dissipation enough to last the desired time.*
*
BioZap is made by a company called HygienicAire, and is branded under both names.* Their facility used to manufacture our product, 6-7 years ago, maybe more.* At the time we were unsatisfied with the evaporation rate, the overall length of performance and the total effectiveness.* We went so far as to have an independent company test the product to see if the manufacturer was even using the directed amounts of Tea Tree Oils.* They were not and we subsequently changed manufacturers.* They have continued to use and market that formula.* If you were to use BioZap you would find it would evaporate about half to two-thirds total volume and completely crust over, rendering the remaining product useless.*
*
Neither brand name has really made a dent into any market where Kanberra Gel can be found, due in part to the product itself.* In fact our main mega-yacht distributor, National Marine Suppliers in Ft. Lauderdale, has tested BioZap and several others in the past and has maintained their confidence in Kanberra Gel.*
*
As for Safe-t-air, the manufacturer at the time in Australia was actually the first person that introduced members of our team to the airborne uses of Tea Tree Oil.* They were admittedly not chemists in any way and I believe have since either sold or moved the operation to the Far East.* The makeup of that product, while effective to a degree, was not the direction we wished to go with ours.* I have not seen a recent MSDS from them however at the time they were using turpentine in the mixture to dilute the product and were only using raw Tea Tree Oil, not the pharmaceutical blend of oils we have come to perfect, hence their lesser-grade antimicrobial.
*
I truly hope this information is useful to you and provides adequate knowledge to continue your use of Kanberra Gel.* I understand the costs are a factor but like virtually anything else you get what you pay for.**
*
Please feel free to contact me at any time with future questions!
*
Regards,
*
David R. Levesque
Business Development
Indoor Air Professionals
Kanberra Group
Direct: 716.481.8636
Office: 800.683.0021 ext 307
Duct Cleaning, Dryer Vent Cleaning, House Mold, Air Filters, Buffalo, Rochester
Kanberra Gel - Nature's Activated Protection
*

That's a great response to a hard question! I may still give the Safe-t-air a try, but if I notice any issues, I'll be going back to Kanberra

[WanderingStar]

SBS, of course natural products can be dangerous. Breathing sawdust, especially from Black Locust or Black Walnut can be harmful. Eating from a table made of them is not. I spent years spraying down the insides of wooden hulls with vinegar, no ill effects. Kanberra has been in use for years, no ill effects. Mold definately causes ill effects. I'll take my chances with the Tea tree oil.

[PalmettoSailor]

Originally Posted by WanderingStar

SBS, of course natural products can be dangerous. Breathing sawdust, especially from Black Locust or Black Walnut can be harmful. Eating from a table made of them is not. I spent years spraying down the insides of wooden hulls with vinegar, no ill effects. Kanberra has been in use for years, no ill effects. Mold definately causes ill effects. I'll take my chances with the Tea tree oil.

I agree that I'd more willingly inhale tea tree oil vapor than mold spores.

However, I wonder about the method of delivery. I think I'm going to go with the cheap option of homemade tea tree oil spray applied directly to the moldy surfaces I can reach in my bilge area and behind bulkheads to see what results I get. A 2oz bottle should be around $12 at your local GNC and there are directions for diluting it for use as a cleaner or spray airfreshener on line.

Maybe it'll work as well as Kanberra seems to, maybe not, but if it does its a much more reasonable alternative to a $50 version of a Glade airfreshener.

[Minnewaska]

Just to be clear, Kanberra does nothing that I can distinguish to "scent" the air, like Glade. It only appears to attack what causes the odor. Whether it kills anything, I can't say. But look at their website for a sealed test with a moldy bagel. Interesting.

As you can tell from KG reply, they claim to have a proprietary pharmaceutical grade oil, as opposed to pure oils they say is inferior.

For those trying other products, let us know how you make out.

[PalmettoSailor]

Originally Posted by Minnewaska

Just to be clear, Kanberra does nothing that I can distinguish to "scent" the air, like Glade. It only appears to attack what causes the odor. Whether it kills anything, I can't say. But look at their website for a sealed test with a moldy bagel. Interesting.

As you can tell from KG reply, they claim to have a proprietary pharmaceutical grade oil, as opposed to pure oils they say is inferior.

For those trying other products, let us know how you make out.

Will do.

FWIW, I consider "pharmaceutical grade" anything that's not a "pharmaceutical" as a marketing euphanism.

That said, there have been blockbuster pharmacueticals that simply found a better way to deliver a known active ingredient which may be the case with this product. However, it seems pure tea tree oil is well recognized for its mold inhibiting properties so we shall see.

I found a small bottle at our local grocery store for $6. We'll give the boat its first dose next time we go over and take it from there.

[WanderingStar]

How much do you use for your boats? I bought two jars of SafeT Air, both are open now.

[Minnewaska]

Originally Posted by WanderingStar

How much do you use for your boats? I bought two jars of SafeT Air, both are open now.

See posts 40 and 41 for starters.

[WanderingStar]

And do you try to place it high, low, or middle?

[Minnewaska]

Originally Posted by WanderingStar

And do you try to place it high, low, or middle?

The ones inside the air handlers are all down low. The others are random. I'm not sure it matters.

I suspect for the stuff to work, there needs to be minimal outside air exchange for a period of time, to give it a chance to find its way around. I noticed this a bit last year. It stands to reason, when the product evaporates, it will exit the boat if the air is flowing through it. It must need time to dissipate and reach the surfaces it claims to protect.