The quality of drinking water can change with time and become contaminated with harmful bacteria. The Sterilight Silver™ system is a reliable, economical and chemical-free way to safeguard drinking water in any residential application. The Sterilight Silver™ system has been designed and tested to ensure quality drinking water is at everyone’s finger tips.
Why Ultraviolet water purification?
Water is a resource that all of us tend to take for granted. We turn on the shower, the kitchen faucet, and the garden hose and out pours an endless supply of fresh, clean water. What many of us may not realize, though, is that our water supply is not a never end supply and it is not as clean as it may appear. Chlorine is popularly used but it is unable to effectively treat some of the harmful bacteria found in the water. Exposure to certain harmful bacteria can cause severe gastrointestinal illness and even death among people with compromised immune systems.
Ultraviolet (UV) technology is more effective than chemicals in destroying certain waterborne contaminants without altering the taste of water. This makes it a practical process for treating water used for drinking and food preparation.
Treating our water supply by the use of UV disinfection is not only more effective than traditional treatments, but it is also an environmental responsible way of treating our water. There are no disinfection by-products with the use of UV which is safe and chemical free. Plus, UV does not alter water chemistry and its constituents, such as pH, taste, odor, or colour.
Purchasing a UV disinfection system for your home has a capital low cost as well as a low operational cost. The energy used by a UV disinfection system in an average size home is comparable to the same energy used by a 40-watt bulb!
FAQ
Purification is strongly recommended for all water sources including municipal water. Due to ever changing water
UV purification is more effective than chemical disinfection processes at treating a wide range of viruses.
Yes, as a result of recent findings by academic researchers, it has now been proven that UV is the best available technology to treat these protozoan cysts. In addition, the dose levels required to inactivate these cysts are actually quite low: less than 10 mJ/cm2 for 4-log (99.99%) reduction of both Cryptosporidium parvum and Giardia lamblia. This is well within the capabilities of VIQUA UV systems which actually deliver a minimum of 30 mJ/cm2 at their quoted flow rates.
Yes, E. coli requires a UV dose of between 6 to 10 mJ/cm2 to achieve a 4-log (99.99%) purification. This is well within the capabilities of VIQUA UV systems which actually deliver a minimum of 30 mJ/cm2 at their quoted flow rates.
Our systems come equipped with both audible and visual alarms which will notify the homeowner if their system is not functioning properly. It is important to regularly clean your lamp sleeve and replace the UV lamp annually to ensure the system is properly functioning.
Municipalities work very hard to provide safe water for their customers however, aging infrastructure can introduce contamination into the water lines even after the water has been treated at the treatment plant. Complete confidence in water safety falls to the homeowner.
No, as UV purification is a physical process, it does not change the taste or odour of the water. It simply provides safe, reliable purification and adds nothing to the water. Please note, though, that if your water contains hydrogen sulphide (noticeable by a smell of rotten eggs), the scent may be slightly improved after UV treatment but UV will not remove the smell significantly.
No, the UV system should be left on whether you are using the water or not. The lamps age regardless of the amount of water drawn through the system. By leaving the unit on, you will eliminate the potential problem of having contamination pass through the system while the unit is off. However, if water is drained from your purification system (e.g. winterizing), the UV system must be switched off. During other long periods of non-use (e.g. vacation home), the system can be shut off to save power and lamp life provided shut off valves are used on either side of the UV system preventing untreated water or bacteria from passing through the UV chamber while not in use.
UV lamps have a useful life of approximately 9000 hours which means that the lamp should be replaced annually. Please be aware that the UV light may illuminate beyond one year, however, there will not be enough UV energy to provide adequate purification. Proper maintenance of any pre-treatment is also required. The sleeve should be cleaned at least once a year.
Yes, for UV to be effective, it is recommended that the influent water contain the following: Iron < 0.3 ppm (0.3 mg/L) Manganese < 0.05 ppm (0.05 mg/L) Hardness < 7gpg Tannins < 0.1 ppm (0.1 mg/L) Turbidity < 1NTU UV transmittance > 75% Note: These calculations are minimums and it is best practice to re-treat beyond these values. If you are unsure of the quality of the water supply, it is imperative to have the water tested. A UV transmittance test (UVT) is strongly recommended for problem water, or water that is coloured (eg. surface water supplies). To find out more information about UVT tests, please contact VIQUA for further information.
Yes, as microbes can potentially be shielded by suspended particles (turbidity) in the water supply, it is necessary to filter the water to remove these suspended particles. A high quality graded density filter cartridge with nominal micron rating of at least 5 microns is recommended.
As the UV's are designed to operate at a specific flow rate, it is imperative that the systems operate within this design. The use of flow restrictors are recommended to control the flow of the unit. A true flow restrictor designed with a variable orifice that fluctuates based on water pressure is the only flow restrictor that is recommended as those that are simply a "flat washer with a hole in it" do not regulate the flow based on variances in water pressure. As the variable orifice may not be extremely resistant to UV, it is recommended to install the flow restrictor at least 6" away from the outlet port (axial flow reactors can install restrictors directly on inlet port).
Although not essential, the installation of a simple by-pass assembly would allow for emergency use of the water in case the UV system was required to be removed from service. A simple by-pass assembly with three isolation valves can be installed quite easily.
To ensure a bacteriologically-free distribution system, it is imperative that the entire water system located after the UV is chemically disinfected. This is easily accomplished by filling the pre-filter with 1-2 cups of household bleach and allowing this to flow through the system. While doing this, you must ensure that all taps, including outside faucets, dishwashers, washing machines, etc. pass chlorinated water. Once you detect the bleach at the faucets, shut the faucet off and wait a minimum of four hours to allow adequate disinfection. Return to all locations and flush the chemical disinfectant from the system. Make sure the UV is on during this procedure. Remember to have your water tested on a regular basis to ensure that your system is operating correctly.
No, the UV systems are designed with inlet/outlet ports correctly sized for the specific application. As an example, the 10 gpm system comes with 3/4" ports. The typical pressure drop on this system would be 2-3 psi. Any system with a flow restrictor installed will encounter an increased pressure drop as the system nears the maximum flow rate it is capable of delivering.
VIQUA offers many different models in sizes ranging from 1 gpm to 80 gpm. An average household UV ranges in size from 5 to 12 gpm. Determining your pump's flow rate will typically determine your required flow rate. It is important to never under size the UV; when in doubt about the size, always choose the next largest size. A simple way to test your flow rate is to take a 5 gallon pail and fill it directly from the pressure tank. If the pail fills in 60 seconds you are achieving a 5 GPM flow rate, 30 seconds 10 GPM etc.
If the quartz sleeve becomes stained, remove the sleeve from the reactor chamber and clean with a commercially available scale remover such as Lime-Away or CLR. Always use an acid based product. It is also important to use more than visual perception with this component, place the sleeve against a white sheet of paper to ensure is transparency. If the sleeve seems discoloured after being cleaned with recommended products; replace it.
As the UV lamps and/or sleeves need to be periodically removed from the UV chamber, you must leave a least double the length of the disinfection system to facilitate removal.
The UV system does require consistent power, both voltage and frequency, to operate effectively. To compensate for variations in power supplies, VIQUA systems incorporate proprietary electronic ballast technology. The electronic ballast provides a constant output voltage regardless of variations in input frequency or voltage. This results in consistent UV output and consistent UV dose. It is recommended to install the UV on a separate outlet protected by GFI (ground fault interrupter). In applications where power fluctuations and surges are common, a surge protector or UPS is recommended to preserve the system.
