UV Sterilizer - DIY

[BeanAnimal]

First of all, you buy an oversized UV to target protozoa as well as algae at the same time... weren't you one of the first purchasers of the new Pro? Or was that vette?

I am not a big UV proponent. I have a very oversized aqua uv unit to use if needed. I don’t run it often. It took care of a Dino outbreak 6 months ago.

I have a 57w Aqua UV, a 15w Aqua UV and a 40w Lifeguard. The Aqua UV is made better and looks better. Performance is the same.

I thought I saw threads where the lifeguards disintegrated over time like the turbo twists do too. I think they are likely good for the money though. Aqua Uv def very spendy.

 

[Mikeltee]

I am not a big UV proponent. I have a very oversized aqua uv unit to use if needed. I don’t run it often. It took care of a Dino outbreak 6 months ago.


I thought I saw threads where the lifeguards disintegrated over time like the turbo twists do too. I think they are likely good for the money though. Aqua Uv def very spendy.

Mine is 10 years old. It's thick plastic and has a replaceable shield inside to protect the shell from the UV radiation. The downfall to the system is the quartz sleeve. It fits in place with a thin rubber gasket and compression seals it. All parts are readily available and cheap. It is recommended to replace the gasket yearly with the bulb, but mine is original. I just ordered a couple of spares. It's a very simple system. I have no doubt that if you got your hands on one, you would just DIY going forward.

i'm glad you beat your dinos. I can't find any empirical evidence to support not running one 24x7. I have one so I do. Yes it can sterilize beneficial bacteria, but that bacteria isn't in the water column. I wouldnt run one while trying to start a cycle from bottled bacteria. I suppose if one had a refugium and relied heavily on Pods, a UV might not be a great idea.

With a little patience, one can score a used 57w Aqua UV on here for $250. I got my 15w for $100 recently. I use it on my mixing station for my pod cultures. There was a 120w on here recently for dirt cheap. There's a 240w as well for dirt cheap. That's overkill for anything less than 1000gal though.

 

[DaJMasta]

I think a lot of it has been said, but I wouldn't DIY a UV. In a location like an overflow, the dwell time of the water is going to be pretty low, so you're going to need immense amounts of UV output to get a reasonable dose, and the partially submerged nature of the location would lend itself to cooling problems if your flow drops - especially bad with large lamps.

You've also got the issue of effectively shielding the outside from UV. I want to emphasize this point because it's easy to underestimate, but ultraviolet radiation used for sterilization is an ionizing radiation that is dangerous to be exposed to - the deep UV bands used for sterilization are worse for you in smaller doses than bad UV days outside and can absolutely lead to cancer and burns. Because of the wavelength and our eyes, we also can't actually tell what's transparent to UV or in what intensity, since the glow we see is a secondary fluorescence effect of the actual wavelengths doing the work. You really need a UV inspection system to be able to even verify that no UV radiation is getting out of the enclosed space, and you would need - at minimum - high grade eye protection to be working around an open UV sterilization lamp, and likely full skin covering to keep yourself from being overexposed.

Of course the risk to humans is similar to other animals, so stray UV leaks into the display could damage or kill your livestock as well, even though the penetration of UV through water and glass isn't especially high.

The point being that it's much more dangerous than it appears because we literally can't see it, so if you're considering constructing something that uses UV, you really need to know about the dangers of it, the output of device you're using, the considered safe limits for exposure, the UV transparency of the materials you're using, and more beyond the basics of construction required for a normal DIY. I consider myself fairly well versed in the dangers of ionizing radiation, the kinds of materials that can block it and the kinds of damage it can do (including to many plastics), and I have appropriate eye protection (OD 7+ UV laser goggles), and I wouldn't attempt to DIY my own UV, let alone outside of a sealed black housing (as most manufacturers use for good reason.)

 

[Mikeltee]

I think a lot of it has been said, but I wouldn't DIY a UV. In a location like an overflow, the dwell time of the water is going to be pretty low, so you're going to need immense amounts of UV output to get a reasonable dose, and the partially submerged nature of the location would lend itself to cooling problems if your flow drops - especially bad with large lamps.

You've also got the issue of effectively shielding the outside from UV. I want to emphasize this point because it's easy to underestimate, but ultraviolet radiation used for sterilization is an ionizing radiation that is dangerous to be exposed to - the deep UV bands used for sterilization are worse for you in smaller doses than bad UV days outside and can absolutely lead to cancer and burns. Because of the wavelength and our eyes, we also can't actually tell what's transparent to UV or in what intensity, since the glow we see is a secondary fluorescence effect of the actual wavelengths doing the work. You really need a UV inspection system to be able to even verify that no UV radiation is getting out of the enclosed space, and you would need - at minimum - high grade eye protection to be working around an open UV sterilization lamp, and likely full skin covering to keep yourself from being overexposed.

Of course the risk to humans is similar to other animals, so stray UV leaks into the display could damage or kill your livestock as well, even though the penetration of UV through water and glass isn't especially high.

The point being that it's much more dangerous than it appears because we literally can't see it, so if you're considering constructing something that uses UV, you really need to know about the dangers of it, the output of device you're using, the considered safe limits for exposure, the UV transparency of the materials you're using, and more beyond the basics of construction required for a normal DIY. I consider myself fairly well versed in the dangers of ionizing radiation, the kinds of materials that can block it and the kinds of damage it can do (including to many plastics), and I have appropriate eye protection (OD 7+ UV laser goggles), and I wouldn't attempt to DIY my own UV, let alone outside of a sealed black housing (as most manufacturers use for good reason.)

Have you seen the posts of people grabbing naked UV bulbs and throwing them in their sump? They are pretty cheap on Alibaba. The obviously don't come with a warning label.

 

[DaJMasta]

I haven't but that's really asking for injury. Even short direct exposure to sterilization UV lamps can cause sunburn and blindness, and you're talking about a device you will run as much as 24/7 for years.

Ionizing radiation safety is no joke, and it can be difficult to see that because both the damage and the radiation itself cannot be seen unless it's pretty significant.

Do Not Use UV Wands That Give Off Unsafe Levels of Radiation

UV wands may cause injury to the skin, eyes, or both after a few seconds of use.

www.fda.gov

What are the Exposure Limit Values (ELVs) for UV Light?

The level of risk for adverse health effects to the skin and eyes from exposure to UV light is determined by the UV light wavelengths present, UV light irradiance values and personal exposure time.

uv-light.co.uk

https://ehs.umass.edu/sites/default/files/UV%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf

https://arstechnica.com/health/2023...ts-at-apefest-burned-attendees-eyes-and-skin/

https://www.irpa.net/irpa8/cdrom/VOL.1/M1_189.PDF

People familiar with the dangers of UV know to take appropriate precautions. It 'feels like' it shouldn't be that bad, but with a germicidal UV lamp emitting in the far UVC, it can take only minutes of exposure to start effecting your eyes and permanent symptoms can be skin burns, blindness, and significant risk of cancer. It's not that a glimpse of it a couple times is going to hurt you, but prolonged exposure is easy to accidentally have happen when you have a source that is not fully obstructed by appropriate blockers.