UV Sterilizer with PVC fittings?

[hybridshrimp_]

I have this UV Sterilizer that i bought a few years ago that i've never used. Unfortunately i lost the inlet and outlet part that came with it. Can i replace it with PVC like the picture i attached in this post? Or would the UV degrade the PVC and possibly leaching bad stuffs into the water? Thank you

 

[Waters]

I have this UV Sterilizer that i bought a few years ago that i've never used. Unfortunately i lost the inlet and outlet part that came with it. Can i replace it with PVC like the picture i attached in this post? Or would the UV degrade the PVC and possibly leaching bad stuffs into the water? Thank you

No, you can use normal PVC.

 

[Fin]

If that was mine, I would use a pvc close nipple (threaded at both ends) and attach a threaded union to the inlet & outlet. The bulb will need to be changed periodically and the unit cleaned, so that would make it much easier to remove from the system to service.

Close nipple (I buy mine at Lowe's)

 

[hybridshrimp_]

Thankyou!

 

[Forsaken77]

I have this UV Sterilizer that i bought a few years ago that i've never used. Unfortunately i lost the inlet and outlet part that came with it. Can i replace it with PVC like the picture i attached in this post? Or would the UV degrade the PVC and possibly leaching bad stuffs into the water? Thank you

It has to be furniture grade pvc. That is UV resistant. Regular white pvc is not and can turn brown and corrode over time.

 

[Fin]

It has to be furniture grade pvc. That is UV resistant. Regular white pvc is not and can turn brown and corrode over time.

While that would be ideal, the parts that the OP needs to make that connection are simply not available in furniture grade. Not that I have ever seen anyway. If you have a source, please share.

 

[Waters]

I have run my UV units for years with regular white PVC with no issues....I am not sure how much of the light would even make it out to the fittings anyways.

 

[Forsaken77]

While that would be ideal, the parts that the OP needs to make that connection are simply not available in furniture grade. Not that I have ever seen anyway. If you have a source, please share.

Possibly contact the manufacturer then?

I was answering kind of in a rush, but just wanted to let the OP know about possible issues with straight pvc. I know a few of those online pvc places sell UV-resistant fittings.

Here's a quick faq quote from a place:
Here at "name removed" we sell quite a few UV sterilizers. Recently, one customer wrote to us to ask whether she could use plastic PVC piping in and out of her UV sterilizer. The answer is that yes, you can, but you really should not.

UV light will degrade PVC piping over time, causing damage to the pipe plastic to leach into your water.

The fittings directly on the unit are more susceptible. Just my advice from researching plumbing for my sterilizers.

Something like THIS? I don't know the size.

 

[Fin]

The UV resistant colored PVC pipe is readily available, but does cost a bit more than the ordinary schedule 40 available at hardware stores. You can get the pipe from BRS or Home Depot (online only), sold as "furniture grade PVC." You can also get the fittings for this pipe through Home Depot's online store.

The fittings I suggested are threaded and can always be easily changed, if any UV degradation is noticed over the years. I would venture to say that the overwhelming majority of people that install UV sterilizers use standard PVC fittings and pipe. Not sure I would want to spend $25+ on a couple of fittings, just because they are UV resistant. That's just me though.

 

[cgdcinc]

Impact for our use would be minimal and last a long time before degradation. Use of pvc is no problem.

 

[hybridshrimp_]

Sorry for the late reply, well.. to be honest i live in indonesia, where those stuffs are really hard to find. I searched at local online market place and had no luck, only regular pvc fittings are available. Purchasing from oversea marketplace would be really costly and the customs would take too much time. I'll look more at some places like ace hardware etc. If i can't find it, i guess i'll try the regular pvc fitting. By experience, does anyone had any problem with using regular pvc fittings (like corals stays close, fish unhappy, dead inverts etc.?)
Thanks guys for the help, i really appreciate it.

 

[cgdcinc]

I’ve had mine plumbed with pvc fittings for years with no ill effects. It will be good with pvc.
Some of the better brands of sterilizers are made with pvc bodies that hold the UV light.