UV - Flow & Wattage

Lockes · 06/30/2014, 11:34 AM

A supplier is selling a UV unit which is 6W and has a flow rate of 2000l/h (100 gallon/hr)

Is this even close to enough power?

jsilver · 06/30/2014, 11:37 AM

Depends on what you want it to do, but I'd say no. Also 500gph seems too high a flow for 6 watts. But I'm not a uv sterilization expert.
:-)

slief · 06/30/2014, 02:17 PM

It all depends on the UV unit in my opinion and what you are looking to use it for. Some UV units like the Aqua UV are capable of much higher flow. Flow is also dependent largely on how you intend to utilize your UV. Higher flow generally means less sterilization compared to lower flow. If your intent is simply to polish your water and use it primarily for water clarity, then you may go with higher flow. If you intent is to kill or sterilize anything that passes through it, then you would go with lower flow.

Cheap UV's are generally not rated well and don't provide much in the way of guide lines for flow and results as they relate to flow, let alone accurate sizing info. A good UV manufacturer provides lots of detailed info on what the flow ranges are for each model and what to expect in the way of results at any given flow. I use Aqua UV exclusively because they provide a very high quality unit and back their products with excellent support along with lots of detailed information so you can make an informed decision when it comes to deciding which UV is best for your needs and your tank size. This is important if you want to get the best results in your tank. There are lots of cheap UV units on the market but most if not all those cheap UV units are garbage in my opinion.

The two best UV manufacturers are Aqua UV and Emperor Aquatics and I suggest that which ever you choose, you really want one with a wiper and at the very least, make sure that your UV unit uses a crystal sleeve. The wiper helps to insure that stuff doesn't build up on the crystal and the sleeve insures that the buib isn't directly in the water and also helps a lot with maintenance. Without a sleeve, the bulb is exposed directly to the water which not only can be dangerous and shorten the life of the bulb but its also means you have to close a valve prior to changing bulbs otherwise the water will drain from your system. With a sleeve, you simply pull the end off and remove the bulb. No water leaking, no closing valves and the bulb is always shielded from water. The wiper is great because you pull it and push it every week or two and it keeps the sleeve clean so that the UV operates at maximum efficiency. Otherwise the sleeve and or bulb will quickly become covered in algae and it's effectiveness will be diminished very quickly.

wolfblue · 06/30/2014, 03:31 PM

You should listen to this guy ^^^ But I have a couple things to say. One is I may have to doubt a manufacturer that puts 500GPH past a 6 watt UV. I don't have time for some math but in this Emperor example they list 80watts for 300GPH. That is to do away with a particularly hard to kill bug though(crypto).

And here is some bug kill dosages on the Emperor site.

And don't think a wiper is a necessity, more a luxury. A quartz sleeve and some isolation valves should be thought of as necessity. Plumb it so you can open it without losing water even if you do have a wiper. Definitely do it if you don't have a wiper. Your going to want to clean it to make sure your getting good transmission with such a low wattage, or any wattage. But you may find it doesn't need to be cleaned very often.

06/30/2014, 11:34 AM	#1
Lockes Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 137	UV - Flow & Wattage A supplier is selling a UV unit which is 6W and has a flow rate of 2000l/h (100 gallon/hr) Is this even close to enough power? Last edited by Lockes; 06/30/2014 at 11:39 AM.

06/30/2014, 02:17 PM	#3
slief RC Sponsor Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 14,173	It all depends on the UV unit in my opinion and what you are looking to use it for. Some UV units like the Aqua UV are capable of much higher flow. Flow is also dependent largely on how you intend to utilize your UV. Higher flow generally means less sterilization compared to lower flow. If your intent is simply to polish your water and use it primarily for water clarity, then you may go with higher flow. If you intent is to kill or sterilize anything that passes through it, then you would go with lower flow. Cheap UV's are generally not rated well and don't provide much in the way of guide lines for flow and results as they relate to flow, let alone accurate sizing info. A good UV manufacturer provides lots of detailed info on what the flow ranges are for each model and what to expect in the way of results at any given flow. I use Aqua UV exclusively because they provide a very high quality unit and back their products with excellent support along with lots of detailed information so you can make an informed decision when it comes to deciding which UV is best for your needs and your tank size. This is important if you want to get the best results in your tank. There are lots of cheap UV units on the market but most if not all those cheap UV units are garbage in my opinion. The two best UV manufacturers are Aqua UV and Emperor Aquatics and I suggest that which ever you choose, you really want one with a wiper and at the very least, make sure that your UV unit uses a crystal sleeve. The wiper helps to insure that stuff doesn't build up on the crystal and the sleeve insures that the buib isn't directly in the water and also helps a lot with maintenance. Without a sleeve, the bulb is exposed directly to the water which not only can be dangerous and shorten the life of the bulb but its also means you have to close a valve prior to changing bulbs otherwise the water will drain from your system. With a sleeve, you simply pull the end off and remove the bulb. No water leaking, no closing valves and the bulb is always shielded from water. The wiper is great because you pull it and push it every week or two and it keeps the sleeve clean so that the UV operates at maximum efficiency. Otherwise the sleeve and or bulb will quickly become covered in algae and it's effectiveness will be diminished very quickly. __________________ Director Customer Support Royal Exclusiv USA For All Royal Exclusiv & Bubble King questions please refer to our Sponsor forum: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/fo...play.php?f=745 Current Tank Info: 480G display mixed reef, 90G sump, 90G refugium, 60G display refugium. Check out my build thread: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1783476

06/30/2014, 03:31 PM	#4
wolfblue Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Posts: 300	You should listen to this guy ^^^ But I have a couple things to say. One is I may have to doubt a manufacturer that puts 500GPH past a 6 watt UV. I don't have time for some math but in this Emperor example they list 80watts for 300GPH. That is to do away with a particularly hard to kill bug though(crypto). And here is some bug kill dosages on the Emperor site. And don't think a wiper is a necessity, more a luxury. A quartz sleeve and some isolation valves should be thought of as necessity. Plumb it so you can open it without losing water even if you do have a wiper. Definitely do it if you don't have a wiper. Your going to want to clean it to make sure your getting good transmission with such a low wattage, or any wattage. But you may find it doesn't need to be cleaned very often. __________________ --John AALSO Level III

06/30/2014, 11:37 AM	#2
jsilver Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: San Francisco Posts: 68	Depends on what you want it to do, but I'd say no. Also 500gph seems too high a flow for 6 watts. But I'm not a uv sterilization expert. :-)