Water purification, LED UV, specifics....

[JMacs]

So, here are some general thoughts on LEDs and UV to keep in mind.

LEDs don’t burn out like fluorescent and incandescent bulbs. Their output just fades over time. The life is determined by when the output reaches 70%. So, when you see a 60,000 hour LED lamp life, they are predicting that the light output will be down to 70% of new after 60,000 hours. It will probably still work for a while, but the curve starts getting steeper after that.

UVA, UVB, UVC. All can kill the little nasties. It is just a matter of time of exposure. And what harms them, also harms you. The light doesn't care what type of biological you are. UVA can kill viruses on surfaces after about 8 hours of exposure. And it won’t do much harm to you or the materials. UVB can drop that time to around 2 hours, give you a nice sun burn, and start to fade and damage materials. UVC can drop that time to less than 30 minutes, and can damage your eyes in less than 30 seconds. (REALLY try to avoid direct exposer to UVC!) UVC is also hard on materials. That is why UVC lamps have a really short life. While they are killing the bad stuff, they are also destroying themselves. UVC LEDs will have a significantly shorter life than LED used for lighting.

Not saying UV shouldn’t be part of your water treatment solution, but just some things to keep in mind for the long term.

 

[kiltym]

Also, there are standards that most companies are hiding behind a bit.

If you poke around, there are 3 standard(ish) levels of UV exposure.

10, 16, and 40 mj/cm2

The higher the better, and there are pathogens that require 35+ to be killed.

The Guzzler H20 stealth delivers 10.
The Acuva systems deliver 16.

I do not know what the Guzzler Stream product does, but it is likely the same UV product as in the stealth (Aquisense PearlAqua), but I cannot confirm as I don't own one.

The bottom line, you don't want to drink untreated water without putting it through 40 mj/cm2, which none of these products do.

Look up the difference between Class A and B NSF55 certification. To treat untreated water, you want class A, which is 40 mj/cm2.

Personally, there is a lot of hype about UV right now, and companies have jumped on it. But their products are not quite up to snuff IMO.

A quote from many online sources: " The minimum dosage now recommended by NSF, however, is 40 mJ/cm². "

 

[RAM5500 CAMPERTHING]

Also, there are standards that most companies are hiding behind a bit.

If you poke around, there are 3 standard(ish) levels of UV exposure.

10, 16, and 40 mj/cm2

The higher the better, and there are pathogens that require 35+ to be killed.

The Guzzler H20 stealth delivers 10.
The Acuva systems deliver 16.

I do not know what the Guzzler Stream product does, but it is likely the same UV product as in the stealth (Aquisense PearlAqua), but I cannot confirm as I don't own one.

The bottoms line, you don't want to drink untreated water without putting it through 40 mj/cm2, which none of these products do.

Look up the difference between Class A and B NSF55 certification. To treat untreated water, you want class A, which is 40 mj/cm2.

Personally, there is a lot of hype about UV right now, and companies have jumped on it. But their products are not quite up to snuff IMO.

Well said and agreed!

This is basically what I discovered when researching this as an option, which I eventually decided against for above reasons.

Thanks for explaining it well

 

[simple]

This is a product that coca cola funded to develop technology for water purification so they can bottle coke anywhere on the planet.

Slingshot Inventor Dean Kamen’s Revolutionary Clean Water Machine

Learn about Slingshot - a revolutionary clean water machine invented by Dean Kamen.

www.coca-colacompany.com

 

[KiwiMtnClmbr]

This is a product that coca cola funded to develop technology for water purification so they can bottle coke anywhere on the planet.

Slingshot Inventor Dean Kamen’s Revolutionary Clean Water Machine

Learn about Slingshot - a revolutionary clean water machine invented by Dean Kamen.

www.coca-colacompany.com

Kamen was the founder of the FIRST robotics learning/competition, as well as the Segway and iBot wheelchair. The man has done amazing things for engineering, science and education.

 

[simple]

It's interesting that with all their engineering horse power and all the available types of water treatment systems that that is the direction they went.

 

[tlrols]

I have tried all the ways to purify/sanitize water. I have a small UV filter for cups and and in-flow filter I experimented with. All to get water from streams, etc.

so…here’s the thing. UV sterilization requires exceptionally clear, aka filtered, water to begin with. No murky water allowed. The difference between a sediment filter and a drinking water filter is hardly noticeable in dollars. I filtered per the UV requirements and drank that water. No issues noted. I cooked the water with the UV…no issues.

I think the hand held UV has its place but a larger unit seems pointless outside a home, etc. I settled on a Berkey since it just becomes the water station at my little trailer.

 

[1000arms]

Again, please feel free to chime in if you have any insight into either the LED or non-led Purification units. ...

Bump

 

[IdaSHO]

This project is still on my list of to-do’s

Though it is in a holding pattern as I have far too many projects right now.