Water purification, LED UV, specifics....

JMacs

Observer
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

Member
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. "
 
Last edited:

RAM5500 CAMPERTHING

OG Portal Member #183
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

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

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


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

Adventurer
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

Active member
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.
 

g_hayduke

New member
I'm reviving this thread since I am getting ready to construct a portable filtration/purification system. I'll probably go with 2 10" Pentek housings and 1 of the PearlAqua Micro units along with a pump and quick disconnect fittings.

Any good suggestions for the quick disconnects?
 

rubonik

New member
I'm reviving this thread since I am getting ready to construct a portable filtration/purification system. I'll probably go with 2 10" Pentek housings and 1 of the PearlAqua Micro units along with a pump and quick disconnect fittings.

Any good suggestions for the quick disconnects?
If you don't mind the price, Colder fittings are about as good as they get.

The cheapest and easiest quick connects are probably garden hose connectors.
 
Last edited:

g_hayduke

New member
If you don't mind the price, Colder fittings are about as good as they get.

The cheapest and easiest quick connects are probably garden hose connectors.

I'm liking the looks of the CPC Colder LC series but the only sources I've found require larger quantities than I need. Do you know a good source for individual Colder fittings?
 

rubonik

New member
I'm liking the looks of the CPC Colder LC series but the only sources I've found require larger quantities than I need. Do you know a good source for individual Colder fittings?
I think you can get individual fittings from Grainger, but it may be cheaper to buy larger quantities and have a few extras on hand.
 

Ramdough

Adventurer
I like stainless cam locks, but you will leak water when you disconnect. I use a zip tie when I am concerned about them opening.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Ramdough

Adventurer
I am thinking of using one of these:

Waterdrop 10UA-UF 0.01 μm Ultra Filtration Under Sink Water Filter for Baçtёria Reduction, Reduces Lead, Chlorine, Bad Taste & Odor, 8K Gallons, Direct Connect to Kitchen Faucet, USA Tech https://a.co/d/657zVsW

Then one of these:

Waterdrop LED UV͎ Ultrąviolët Water Filter for Under Sink Water Filter System, Reverse Osmosis System, Mercury-Free, FCC Certified, Stainless Steel, 50 Years Life Time, UVS01 https://a.co/d/c5NFgfe

This will be just for the drinking water tap. I plan to pre filter everything going into my tank and then use chemicals as needed to preserve the water quality.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Forum statistics

Threads
185,530
Messages
2,875,574
Members
224,922
Latest member
Randy Towles
Top