Anyone using a whole house UV water disinfection system?

[Matt Meiser]

I asked this in my well thread but its buried on about the third page and everyone is probably tired of that thread.

We are thinking about putting in a UV disinfection system based on a recommendation from the local health department. Our well has to be tested safe before they will sign off on our permit by state law--this would be more for protection from future problems. Looking at pros/cons/gotchas. Also maintenance down the road besides the $100/year bulb changes. It looks like operating costs are pretty low--about $3/mo base on my current electric rate.

Specifically, I'm looking at a Sterilight unit that is available from the company that installed our softener. I'll probably buy the unit elsewhere due to a ~$350 price differential but I'm leaning toward that unit due to the fact that I can get bulbs and other parts locally down the road.

[David Weaver]

FIL has one, and I don't remember much about the cost (i think his might've been expensive, maybe it's a higher gpm system), but he had to get one because of a bacterial issue in the water.

$100 the bulb cost? FIL is stretching them out a few months longer than a year at this point and hasn't had any water test issues. I know he changes his own bulbs and the company who installed it didn't want to show him how the system was set up, but he harrassed the installer until the installer showed him the routine. I'm kind of fuzzy-headed thinking about how there could even be a routine to change a bulb, but who knows?

At any rate, he's happy with it, it does what it's supposed to do and doesn't use much power.

[Bryan Morgan]

FIL has one, and I don't remember much about the cost (i think his might've been expensive, maybe it's a higher gpm system), but he had to get one because of a bacterial issue in the water.

$100 the bulb cost? FIL is stretching them out a few months longer than a year at this point and hasn't had any water test issues. I know he changes his own bulbs and the company who installed it didn't want to show him how the system was set up, but he harrassed the installer until the installer showed him the routine. I'm kind of fuzzy-headed thinking about how there could even be a routine to change a bulb, but who knows?

At any rate, he's happy with it, it does what it's supposed to do and doesn't use much power.

How do you know its actually working? I have a small one for my reef tank but honestly I have no clue if it does what it says it does. It was cheap and easy to install. Is there a test or something they perform on the water to make sure its actually killing off the stuff in the water?

[Matt Meiser]

To look for microbiological issues, you'd have to send a sample to a lab. Someone gave me a link to this place (http://www.wardlab.com/FeeSchedule/WaterAnalysis.aspx but thats really more for household water. With the fish industry as big as it is I'd think there would be someone out there catering to that.

[Sean Troy]

My father in law has a whole house system in his villa in Puerto Vallarta making the tap water safe to drink.

[Matt Meiser]

you'd have to send a sample to a lab

By the way, if you do send a sample to a lab, be aware that contamination can come from the container, plumbing, etc. When our first sample failed on our well, the health dept. guy said they suspect a high number of false positives just from contamination on the threads of the standard spigot they require to be installed right at the pressure tank. As a result, they asked the well drillers to start using a smooth spigot there just--meaning our 2 week old install is already out of date!

[David Weaver]

How do you know its actually working? I have a small one for my reef tank but honestly I have no clue if it does what it says it does. It was cheap and easy to install. Is there a test or something they perform on the water to make sure its actually killing off the stuff in the water?

lab test, like matt said. sample failed before the test on a new well and passed after the system was installed. i don't know if there is a difference between the cheap and expensive systems. fil's is a robust looking stainless steel unit.

[Matt Meiser]

I talked to a sales guy for the local Culligan dealer today. He said he'd sell me one if I really want, but said he doesn't know of anyone who's put one in in our immediate area. He said they just haven't seen a need. He said 10 miles SW of us its a different story but he just can't see us spending the money on one. He said if it was his house and he was worried, he'd just do a test every 6 months.

The big difference between cheap and expensive is the monitoring from what I see. Less expensive systems warn you if the bulb goes bad or is out of date. More expensive systems have a sensor that watches the UV light and detects a diminished output. They can close a solenoid valve that prevents water flow during a failure. And they can report out to another device for monitoring and recording.

[Charles McKinley]

Hi Matt,

There is one at the resturant where I work. I'l get the info off of it for you and ask my boss how she like it, cost etc.