Question for raykeepers with UVs

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
DB junkie

DB junkie

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Jan 27, 2007
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How often are you guys changing up flowrates through your UVs? Reading up on them it seems like it would be kind of silly to hook the thing up and run it day in and day out without changing the flow rate in order to kill different things. Just wondering how often and exactly how you're changing it? Seems like flowrates go all over the place- Example 500-3K gph for the same light depending on what you're trying to kill.

I recently aquired one and it just has ball valves on each end. Wondering if this was common practice? Never ran UVs before, so this guy's clueless.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. :D

:popcorn:
 
I run a Turbo twist uv sterlize 36 watt. I am using a rio 1700 plus and ball valve it a little. Never changed the flow on it. All I have been told and read is more contact time with the bulb the better success rate in killing off unwanted things, parasites, algae and such. Too much flow and defeats the purpose of a U.V. The turbo twist is nice because of the design of the unit creates more contact time from the twist.
 
db, mine is a 25w, and i am running 500 gph thru it. constant...
but... it may slow down some when the filter gets clogged, as it is running off a canister.
 
Whilst variable flow rates may be beneficial I think most run constant but with a slow contact rate, surely if contact is slow it would kill the same as fast but not other way around....could be too simplistic?
 
So as long as you're at the low end of the flow rate recommended for your UV you kill everything, and that's all there is to it???? Yup, seems too simple. LOL

Doesn't seem like 500 gph through an 80 watt really jives with alot of the ratios I'm reading in this thread.......
 
Pull up the company suggested flows on the ones like the turbo twist are not designed for clearing green water rather then for the real use of the bacterial killing look at the quality of the bulb and the quartz sleeve. For real quality emperor would be your top of the line with major aquariums and wholesalers using them because of the wavelength that the bulb puts out. Like my 150 watt only have 900 gph passing by it but has a 95% kill rate on viruses but is rated for a 1,500 gal system.
More goes into proper uv use then just passing water by the unit slow. Use a two year old bulb and pass water over it at super slow speeds and u will still get nothing done. Change the bulb every year cause they are only rated for one year and a month also replace the quartz sleeve because it will start to produce shadows and things will not come in contact with the light for as long as they need to



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