UV Sterilizer Heating Tank?
- Thread starter Bud8Fan
- Start date
Bud8Fan;2949385; said:It just occurred to me that the bulb can be slid out while still in operation. Maybe I can pull it out and touch it. Might get a little bit of a tan while doing it though.
Where did I put those UV sunglasses at?
Be careful, the UV bulb gets to 100F, use welding gloves..HA
Our 40 Watt Pentair UV sterilizer is connected to the return of an FX-5. Our 300 gallon tank stays at an even 79 degrees with just one 300 Watt heater. I always assumed it was all the water churning through the Hammerhead pump for our mechanical filtration that was adding a little extra heating....but maybe it's been the UV sterilizer all along!
Bud8Fan;2949385; said:It just occurred to me that the bulb can be slid out while still in operation. Maybe I can pull it out and touch it. Might get a little bit of a tan while doing it though.
Where did I put those UV sunglasses at?
I know this is an old post/thread but...
I really hope you did not do this...
UV-B is the type of rays/waves that come from the sun and cause sun burn/tan...
UV-C is the type of rays/waves that come from a UV sterilizer. The sun does emit UV-C rays/waves but they are 100% filtered out by the Earth's atmosphere. UV-C radiation/waves/rays is what the astronaunts are at constant threat from when in space. UV-C is radiation and does cause cancer (quickly).
Do not ever expose yourself to direct light emited by a UV sterililizer... It doesn't kill parasites by loving them to death, it's radiation!
Per the topic of the thread, sure UV lights cause a little heat. The slower the water flows through the unit, the likely it will be heated by the unit.
PacuMom, I doubt your 40W @ 500 gph would add much if any heat... but those of us who run say a 20W @ 200 gph are likely gaining a little heat from the UV...
It's an old thread... but interesting. incandescent bulbs would give of heat. fluorescent bulb and UV not so much. But ballast would be a problem....
nc_nutcase;4080823; said:
Nope, see:
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/mars_dangers_040120.html
nc_nutcase;4080823; said:
At higher flow rates, you warm less water but more of it. At lower flow rates, you warm the water more but less of it. Conservation of energy isn't just a good idea--it's the law.
UV sterilizers usually have a lot less watts than pumps or heaters. Some of that electrical energy heats up the ballast which should be outside the tank.
My point was and still is that direct exposure to UVC is very dangerous... avoid it like the plague...
Knowdafish;2943550; said:
Even if the bulb was a halide you couldnt heat a 500g...no way. UV bulbs are basically flourescent lights without the white powder inside. If they got hot enough to heat a 500g even 1deg they would melt the plastic housing they are in.
I think your sump is just good and insulated. Take the pump your returning water with into consideration...
It's not the UV. Check your pump. There's some thing restrict the flow or the rotation of the impeller (small pipe, unbalance shaft/impeller, etc...) caused the heat transfer into water.
jlnguyen74;4084189; said:
The efficiency of the pump is irrelevant since the kinetic energy of the water becomes heat anyway. A 100W pump is going to transfer 100W of heat whether it produces 99W of KE and 1W of heat or 1W of KE and 99W of heat. The only way to reduce heat transfer from the pump to the water is to have an external pump so some of the heat goes to the air. Some pumps (Mak4 and maybe some Iwakis) have an external cooling fan that's spun by the pump motor, further enhancing heat transfer to the air. They're noisier though and none seem to have low electrical consumption.
One of the new generation of high efficiency pumps mounted externally would probably be the way to go. No cooling fan but they use a lot less electricity overall which means less heat.
