Water Treatment
UV disinfection has come a long way since it was first invented. And although UV is a new idea to some, ultraviolet technology has been used for decades by municipal water suppliers and commercial water bottling plants. UV is an environmentally-friendly disinfection method as it is a chemical-free process and creates no by-products. Because UV is simple, swift and safe, millions of homes and businesses now use ultraviolet technology to disinfect their water. UV purification systems provide a safe solution against the chlorine-resistant microorganisms which cause thousands of documented health cases each year.
UV Water Purification systems use special lamps that emit UV light of a particular wavelength that have the ability, based on their length, to disrupt the DNA of micro-organisms. These UV light waves are also referred to as the Germicidal Spectrum or Frequency. The frequency used in killing micro-organisms is 254 nanometers (nm). As water passes through a UV water treatment system, living organisms in water are exposed to UV light which attacks the genetic code of the microorganism and rearranges the DNA /RNA, eliminating the microorganism's ability to function and reproduce. If a microorganism can no longer reproduce, it cannot replicate, therefore it cannot infect other organisms with which it has contact. This process of exposing water to UV light is simple but effective, destroying 99.99 percent of harmful microorganisms without adding any chemicals to water.
Most ultraviolet water treatment systems require only an annual change of lamp and a periodic change of a filter cartridge that protects the lamp. Although the initial cost of some UV applications are a bit more than chlorination, the low operating costs make it pay for itself in no time.
In a nutshell – UV is:
- Effective – Destroys 99.99% of microorganisms
- Chemical free – no harmful chemicals need to be added
- Environmentally Friendly –Go green! UV is an environmentally friendly alternative to chlorine disinfection and has no disinfection byproducts
- Essentially trouble-free – once installed, annual service is usually all that is required
- Reliable – works night and day, 24/7, consistently keeping water safe
- Safe – no handling of chemicals
- Cost-Effective –only lamp & sleeve replaced annually
- Clean – no dirty parts to dispose of
- Quick Process – water flows through the system without need for holding tank or reaction times
- More effective than chlorine or chloramines – especially on some water borne cysts
- Low energy usage – low electrical needs
- FDA Approved – one of only 4 methods approved for disinfection by US Food & Drug Administration (FDA)
- Conserves water – The UV purification process does not waste any water
- Taste and odor – Chemical disinfection methods (such as chlorine) change the taste & odor of water and produce by-products whilst UV does not.
