UV Water Treatment Explained

Today, everyone is careful in almost everything. Most especially on what we drink and eat. And the most basic of all is our drinking water. It has to be clean and safe for us and for our family.

We hear a lot of about UV Water Treatment. But you might have a lot of questions like what is UV Light water treatment really and how does it work.

Is UV water safe to drink? Do UV Water Purifiers really work? Can UV kill virus and bacteria? Is it easy to install and maintain? The answer to all of these questions is: YES.

These questions will be answered thoroughly here and you may even have more issues. One great concern can be the microorganisms found in the recent water tests you may have run in your existing system. Another would be the frequency of boil water advisories in your area. Or you are actively looking for leveling up your water treatment facility to safeguard your family’s health and well-being. For whatever reason it may be, UV Light water filtration system is the absolute solution to your safe drinking water needs.

Ultraviolet (UV) Water Treatment is a disinfection technology that cleans water by killing many microorganism species by exposing water to high UV light dosage.

Microorganisms exposed to the UV light absorb it, which then destroys the organisms’ nucleic acids, DNA and RNA, both responsible for reproduction and replication. Since these microorganisms cannot reproduce, the risk of infection or disease is thus eliminated.

Scientists have recognized this technology as an established system to effectively eliminate numerous disease-causing bacteria, protozoan parasites, and viruses.

Since 1916, United States has been using UV Light for water disinfection. It was later on in the 1980s to the 1990s that small-scale UV light water treatment was developed for use in many homes, small and medium scale businesses, and private water supply users.

Today, you can now start your own Ultraviolet light water system. All UV systems are now widely available for purchase by both homeowners and contractors. WaterFiltrationSupply.com offers a wide range of systems and parts.

1. UV light kills and eliminates several disease-causing microorganisms and contaminants in the water.
2. You have safe and high-quality water to drink because there are no other chemicals introduced for disinfection.
3. Effective water filtration without removing beneficial minerals with no change in taste and smell.
4. Low initial installation costs and affordable to operate and maintain. The main parts are only replaced annually.
5. You can easily install and maintain the system yourself given a limited space.  
6. The system is economical because disinfection happens right away thus no need for holding tanks.
7. Cost-efficient system that provides 24/7 safe drinking water with no special supervision.
8. UV water disinfection system is one of the four FDA Approved water treatment systems used in the United States.
9. Eco-friendly and the system do not produce any harmful by-products like chlorine and no known toxic air emissions.
10. UV Light water treatment can be combined with other water filtration systems.

1. UV light disinfects by only eliminating the microorganisms present in the water. It cannot remove metals, chlorine, salts, oil or other impurities. UV light will work best if paired with other filtration methods to make sure all impurities are removed.
2. UV water treatment needs electricity to operate.
3. UV light is only able to work if the water is clear. UV light will work if the water is clear of any contaminants or floating solids in the water since it will block UV light rays that disinfects.

UV light water treatment and Chlorine are both approved by EPA and FDA. But these are some points that you might consider in comparing these two systems:

• UV light water filtration system is fairly low maintenance because parts are replaceable every year. Disinfection with chlorine needs a continuous operation and maintenance.
• With UV light water treatment is a physical disinfection of water without the introduction of chemicals like chlorine.
• Since chlorine is added there are unsafe byproducts. In UV light water treatment there are no byproducts and no change in smell, taste and PH levels.

UV Water Treatment removes the possibility of infection and diseases by killing microorganisms and preventing their reproduction. Most of these microorganisms are resistant to chemical disinfectants like chlorine and can only be eradicating them by subjecting them to higher dosage of UV light.

These are the impurities and disease-causing microorganisms that UV light eliminates:

1. Virus is a microbial parasite that needs to live in another living organism to be able to reproduce itself. It basically hijacks the system of the host thus causing a wide range of diseases from the common colds and flu to infectious diseases such as hepatitis A and E.

2. Bacteria are single-celled microorganisms that can rapidly multiply in any given environment especially in water. Many kinds of bacteria have been identified to cause food poisoning, diarrhea, fever and severe fatigue.

3. Coliform is a collective name for different kinds of bacteria that suggest the presence of human and animal feces in the water it inhabits. It can cause vomiting, headaches, nausea, fever and diarrhea.

4. Coli (Escherichia coli) are bacteria that can also be found in Coliform, food and intestinal tracts of both human and animals. Most strains of these bacteria can cause urinary tract infections, diarrhea, vomiting, pneumonia, respiratory illness and others diseases can even be life threatening.

5. Salmonella is a group of bacteria that causes food poisoning. Symptoms of diarrhea and vomiting can last for 4-7 days. But these symptoms can escalate if untreated and can develop to serious illness to infants, older adults, and already chronically ill individuals.

6. Common Cold and Flu are caused by viruses and although considered common and simple may raise the risks of pneumonia and other respiratory illnesses.

7. Meningitis is the swelling or inflammation of the meninges or protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. This may have been caused by bacteria or virus and can be fatal. Every year in the United States, over 4,000 people are affected with bacterial meningitis, which also includes over 500 deaths.

8. Polio or Poliomyelitis is a potentially deadly infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Children younger than 5 years old are more likely to be affected.

9. Typhoid Fever is caused by the bacteria Salmonella typhi. This illness can be fatal if left untreated. It is also highly contagious and the bacteria can be passed through feces or urine of the affected person. An estimated of 20 million cases are recorded every year all throughout the world.

10. Infectious Hepatitis is a viral liver disease caused by hepatitis viruses (A, B, C, D, E) and passed on through food and water contaminated by an infected person. As many as 4.5 million Americans have Hepatitis B and C and some do not even know they have the virus.

11. Cholera is a global concern as it kills 150,000 people every year and affecting more than 4 million more. If left untreated, it can kill in hours. It is caused by the bacteria Vibrio cholerae which contaminates water and food.

12. Dysentery maybe potentially deadly with symptoms of infectious bloody diarrhea. Dysentery outbreaks happen in places where sewage combines with drinking water. It can happen in any place where people ingest food or water that are contaminated with human feces.

13. Cysts are usually microbial in nature with a harder outer shell that is resistant to chlorine or chemical disinfectants. It can cause fever, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

14. Giardia lamblia cysts are resistant to chemical treatment processes like chlorine so they stay in the water.

15. Cryptosporidium or known as crypto are microscopic parasites that cannot be removed by regular reverse osmosis or chlorine disinfection. Crypto causes many gastro-intestinal illnesses.

So you may ask: is water treated with UV Light safe to drink?

YES it is safe to drink because:

• Eliminated harmful, disease-causing microorganisms.
• No toxic chemicals involved.
• Beneficial minerals are still intact.

If your concern is the cost for maintenance, then you do not need to worry. One of the key advantages of installing a UV system is the minimal maintenance required annually. In other systems like chlorination, you need several holding tanks and it needs special attention to maintain the level of chlorine introduced to the system.

In UV system, you just need an annual change of the UV bulb to guarantee that your system still emits the needed intensity to kill the microbes exposed to its UV light. Every 2-3 years, you also need to service your system with a change of the Quartz Sleeve, which houses your UV bulb. This is to make sure that no deposits or materials will build up on the sleeve which can obstruct the light from the water.

We want to offer you all the information that you need to know about UV light water treatment and these are some of the questions asked.

1. Is UV light treated water safe?

Yes UV light treated water is safe to drink. The UV system already inactivated disease-causing microorganisms without adding chemical additives to the water. There is no threat to UV radiation since the intensity is for germicidal action to take place in a contained system.

2. Do UV Water Purifiers really work?

Yes UV Water Purifiers work in making sure that waterborne microorganisms cannot reproduce and cannot cause common colds to potentially fatal illnesses such as hepatitis.

3. How much does a system cost?

(Need help on actual costs based on our products)

4. How long do UV bulbs last? (Need help on this, maybe a product-centric push.)

5. How long does it take for UV light to kill viruses and bacteria?

The UV light already inactivates the microorganism upon absorption of UV light. Disinfection happens rapidly .

6. What are the different classes of UV Systems?

There are 2 classes of UV Systems classified by the National Sanitation Foundation in the US:

Class A - These UV systems must have the intensity and saturation of at least 40,000 uwsec/cm2 that can kill microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses and cysts. These are installed on water considered visually clear and not with obvious contamination such as raw sewage or wastewater.

Class B - These UV systems must have the intensity and saturation of at least 16,000 uwsec/cm2 that can only reduce the presence of nuisance microorganisms only. Class B systems are only for the water already deemed safe.

These two classes for UV systems solely depend on the quality of the water to be treated.

Interested to get your own UV light system now? Talk to one of us here in WaterFiltrationSupply.com so we can help you with your water solutions.

Start drinking safe water NOW!