How to Find & Install the Right Size UV Water Purifier

So Many UV Water Purifiers Out There

If you’re thinking about purchasing a UV water purifier model for residential or commercial use, you want to be sure of two things: getting the right size and installing it correctly. At Atlantic Ultraviolet Corporation^®, manufacturer of UV purifiers since 1963, we’re here to make your selection and installation process easier. Don’t just buy any model you see on the market. Make sure you get the one that fits your application and best suits your needs.

Find Your Flow Rate

The first step in selecting the right size UV water purifier is to find your flow rate in gallons per minute (GPM). Maximum flow rates will depend on the following:

• Water pressure and size of your water lines
• Number and type of water outlets

A home with 3/4″ water pipes will generally have a maximum flow rate of about 7 GPM. Larger homes with 1″ pipes could reach 15 GPM or higher. At Atlantic Ultraviolet Corporation^®, we typically recommend the following capacity UV water purifiers based on the number of bathrooms in your home or facility:

In order to provide proper water disinfection, you must correctly size the purifier for your flow rate. If your flow rate is in between two models, it is best to purchase the larger size. Flow control valvesopen_in_new are also available to ensure your water flow does not exceed the maximum rated flow rate of your purifier model. But there is another factor to consider: the appropriate UV dose.

The Importance of Water Quality

UV water purifiers are intended for use with visually clear water. They are not intended for the treatment of water that is colored, cloudy, or turbid, or water that has an obvious contamination or intentional source (such as raw sewage). Since your water quality will affect how well UV-C rays are able to travel through and neutralize microbes, the concentration levels shown below should not be exceeded. For a greater explanation of these terms, click a characteristic for its definition in our UV Glossary.

UV Transmission and the Proper UV-C Dose

Another important water characteristic is UV transmission, defined as the measure of UV-C energy after it has passed through your water. Successful transmission of UV rays will depend on the water’s overall quality, according to the concentration levels described above. If your purifier is set up properly with the necessary pre-treatment devices (more on that below), your UV transmission should be 90% or greater.

A proper UV transmission level will ensure your water purifier delivers a UV-C dose of 30mJ/cm², which is high enough to neutralize harmful waterborne microorganisms like E. coli, Salmonella, and Cryptosporidium. If your application requires a higher UV-C dose, use a flow control valve to slow down your flow rate. If your UV transmission is less than 85%, contact our UV specialists at (631) 273-0500 for recommendations regarding your application.

The UV-C dose is a relationship between the time your water is exposed to UV-C and the intensity of the UV lamp(s) used. The right size UV water purifier, designed for your flow rate and delivering the proper UV intensity, will deliver the appropriate UV-C dose. For more information on how UV water purifiers work, read our FAQ blog post.

The Layered Process of Water Disinfection

Making sure your water meets the quality detailed above will likely require some form of pre-treatment, as shown in the list below. Always install these devices in your water line before the water enters your UV purifier (to help prevent the possibility of re-contamination after UV disinfection).

• Chemical treatment to fix hardness, PH balance, and sulfide issues
• Water softening to treat arsenic and nitrates
• Reverse osmosis to remove a variety of contaminants
• 5-micron particulate filtration to remove debris and turbidity that could interfere with UV disinfection

Determine Your Disinfection Goal

When selecting the right size UV water purifier, you must also consider which of the two scenarios below describes your reason for installing UV disinfection:

As you can see by the header in each column above, disinfecting for a drinking water faucet (also called the point of use) will use a UV water purifier designed for point of use installation. Disinfecting water in an entire building will require an installation at the point of entry, and a purifier equipped to handle those flow rate requirements. The table below summarizes which flow rates are designed for point of use or point of entry installation.

Installation Location & Other Guidelines

Your disinfection goal will also affect the location of your installation. Point of use (POU) purifiers will be installed directly at the site of use, such as under a sink (read our point of use installation guide for more information). Point of entry (POE) models will be installed where the water enters your home or facility, providing continuous disinfection to all water plumbed downstream of the UV purifier. UV models designed for higher flow rates (such as an entire building) will generally be larger, while point of use purifiers will be able to fit in small spaces.

As described above, your water purifier should always be installed after any other treatment devices such as deionizers, water softeners, carbon / sediment filters, pressure tanks, pumps, and reverse osmosis systems (whether installing at the point of use or point of entry). Follow proper installation instructions as described in your product’s manual, which should involve the following:

• Install your UV water purifier in a location that allows enough room for routine maintenance, such as lamp, quartz sleeve, and filter changes.
• Use a wall mounting bracket. Never leave a UV water purifier’s plumbing connections to support its weight. Most Atlantic Ultraviolet water purifiers are designed to mount horizontally.
• Always connect the purifier to the cold water line, with the water temperature between 50 and 100° F (10–37° C).
• Before completing the plumbing connections to the water purifier, it is a good practice to disinfect the “downstream” plumbing between the purifier and point of use. Our user manuals describe this process in detail.

Atlantic Ultraviolet Corporation^® manufactures many size UV water purifiers and can help you choose the right one for your home or business. Speak with one of our UV specialists at (631) 273-0500 or email Sales@AtlanticUV.com. Shop all UV water models at AtlanticUltraviolet.com and compare the features of each product line, along with available accessories.

What Else Should Influence Your Decision?

Choose a Quality Constructed Model

If you want your UV water purifier to last, you don’t just need the right size model. You’ll want to consider the materials used to make it. Some models use subpar construction, including cheap PVC piping connections that can be degraded by UV-C rays. All UV water purifiers manufactured by Atlantic Ultraviolet Corporation^® use stainless steel and the highest quality materials… and we’ve been in the ultraviolet disinfection industry since 1963.

Choose a Model that Streamlines Maintenance

Purchasing and installing a quality constructed UV water purifier that is the right size is crucial. But in order to keep your purifier at its full disinfecting power, you’ll need to perform routine maintenance, including:

1. Yearly lamp change: Changing your UV-C lamp every year (after roughly 10,000 operating hours) will keep it at peak operating performance.
2. Occasional quartz sleeve cleaning: Cleaning your quartz sleeves will prevent dirt and debris from blocking the lamp’s UV rays.

With this reality in mind, choose a UV water purifier that is easy to maintain. Atlantic Ultraviolet’s models feature EASY-OFF™ end caps for quick lamp and quartz sleeve access. Our SANITRON^® product line has a patented quartz sleeve wiper for easy quartz cleaning. We also sell many accessories that can help monitor the operation of your UV purifier model:

• Digital UV Monitor: Displays your UV lamp’s intensity and audibly alerts of a drop in that percentage, revealing the need for a lamp change or quartz sleeve cleaning. It can also connect to a solenoid valve to shut off the water supply in those cases. Our GUARDIAN™ UV-C Monitoropen_in_new attaches to the top of our MIGHTY★PURE^®open_in_new and SANITRON^®open_in_new product lines, and is also available in a remote model.
• Lamp Status Alarm: A lower-cost option that can audibly alert users of lamp or power failure. Our STERALERT™ modelsopen_in_new are available for SANITRON^® and MIGHTY★PURE^® product lines.
• Other Monitoring Options: For our point of use UV water purifiers that do not accommodate the options above, the SENTRY™ Safety Sensoropen_in_new provides constant monitoring of lamp and ballast status. It can also connect with an audio alarm and solenoid valve.

Learn More & Shop UV Water Disinfection

Atlantic Ultraviolet Corporation’s water purifiers are constructed from stainless steel and the highest quality materials, using UV-C lamps to neutralize harmful microorganisms. There are several product lines and various models designed for residential, commercial, and industrial use. Available accessories provide flexibility for virtually any application.

Shop at AtlanticUltraviolet.com

• Shop UV-C Water & Liquid Disinfectionopen_in_new
• Shop UV-C Air & Surface Disinfectionopen_in_new
• Shop STER-L-RAY^® Germicidal UV Lampsopen_in_new
• Shop Safety Productsopen_in_new

Contact Us

• Call (631) 273-0500, Monday – Friday 7am to 6pm EST
• Email Sales@AtlanticUV.com