FAQs – Knowledge Base

Our water purifiers are based on peak flow rate. Most single-family dwellings use 6, 9, or 12 gallons per minute.

Please download our Ultraviolet Water Purifier Comparison Chart for more assistance on selecting the proper unit for you needs.

Most “UV” lamps are rated at 10,000 hours, or slightly longer than one year. The lamp should be replaced, as a rule, once every year.

We recommend the use of the following accessories with our Sanitron^® brand of Ultraviolet Water Purifiers to conform to US Public Health Service Guidelines: monitor, solenoid, flow control valve, audio alarm and time delay mechanism.

Normal operating range is 50-100 degrees F – if operating outside this range please contact our engineering staff.

6.5 –9.5

We have flow control valves available as an optional accessory that will restrict the flow of your water to the rated flow of the water purifier.

Ultraviolet disinfection is used in water towers to improve the overall water quality profile while at the same time reducing the demand (usage) of treatment chemicals. We recommend that you treat a minimum side stream of 10% of the total circulatory flow (with 20–25% being preferable). Be sure to specify “dual” wavelength germicidal lamps for this application as they provide photochemical treatment as well as biological disinfection.

The water purifier is intended for indoor use and should be installed in a dry, well-lit area, which provides enough room to perform routine maintenance. This includes a minimum distance of one chamber length to allow for changing of the lamp and quartz sleeve. In addition, the water purifier should always be located closest to the point of use.

No. All of our units are available in either 120v 50/60Hz or 220v 50/60Hz. Other input power is available – Consult us with your specific requirements (such as 12v or 24v DC, etc).

Plug the water purifier only into an approved ground fault circuit interrupt (GFCI) receptacle.

Particulates can shield microorganisms from the ultraviolet rays. Therefore, we recommend a 5-micron pre-filter to remove particles that could hinder the operation of the ultraviolet unit.

The water purifier must be connected to the cold water line only.

Virtually all applications will benefit from filtering. Even if little is being filtered out of your water at this time – this will act as another layer of protection in case of any changes in your water supply.

Filtering prior to the ultraviolet water purifier removes contaminants and particulates that may interfere with the ultraviolet process. Also, germicidal ultraviolet does not have a residual effect; therefore, it is beneficial to put the water purifier as close as possible to the point of use. Installing the filter prior to the ultraviolet water purifier reduces the possibility of re-contamination of the water in the filter.

No, this does not effect the operation of the unit. Either connection can be used as the inlet with the other connection used as the outlet.

Yes, the water should enter the water purifier chamber through the lower fitting and exit through the upper fitting. The Ultimate^® line of water purifiers includes a built in flow control mounted in the lower (inlet) fitting.

Inlet side.

Sanitron^®, Mighty Pure^®, Minipure^® and Bio-Logic^® water purifiers should be installed horizontally. The Ultimate^® line of water purifiers was designed for vertical installation.

Even though the lamp produces visible light past the 10,000 hours, the ultraviolet output decreases over time. We recommend that you change the lamp every 12 months to maintain optimum efficiency. We have a Guardian Ultraviolet Monitor available that will detect reduction of ultraviolet levels due to: Fouling or deposits on the quartz sleeve, poor ultraviolet transmission through the water, depreciation of lamp output, premature lamp failure and/or component failure.

Although the water purifier will turn back on if properly connected, there may be some contamination of the downstream pipes (from the water purifier to point of use) if water flows through the system during shut down. It is a good practice to disinfect the downstream plumbing between the purifier and point of use whenever there is a chance that non-purified water has gotten into the pipes. This is done by introducing chlorine into the purifier chamber, a 100-ppm chlorine solution is suggested. With the chlorine in the purifier chamber, turn the ultraviolet purifier on. Open the downstream outlet until a chlorine odor is noticed. Close the outlet and allow the chlorine to remain in the plumbing for a minimum of three (3) hours. Flush the plumbing with ultraviolet purified water; allow the water to run for several minutes before use.

There is a silver foil label on one of the ends of the chamber that contains the serial number with the exception for the Ultimate^®, which has the silver foil label right on the front of the chamber.

Some humming noise and heat is normal during operation. If the noise level is unusually high or if the unit becomes excessively hot, turn off the power and contact factory.

We recommend purchasing an available monitoring device that we offer specifically for this purpose. See “How do I choose a monitoring device?”

It depends on the quality of the water being treated. The poorer the water quality, the more often the sleeve needs to be cleaned. We recommended examining the quartz sleeve after one month’s operation to see if there are any deposits or discoloration on the sleeve. If none, then perform this same task at three month intervals to determine a reasonable cleaning schedule. We recommend this same examination be performed when water purifier is first installed even on units that contain manual or automatic wiping systems to ensure a suitable interval for operating the wiper assembly. If obvious staining is apparent before one month or deposits are not being adequately removed by the wiper mechanism, you should consider additional pretreatment prior to water purifier to remove the dissolved contaminant responsible for coating the quartz sleeve.

There are several reasons for this to be occurring. If it has been a while since the wiper has been used – there could be excessive buildup on the sleeve that is preventing the wiper from operating smoothly. In this case, you will need to operate the wiper more frequently. You may want to follow the instructions for manual cleaning and see if it improves the operation. If you operate the wiper regularly and it is getting harder and harder to operate – you may need to lubricate and/or replace the O-Rings in the wiper gland. To lubricate the O-Rings, you would put a very small amount of food grade lubricant at the point where rod comes in contact with the wiper gland on wiper rod and then operate the wiper to work in. If problem persists, call our UV specialists at (631) 273-0500.

Aerologic^® and Sanitaire^®

Sanitaire^®, Hygeaire^®, SaniLight^®, SaniRay^®, Biolux^®, Aerologic^®, Sanidyne^®, and Nutripure^®.

No, germicidal ultraviolet will sanitize only exposed surfaces. The mail piece will need to be turned over so that both sides of the envelope can be sanitized and note that proper precautions should be taken so that personnel are not exposed to the ultraviolet rays. An example of a safe application would be a germicidal ultraviolet fixture installed in an enclosed box with an interlock safety switch that prevents operation of the lamp when the box is open.

Yes. Exposed solid surfaces of many devices may be sanitized by germicidal ultraviolet radiation. Please keep in mind that disinfection does not take place on internal components and surfaces. Proper precautions should be taken so that personnel will not be exposed to the germicidal ultraviolet rays. Bear in mind that some materials and plastics may degrade when repeatedly exposed to intense or prolonged ultraviolet exposure.

Users of germicidal ultraviolet lamps should be aware that short wave ultraviolet energy can sometimes fade colors or alter the surface of some materials. Living plants, leafy vegetables and some food items are adversely affected by direct exposure to short wave ultraviolet radiation. Many plastics and rubber material can degrade under extended exposure to ultraviolet rays. Questions concerning the compatibility or suitability of materials can usually be answered by exposure testing of a small sample. If you need help in determining the ultraviolet resistance of any material, please contact our office.

Yes – the installation of a germicidal ultraviolet fixture in your home and/or office will inactivate bacteria and other microorganisms in the air. There are numerous types of ultraviolet air purifiers available. Ultraviolet units can be installed in new or existing air duct systems already in place at your home or office (Aerologic^®), forced air units with fans and filters can disinfect the air in enclosed spaces (Sanitaire^®), or louvered fixtures can be installed to irradiate upper room air in occupied spaces (Hygeaire^®) (often specified in healthcare settings).

A) Germicidal Ultraviolet rays cause harmful irritation to skin and eyes. Always wear protective clothing, gloves and eye shield (goggles, glasses, etc.) when working with direct ultraviolet radiation. Normal tightly woven clothing will often times provide adequate protection.

B) Microorganisms suspended in air or water are susceptible to germicidal ultraviolet radiation. However, germicidal ultraviolet will not penetrate most ordinary materials such as cloth, paper, ordinary glass and most plastics. Therefore, any surface or item that needs to be exposed to germicidal ultraviolet should have a direct uninterrupted path to the rays of the germicidal ultraviolet lamp.

The exposure necessary to inactivate microorganisms is a product of time and ultraviolet intensity. High intensities for a short period of time, or low intensities for a long period of time are fundamentally equal in lethal action on infectious microorganisms. As a rule of thumb, at two inches away from the STER-L-RAY^® germicidal ultraviolet lamp, most common bacteria and virus are inactivated within five seconds of exposure. For specific recommendations, please call our staff with the details of your application (including area available for the fixture, how far the fixture will be from the article, etc.) The more information you can provide, the better.

To treat areas that are well ventilated, we recommend selection of a Sanitaire^® Room Air Sanitizer that will yield a minimum of (3) equivalent room air changes per hour. In areas that are poorly ventilated and areas that present a higher than usual risk of airborne infection (such as a crowded waiting room), installation of Sanitaire^® Room Air Sanitizer(s) capable of six room air changes per hour is recommended. See our catalog or contact our office to discuss the specifics of your application and get a recommendation.

Yes, Atlantic Ultraviolet Corporation has been manufacturing UV-C lamps and equipment in USA since 1963.

There are many germicidal ultraviolet lamps being offered online that are being manufactured offshore and sold online that are inferior to the quality of the lamps produced in the USA. Offshore lamps that we have tested and continue to test have shown lower and less consistent UV output and shorter life than our STER-L-RAY ^® brand of UV lamps. We recommend that you buy USA made lamps (preferably our STER-L-RAY ^® brand).

Most STER-L-RAY^® germicidal ultraviolet lamps are rated at 10,000 hours, or slightly longer than one year. The lamp should be replaced, as a rule, once every year.

Even though the UV lamp may produce visible light past the 10,000 hours, the ultraviolet output decreases over time. We recommend that you change the lamp every 12 months.

Yes, we have a large inventories and extensive cross referencing to assist you in finding the lamp you need. Please visit BuyUltraviolet.com for our extensive lamp inventory.