Industrial strength UV water purifier

Discussion in 'General Survival and Preparedness' started by oil pan 4, Dec 22, 2016.


  1. oil pan 4

    oil pan 4 Monkey+++

    I found a potentially unlimited source of free used industrial strength 1.6kw UV water sterilization tubes.
    From what I have been able to find out about these is at full power they sterilize water at around 300gpm per tube.
    With the power source they are supposed to have they can run variable power from 20 or 25% up to 100%.
    So if 100% = 1.6kw then 25% should be about 400w.
    They start with a thousand or so volts and at full power use around 7 to 8 amps at 200v.
    I powered one up with a microwave oven transformer. But since the microwave oven transformer is a constant voltage source it flipped the 15 amp breaker it was powered by.
    Because as the tube warms up the resistance decreases. So the constant voltage power source will just try to push more and more amps through it until the bulb, transformer fries or the breaker flips.
    So I need a constant power source, like a pulse start metal halide ballast transformer.
    If I got a pulse start 400w metal halide ballast that would run the bulb near 25% power and would be plenty for a tank of water I think. Also 400 watts is easily getable from a generator or power inverter.
     
    Motomom34, Cruisin Sloth and Ganado like this.
  2. techsar

    techsar Monkey+++

    Or run an incandescent light (or two) in series with one line...low resistance and high current for a few ms, as it heats up, its resistance increases.

    Have you tried a rheostat on the microwave tranny input? (fused, of course)
     
  3. oil pan 4

    oil pan 4 Monkey+++

    Seeing is believing.
    I remembered I have 2 varracs and that I could control the power going to the microwave oven transformer.
    This is a very low power test and I had on full welding gear.
    20161221_221228.
    That's only like 0.1 amps.
    My puny microwave oven transformer and varrac can only make 2/3 of an amp go to the lamp. Or around 10% of rated power.
     
    Last edited: Dec 22, 2016
  4. oil pan 4

    oil pan 4 Monkey+++

    I think I found what I need. A 1000w (not 400) pulse start ballast for HID metal halide bulbs.
    I work with the 400w version of of these ballasts so I know exactly how to wire them up.
    The transformer has 120, 208, 240, 277 and 480v taps to power up the bulb.
    The cool thing about constant power sources like this ballast is it will try to push it's rated power through whatever bulb it's connected to.

    For example if I take a 400w ballast and screw in a 250w metal halide bulb in the ballast will try to push 400 watts through the bulb, burning it out pretty fast.
    If I put a 1000w bulb on a 400w ballast it won't burn as brightly brightly as the proper 400w bulb would.
     
    Last edited: Dec 22, 2016
    Motomom34 likes this.
  5. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    [worthless]
     
    Ganado likes this.
  6. oil pan 4

    oil pan 4 Monkey+++

    All I'm trying to do right now is power up the bulb with out smoking it.
    So far it's only a varrac, microwave oven transformer and bulb.
    Since I can only run at about 10% power I don't think that it can effectively kill the stuff you don't want in drinking water.
     
  7. Ganado

    Ganado Monkey+++

    for us laymen, what is the difference betwen an industrial UV water purifier and say... a regular water purifier?
     
    oil pan 4 likes this.
  8. techsar

    techsar Monkey+++

    The Cliff's Notes version is...the UV kills biologic microbes and depends on exposure time, whereas a regular water filter traps contaminants depending on size of the filter media.
     
    Motomom34 likes this.
  9. Ganado

    Ganado Monkey+++

    ok i get that but my water filter has uv... so I was wondering what the difference is between industrial uv and regular uv
     
  10. techsar

    techsar Monkey+++

    Power levels are much higher in the industrial lights...regular lights may only be 60 - 100 watts as opposed to the 1600 watt version Oil Pan has.

    This will reduce the exposure time required significantly. :)
     
    Ganado likes this.
  11. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    Or, they allow more Gallons to be sterilized, in a shorter length of exposure time... My UV Sterilizer runs on 12Vdc @ 4 Amps that is 48 Watts, and is good for 2.5 GPM... This size is big enough for our Cabins Domestic Potable Water System...
     
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  12. oil pan 4

    oil pan 4 Monkey+++

    Industrial strength ones can blind a person, they give off some x-rays and can sterilize someone.
    And operate at lethal power levels.
    Oh and this small one can sterilize 300 gallons of clear water per minute.
    They haven't been idiot proofed for your typical below average consumer.
     
    Cruisin Sloth likes this.
  13. ghrit

    ghrit Bad company Administrator Founding Member

    Important note: The water must be clear for UV to work well and fast. The least turbidity cuts the effectiveness. Far and away, UV should be the last step, and after filtration.
     
  14. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    Yup, So True, Ghrit... Mine is preceded by 5 Micon Cotten Filter, and a 5 Micon Activated Charcoal Filter... It only comes on when the Pump runs...
     
  15. oil pan 4

    oil pan 4 Monkey+++

    I'm going to try and run this one at 1kw.
    Or around 10 to 20 times the power of a consumer unit.
     
  16. Cruisin Sloth

    Cruisin Sloth Special & Slow

    Thin lead shielding would be something I'd look into also .
    Just so your not hooked on See-Alice or your being asked "Ya just come back from (sun & hot area) "
    Sloth

    PS I'll pay shipping + for a few to test & play also , Im past alice but white as a ghost
     
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  17. oil pan 4

    oil pan 4 Monkey+++

    I found more about these bulbs. They are at least $700 new. They get time changed after 4,500hr or replaced when there is a suspected problem. They do not get run like a normal light bulb where they are let go until they burn out.
    Thing is at 4,500 hours these bulbs are not even 1/4 the way through their life.
    Probably has something to do with the liability of sterilizing water for large scale human consumption.
     
    Cruisin Sloth likes this.
  18. Motomom34

    Motomom34 Monkey+++

    I just put a UV filter on my water system. Water comes from well to holding tank, then through a sediment filter and then the UV filter. It has the blue light and is enclosed.It filters the water for the whole house. In the spring we have lots of run off and we get a smell in our water due to the fast flow. I am curious if the filter will take care of the smell also, probably not but it will be interesting to find out.
     
  19. ghrit

    ghrit Bad company Administrator Founding Member

    Strictly speaking, UV is not filtration. It's disinfection process. I dare say it'll do nothing for smell. Stinkies are readily handled by charcoal filtration.

    Order of business should be sediment trap (settling chamber type to help extend the life of the following filter) particulate filter, charcoal filter (go oversize, they take some time to absorb odors), then UV. That's the all out solution for really crappy water. YMMV (and there will be maintenance needed on each component in the train.)

    I'd say your holding tank will serve as a settling tank, if it is big enough to keep flow rate thru it low enough for settling times. (Actually a pressure tank, not just "holding"? Still serves the purpose, and don't forget to blow out any sediment that collects in the bottom. I do mine annually, but I have no sediment in the well water; it doesn't even need a filter of any kind.) Do NOT look directly at the blue light for very long, it will damage your eyes, as I'm sure you know. That's the main reason for the enclosure, along with making it possible to darken the room.

    To extend the life of the filter, I'd be inclined to put a tap ahead of the filter for a hose connection so you can take unfiltered water off for gardening purposes. (Then tell the kids that under NO circumstances are they to drink from the hose. Yeah, like they'll pay attention to that--)
     
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  20. oil pan 4

    oil pan 4 Monkey+++

    According to some UV reading I have seen is saying that real strong ionizating short wave UV can deodorize water to some degree.
    These short wave UV photons are so destructive they can decompose complex organic molecules into simpler ones and can deactivate the active chlorine in water. I saw some warnings about the ability to remove active chlorine.
    I don't know if household UV filters make this type of strong ionizing UV.
     
    Ganado likes this.
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