Commercial/Industrial UV?

[90addict]

Ok so I'm a union pipefitter/welder. A work buddy was removing some old pipe and equipment in a state building and snagged me an old working UV light. Asked me if I could use it on my aquarium. It's 316 stainless and look to be super expensive lol. Buuuuuut, how do you think 316 stainless would do in a reef setting? It shouldn't rust right? I'll attach a couple links to manuals and such. Hoping I can get some knowledge here

https://espwaterproducts.com/cdn/sh...n_Manual_S17A-S50C.pdf?v=16156635801554293427
https://espwaterproducts.com/cdn/sh...n_Manual_S17A-S50C.pdf?v=16156635801554293427
https://www.buyultraviolet.com/sanitron-uv-water-purifiers-single-chamber

 

[Elira_6301]

Thread 'How about stainless steel in the reef tank?' https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/how-about-stainless-steel-in-the-reef-tank.361320/


This is a previous thread I found in this topic.

 

[MarineandReef Jaron]

I would not use anything stainless steel in saltwater. Stainless steel is not no stain steel. It just stains less. In seawater titanium is the metal of choice. this is why you see titanium heaters and impeller shafts.

If you need a commercial sized UV I would look into the AquaUltraviolet the SL Series and Viper series are ridiculously powerful and have PVC housings.

 

[Besieged]

I would not use anything stainless steel in saltwater. Stainless steel is not no stain steel. It just stains less. In seawater titanium is the metal of choice. this is why you see titanium heaters and impeller shafts.

If you need a commercial sized UV I would look into the AquaUltraviolet the SL Series and Viper series are ridiculously powerful and have PVC housings.

Agreed. I happen to know a few things about steels from past interest in forging, and one of them is that it's called "stain-less" for a reason. It's corrosion-resistant, not corrosion-proof.

Basically the only metals that will not corrode in saltwater are titanium and gold. Aluminum is highly resistant to corrosion while exposed only to air due to the passive oxidation layer that forms with exposure to oxygen, but it will corrode aggressively over time when submerged in saltwater - you'd actually be better off with 316SS than with aluminum.

Otherwise, plastic, PVC or titanium is the way to go. You COULD - in theory - coat it in plasti-dip or epoxy somehow, but honestly, you'd probably be better off cleaning it up to like-new appearance and reselling it on ebay or the like, and put the money from that toward a proper UV unit.

Another theory would be to suspend the lamp above a section of your sump with a pane of silica glass (the only thing fully transparent to UVC, down to ~160nm anyway) protecting it from evap from the sump, though that kind of glass tends to be pricey on its own. Still, then the lamp would also be actively degrading the material of your sump unless it's glass with UV-resistant silicone... which is why reef sterilizers are made the way they are, and so expensive.

 

[90addict]

Appreciate all the feedback! Like I said, it was just given to me so it was worth a shot to ask if it could be used. I might try what you said and clean it up and see if it would sell on ebay. Then I'll buy an aquarium safe uv