UV Sterilizer That Doesn't Melt Long Term?

[ariellemermaid]

I've really wanted to add a UV sterilizer to my tank and I've been endlessly researching plumbing, watts, flow rates, etc. The Pentair 40W seemed like a good fit for my tank, but far, far too many reviews on BRS are saying after 3-5 years the housing becomes soft and springs leaks! Essentially the housing breaks down from the UV. Then I looked at Aqua UV; same reports. One possible solution would be to replace the housing every 2 years or so, but they don't even sell that as a replacement part.

I realize reviews are biased towards negative experiences, but, it's also on the rarer side to find folks using one product, using it and staying in the hobby for years and years (without upgrading), going to a specific website and leaving a review, and all having failure around the same time mark. Plus, installing any component in such a critical place that could pump 200-300g of saltwater into a house is just completely unacceptable! Not to mention the end of the entire tank/hobby.

So what should I make of all of this? Have you used a particular sterilizer for over 4 years and found that the housing still seems to be in tip top shape?

 

[Quietman]

AquaUV 15W Advantage Series (with the barb connectors). I just have silicon hose pushed on the barbs. Been running this way since July 2020. Changed out bulbs 2 times now (due again). Haven't had any leaks from barbs, housing or tubing on the barbs. Very happy overall with the performance, longevity, support and maintenance.

 

[ariellemermaid]

AquaUV 15W Advantage Series (with the barb connectors). I just have silicon hose pushed on the barbs. Been running this way since July 2020. Changed out bulbs 2 times now (due again). Haven't had any leaks from barbs, housing or tubing on the barbs. Very happy overall with the performance, longevity, support and maintenance.

5 years is a pretty good run. Are you just running it on a pump into and out of the sump, or sending all the tank’s water through it?

 

[Quietman]

5 years is a pretty good run. Are you just running it on a pump into and out of the sump, or sending all the tank’s water through it?

The UV is in the return line. I have a smaller tank so I can get away with that and not impact my requirements in running UV. I want to be able to do 8x turnover with at least 90K uw/cm2 exposure if needed. I normally run about 5x turnover and I haven't had any return of dinos in years now. Never had a disease issue - knock wood but I haven't added a new fish in 3 years now either.

Running in/out of sump isn't optimal as only a fraction of fraction of water is filtered each cycle. But if that's all you can do, it's much better than nothing especially if running a larger UV with high flow/high exposure rate. A bigger tank 70-100g and up I think forces a switch to dedicated UV lines to/from tank.

 

[dadnjesse]

I believe one problem that happened to me, is not running enough flow through it.

 

[ariellemermaid]

I believe one problem that happened to me, is not running enough flow through it.

In terms of the melting issue? That is one thing reviews don’t get into. Were these folks running recommended flow… and slow flow for protozoans, or fast flow for algae? Were they running 24/7? If so, would having it on 12 hours a day or less prolong the housing life by double, etc.? Still, UV light does damage plastic, so it’s hard to imagine that years of exposure won’t eventually have deleterious effects.

 

[Waters]

I did have a Pentair start leaking after about 3 years. It ran 24X7 and had sufficient flow. I am currently using an Aqua which hasn't had any issues yet but it is just now approaching 3 years of 24X7 use.

 

[Mellotang]

I have had a Pentair melt in the past, they have made some changes to matériels used and the molds they use to resolve the issue but I understand your apprehension

RK2 makes nice UV now

 

[gbroadbridge]

I did have a Pentair start leaking after about 3 years. It ran 24X7 and had sufficient flow. I am currently using an Aqua which hasn't had any issues yet but it is just now approaching 3 years of 24X7 use.

Were you changing the O rings and seals every 12 months as suggested by pentair? Or did the body itself fail?

 

[Waters]

Were you changing the O rings and seals every 12 months as suggested by pentair? Or did the body itself fail?

The fittings themselves failed.....not the seals.

 

[SlowAndStupid]

Lifegard makes their UV with replacement sleeves to help protect against breakdown. This is the reason I bought from them. Maybe check them out?

 

[Malcontent]

A UV with a titanium body sure would be nice but obviously expensive.

 

[ariellemermaid]

I have had a Pentair melt in the past, they have made some changes to matériels used and the molds they use to resolve the issue but I understand your apprehension

RK2 makes nice UV now

I figured I’d write to Pentair and see if I could get some reassurance. I specifically asked if they’re using new materials or a thicker housing. This was their reply:

Pentair:
Shelf life for our UV units running 24 hr is 3 years. Below a comment from our quality department.

“From my experience of working with hundreds of UV systems over the years, it is general knowledge that these systems are not made for 10+ years. With a system that size, I was prepared to replace it every 3-5 years, across every institution I’ve worked at. Larger systems I expected about 5-10 years. Now, I know the aquarist and hobbyist worlds do have some differences. It is not reasonable for a product to run 24- hours a day, 7-days a week and think that there will never be an issue. It is a well-known practice if you see light form the UV body, you need to replace it promptly.

I understand in the current world today, things don’t last as long as they used to, and that is frustrating. I feel that at times too. “

So that confirms it; 3 years expected life. So roughly $180/yr plus running costs and bulbs for the 40w unit. I guess one solution though is to just run it 8-12 hours during the day though for increased longevity.

 

[BryanM]

I've really wanted to add a UV sterilizer to my tank and I've been endlessly researching plumbing, watts, flow rates, etc. The Pentair 40W seemed like a good fit for my tank, but far, far too many reviews on BRS are saying after 3-5 years the housing becomes soft and springs leaks! Essentially the housing breaks down from the UV. Then I looked at Aqua UV; same reports. One possible solution would be to replace the housing every 2 years or so, but they don't even sell that as a replacement part.

I realize reviews are biased towards negative experiences, but, it's also on the rarer side to find folks using one product, using it and staying in the hobby for years and years (without upgrading), going to a specific website and leaving a review, and all having failure around the same time mark. Plus, installing any component in such a critical place that could pump 200-300g of saltwater into a house is just completely unacceptable! Not to mention the end of the entire tank/hobby.

So what should I make of all of this? Have you used a particular sterilizer for over 4 years and found that the housing still seems to be in tip top shape?

I have a pentair 40w, and to me its built to last. I cannot imagine it breaking down, but we shall see.

I've only had mine for a few months, so I can't help with the 4+ year mark.

 

[cilyjr]

Pretty much all plastics will degrade when exposed to UV eventually.
Pentair and aqua uv are the big better companies and not not primarily for this hobby. There main focus is water treatment.
Stainless steel housings are pretty common in resi and commercial plumbing.

It wouldn't surprise me if somebody made a titanium housing but I have yet to run into one.

 

[gbroadbridge]

I have a pentair 40w, and to me its built to last. I cannot imagine it breaking down, but we shall see.

I've only had mine for a few months, so I can't help with the 4+ year mark.

My Pentair 40W is 4 years old next month and I see no visible signs of light through the plastic body.

It is scheduled to be replaced next year (along with the tank and lights).

I run my tanks on a 5 years cycle - after 5 years they're finished and it is time to either start a new build or decide to quit entirely.

Next year I will probably quit the hobby as my wife has been planning for a while now to downsize the house and then travel.

 

[Mellotang]

Just a bit of info

All the top engineers from emperor/Pentair are now at RK2

Check out their product

 

[Mellotang]

Emperor was bought by pentair, they cheaped out n valued profit over quality, used cheap materials and they pay the price.

Granted, they are aware of the melted housings and supposedly revised the molds and materials but do you trust them to be doing it right this time?!

 

[KrisReef]

A UV with a titanium body sure would be nice but obviously expensive.

But if it caught fire….

 

[Quietman]

I have read that UV resistant plastics in other uses still could become brittle over the years. It's not immune from UV just takes much longer to impact to failure on average. I'm summarizing my research here, not in the industry nor have any direct testing knowledge or experience.

As an example, the time frames mentioned for UV resistant pool filters sitting out in direct sun was about 10 years before some cracking could occur. Nothing has a 10 year warranty in the hobby and nor would I expect one for our UV filters. I would think a reasonable lifetime of 10 years plus or minus a year or two for my own filter. I expect over time that it starts start to leak or I will notice some cracks or brittleness. Some filters do fail catastrophically of course but suspect that's due to manufacturing defects or user/equipment error rather that UV exposure.

8 to 10 years or more sounds like a pretty good lifespan to me. That's about 5-7 bulb changes. I'd like to change out that power supply about then as well thinking about it, so my conclusions are that I'll run it till it breaks and probably replace at the 10-12 year point if I haven't already with newer tank. Silicon doesn't last forever either. :)