UV Sterilizer That Doesn't Melt Long Term?

[Tamberav]

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?

lifeguard UV, has a inner protective sleeve you can replace.

I bought lifeguard for this reason + the ends rotate + it has a timer to change the bulb

Other companies looking archaic but they have better marketing.

 

[nickng]

Any thoughts on the EHEIM UV? It’s a bit different. The water passes tru a glass/quartz tube next to a uv bulb and the entire thing is housed in an aluminum can that acts as a reflector to concentrate the light on the glass tube.

 

[Sidewinder2180]

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?

Ive had my Aqua Ultraviolet for a decade now. I cleaned it and put it on my new tank. Never been a problem with it.

 

[gbroadbridge]

Ive had my Aqua Ultraviolet for a decade now. I cleaned it and put it on my new tank. Never been a problem with it.

Probably not generating any UV then :-)

 

[Sidewinder2180]

Ive had my Aqua Ultraviolet for a decade now. I cleaned it and put it on my new tank. Never been a problem with it.

Probably not generating any UV then :-)

I replace the bulb on the regular. And check the ballast for proper output. I assure you it works fine.

 

[W31Olds]

Could some of the premature failures be caused by 2 factors:
1. having the UV on with no flow say during maintenance activities
2. Having an air bubble trapped in the housing causing a hot spot

 

[Quietman]

I wonder if turning off flow during feeding daily for a couple of years could lead to plastic damage. My UV filter is in my return line and when I stop return flow my filter flow stops as well. I have an apex and could interlock the UV with the return flow but haven't. This is mostly because I never stopped return flow to feed and it was unnecessary.

If you add in water changes and minor maintenance could it over time add it up to slow degradation even for UV resistant plastic?

I wouldn't have thought 10 min daily would be an impact but over two years that's over 100 hours.

I think a good precaution would be to ensure the UV is never on without flow even for a short time if that's going to be daily occurrence. Granted that's already a precaution but who really is going to worry about a 10 min a day?