Quote:
Originally posted by gsellers1245
i agree with DARG...not all is killed through the sterolizer. It depends on the exposure length to a certain intensity of the uv. If you have a igh flow rate the odds of killing stuff are minimal not if you are running 50 gph then i can almost guarantee everything will die that passes 
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There is a certain level of UVC radiation required to kill each organism. Some critters take a hell of alot, others not so much. Even at 50 GPH if the UV-C isnt high enough (depends on wattage, lamp type and design of sterilizer) you still will not irradicate everything that passes. Plus, turnover is important as well so the larger the tank the larger the unit. On top of this, the lamp pretty quickly loses effectiveness. Most lamps recommend replacement at a certian length of use based on a percentage of the lamps output of UV-C when new. I think it's 50%. So those things that your unit may have just produced enough radiation to kill on one pass when the lamp is new are rather quickly able to pass the lamp without being obliterated. Again, just one important reason why most hobbyists end up using units/lamps that are well undersized and most dont realize it.
All this said, I would not want a unit sized large enough kill everything at 50% power (when it is time to replace the lamp). That is technically how a unit should be sized for single pass irradication of everything. I'm not sure if anyone sizes their units like this. It's alot larger than most hobbyists use.
12/03/2007, 08:09 PM
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