Germicidal – UV-C
Cleaning the Air We Breathe &
the Water We Drink at Home
A select part of the Ultraviolet light spectrum known as the Ultraviolet C spectrum (wavelength between 550-680 nanometers) possesses powerful germicidal capabilities. Many municipalities have long used UV-C light to disinfect their water systems.
UV-C destroys a microorganism’s RNA or DNA by rendering it inert. Unfortunately, direct exposure to UV-C does the same to human tissue. The good news is that we can easily shield ourselves from UV-C while still disinfecting both our water and air.
The advent of inexpensive commercial UV-C LEDs makes it possible for individual households to now employ UV-C at home.
UV-C LED disinfection systems for both water and air require an additional technology to be effective. Primarily, this calls for the addition of a filtration system before the water or air is exposed to UV-C LED disinfection. Physical filtration for particles below 2 Microns in size is not commercially available outside of expensive laboratory systems. Many viruses are below this 2 Micron limit. The good news is that particle reduction using commercially available filtration reduces particle volume to the point where the ratio of particles to pathogens is too small to interfere with the lethal effect of UV-C on the RNA or DNA of sub 2 Micron micro-organisms
Germicidal UV-C LEDs for Water Usage
Starting with water, available UV-C LED based germicidal water systems can either cover the entire home water system or a simple central point of use like the kitchen sink. The difference in cost between the two is significant.
For remote locations dependent on well or lake water, a whole home system with water filtration and UV-C LED disinfection at the water’s point of entry to the house may be the appropriate solution. Because whole house water treatment covers all the water used by the house, a lot of the system treats water where disinfection will take place anyway – i.e. washing machines, baths, showers, sinks or toilets. Much general use water could be easily handled by filtration without the need for disinfection.
Disinfection becomes critically important in situations where possible contamination of drinking water is possible. In general, the kitchen sink would be the most significant place for deployment germicidal UV-C LEDs. Since filtration is necessary to clear the water of particles which could hide sub 2 Micron micro-organisms, plumbing must be set up to allow space for a filtration system in addition to the UV-C LED germicidal unit. Aside from plumbing, an electrical source must be present for the UV-C LED germicidal unit. This may require extra wiring under the sink.
The initial cost of setting up a single point of use system is clearly much less expensive than a whole house system.The major ongoing cost is filter replacement. Because UV-C LED based germicidal systems only uses electricity when the water is running on at a single point (i.e. the kitchen sink), electrical costs are minimal.
Installing a whole home or single point germicidal system requires an installer knowledgeable in electrical and plumbing.
Companies listed below offer single point of use germicidal installations using UV-C LEDs.
We will NOT list any UV-C germicidal installations using low pressure Mercury Vapor UV-C bulbs. Such systems offer a sub-optimal UV-C dose at only 254 Nanometers, the optimal germicidal range for UV-C being 260 – 175 Nanometers. Low pressure Mercury Vapor bulbs, aside from carrying toxic Mercury in a fragile glass bulb, must remain on, regardless of water flow, leading to frequent replacement since they need to warm up and remain on. UV-C LEDs contain no Mercury, and use power only when water is flowing and are at full strength the minute they are activated.