UV bulb

[Magzire]

Can UV bulbs lose efficiency or strength after awhile? Or are they like a normal light blubs, they just stop working afters its life cycle?

 

[Tula]

I've always been told to replace them annually.

 

[Dave 54]

Can UV bulbs lose efficiency or strength after awhile? Or are they like a normal light blubs, they just stop working afters its life cycle?

They normally start to loose their effectiveness after around 6 months as such you replace them on an annual basis as @Tula so rightly points out .
However we have a double bulbed UV-C which are replaced on a bi annual basis

Dave

 

[DoDad]

Quality uv lamps have a life span of 9000 hrs. If you have them on 24/7 through the warm months you can get two years from them. I have mine on all year and change them on the first of may.

 

[Tula]

Quality uv lamps have a life span of 9000 hrs. If you have them on 24/7 through the warm months you can get two years from them. I have mine on all year and change them on the first of may.

Appreciate the information. I bought the Savio UVinex. last year and am hoping to get a little longer use

 

[DoDad]

Appreciate the information. I bought the Savio UVinex. last year and am hoping to get a little longer use

I think you would have been better off if you had purchased the retro fit Aqua Ultraviolet unit. The lamps are about half the price of the UVinex.

 

[Tula]

I think you would have been better off if you had purchased the retro fit Aqua Ultraviolet unit. The lamps are about half the price of the UVinex.

Darn, I didn't know any better I liked that it slipped into the skimmer.

 

[Smaug]

They lose effectiveness they don't just stop working . When I had a working tetra 18 w green free my bulbs were still doing the job well after 2 years. I use a high quality whole house uv sterilizer in my house and I let those bulbs go over 2 years as well. It's still clearing bacteria after that time,I have my water tested. There sure seems to be alot of things that people say must be done that don't gotta be done that way at all! Every 6 months dave?! Nah

 

[DoDad]

Darn, I didn't know any better I liked that it slipped into the skimmer.

I have two retro's in my standard skimmer.

 

[DoDad]

They lose effectiveness they don't just stop working . When I had a working tetra 18 w green free my bulbs were still doing the job well after 2 years. I use a high quality whole house uv sterilizer in my house and I let those bulbs go over 2 years as well. It's still clearing bacteria after that time,I have my water tested. There sure seems to be alot of things that people say must be done that don't gotta be done that way at all! Every 6 months dave?! Nah

I think you should change it every year. Most UV's will function up to 9000 ours.
My whole house sanitron say that their lamps are good for 10,000 hours.
I've never heard of any lamp last 2 years.