DIY UV - anyone built one before?

small triggers

small triggers

Active Member
I had a 9watt UV that has split apart (because I was using a tad bit to much flow) and am wanting to build one that would not seperate. I am thinking of a 4 inch piece of PVC and using the sheath and bulb and wiring from my old unit. Anyone done this before??
 
small triggers

small triggers

Active Member
Anyone??
Well, I bought a piece of black ABS 3 inch piece with a reducer and 2 of the grey pvc threaded male adapters, and a cap for the bottom, so that is what i am going to try,, will take pictures as I do it.
 
jackri

jackri

Active Member
I would really question the need for one in a display tank... in a QT tank maybe but IMO not needed in a DT. Might save you the trouble of building one if you agree -- but maybe not :)
 
scsinet

scsinet

Active Member
Two things to consider...
One is that most UV units are specifically designed to maximize the amount of time the water is exposed to the UV light. This is usually in the form of vanes or twists in the housing. If you lack these your unit will seriously lack effectiveness.
The other is that UV light degrades most plastics over time. Plastics used in the construction of UV units is either specifically designed to stand up to the UV, or they use consumable internals like the Lifegard units do. PVC pipe is stablized for UV light on the order that the sun produces, but not for the constant bombardment of concentrated UV like a UV unit produces. This means that the PVC housing won't last long and will probably fail at some point.
 
small triggers

small triggers

Active Member
TRUE on both accounts. The only reason i run a UV in the first place is because i get green water if i do not run one on and off. I do not usually run it 24/7. I turn it on about 1 day a week.
The problem with the housing I had was it degraded and basically split apart not only from to much flow but i would assume from the UV, it was extruded plastic as most of the cheap ones are. No twists or turns inside the housing.
SO what i am wanting to do is basically replicate the housing it had, though there is no such thing as 2 1/2 abs pipe. So i have to go with 3 inch. If i had $300 i would drop it and get a real UV, but as the previous one i bought was only like $60 (cheap odyssea 9 watt) and its only like $30 to make a housing Ill try that first.
 
bmkj02

bmkj02

Member
Do take pictures. I had bought one of those cheap ones made by Odyssea and after a year a hole appeared on the side. Cheap plastic. Good thing was that I had placed mine in the sump but not submerged so when it leaked it leaked in the sump
.I thought the same of making my own with PVC but I looked around and didnt see anything so I didnt try it. After seeing SCSInet reply I probably wont bother. Could be a disaster but still post pictures.
 
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