Cottage owner ensures safe well water with low-maintenance UV Pure system

System Design Specifications
  • Application:  Potable water treatment
  • Location:  Cottage in Kawartha Lakes, Ontario
  • Commissioned:  September 2017
  • System:  1 – UV Pure Upstream NC 10-50
  • Flow:  10 gpm (38 L/min)
  • Minimum UV dose:  40 mJ/cm2
  • Minimum UVT:  50%

Ryerson Urban Water’s Executive Director, Nick Reid, recently purchased a cottage in the Kawartha Lakes to provide him and his family worry-free escapes from the city. However, unlike municipal water systems that use a multi-barrier approach to ensure water safety, Reid knew that many well water users have no protective barrier before the tap. That is why he opted to install a UV disinfection system for an extra measure of safety against any microbiological threat that could arise if surface water made its way into his well.

Because the property had been vacant and the well was unused for an extended period, Reid took steps to chemically disinfect and flush the well. This helped to improve the water quality but did not provide residual protection. To ensure he never had to worry about water quality, Reid wanted a UV disinfection system that would provide a high level of safety for his drinking water with minimal maintenance. So he decided to install a UV Pure Upstream NC 10‑50 unit in September 2017.

“I could have gone to a big box store and bought a conventional, off-the shelf UV disinfection unit,” says Reid, “But I wasn’t confident that those systems could provide consistent, protection without frequent cleaning. UV Pure has an excellent reputation and their Upstream system has built-in self-cleaning capabilities, which assures me that our water is disinfected and safe to drink.”

The compact, point-of-entry system was quickly installed in the basement of Reid’s cottage and operates on standard household voltage. Well water first passes through an activated charcoal filter and then a manganese dioxide cartridge. The final disinfection is provided by the Upstream unit before the water is distributed throughout the cottage.

Crossfire Technology provides reliable disinfection for drinking water

“UV Pure’s unique Crossfire Technology™ was an important consideration for me when selecting a UV disinfection system for my cottage,” Reid says. “Dual smart UV sensors continually monitor UV lamp output and water quality, ensuring the highest level of treatment and health protection. If either of these parameters does not meet the set specifications, the systems will sound an alarm, notify me and automatically shut down.”

The Crossfire Technology incorporates two UV lamps mounted in air and elliptical reflectors that enable reuse of UV energy. This design targets pathogens from 360 degrees to provide inactivation of pathogenic organisms such as E. coli, Giardia and Cryptosporidium. This also eliminates the risk of shadowing which is more likely in conventional systems and could allow live pathogens to pass through.

Contact us to discuss your UV disinfection needs.

Watch this video to learn more about UV Pure’s Crossfire Technology:

Farm provides safe drinking water to livestock with help of UV Pure systems

System Design Specifications
  • Application: Potable water treatment
  • Location: Cooper Farms – Ohio, USA
  • Commissioned: 20019
  • System: 4 – UV Pure Upstream NC 15-50
  • Flow: 15 to 60 gpm (57 to 227 L/min)
  • Minimum UV dose: 40 mJ/cm2
  • Minimum UVT: 50%

Inadequate groundwater supplies prompted Cooper Farms in Ohio to begin harvesting and reusing rainwater in 2009 as a supplement to its potable water supply and to reduce its demand on the local groundwater system.

Since one of the key uses for the treated rainwater is to provide drinking water for livestock, Cooper Farms started exploring options to implement a multi-barrier treatment process with UV disinfection that could provide pure, safe water. Rainwater can acquire a multitude of contaminants and pathogens as it is collected, so treating it to potable water quality standards is essential for preventing disease outbreaks and death among livestock.

Upon the recommendation of Flag City Water Systems, a local UV Pure representative, Cooper Farms installed a purification system that includes chemical-free UV Pure disinfection for its ability to handle low UV transmittance (UVT) conditions, a typical characteristic of the rainwater, which is collected and stored in a retention pond at the site.

UV Pure disinfection enhances system performance and provides peace of mind

“We worked closely with UV Pure to design and install a water treatment system that meets Cooper Farms’ needs,” says Brad Longberry, CEO of Flag City Water Systems. “Even after pond water is filtered, UVT can still be quite low, so the ability to consistently deliver a high UV dose under these conditions was a very important consideration for us when selecting UV Pure’s Upstream systems with Crossfire Technology for this application.”

The system at Cooper Farms is designed to treat source water to a potable standard. Currently, a small amount of well water is pumped into a retention pond which is supplemented by rainwater. The blended stream first passes through a microfiltration system that uses a specialized five-micron filter to remove organics and then dosed with chlorine.

“Once chlorination is complete, the water requires additional purification which is provided by UV Pure’s Upstream systems,” Longberry says. “UV disinfection inactivates pathogens like Cryptosporidium, Giardia and Legionella that can be resistant to chlorine. Proper UV disinfection also provides a second layer of protection to enhance the system’s performance and reliability since the changes for a potential disease outbreak are always very real for Cooper Farms.”

The final disinfection in each system is performed by one to four Upstream NC 15-50 systems that are each sized to handle flows from 15 to 60 gpm (57 to 227 L/min) of water, with UVT as low as 50%.

Crossfire Technology targets pathogens from every angle

UV Pure’s Crossfire Technology incorporates elliptical reflectors that reuse light energy to deliver a high UV dose and target pathogens from 360 degrees.

Dual smart UV sensors in the Upstream systems continually monitor UV lamp output and water quality to ensure the highest level of treatment is consistently delivered to protect Cooper Farms on an ongoing basis. If either of these parameters does not meet the set specifications, the systems will sound an alarm, notify the operator and automatically shut down.

“Overall, our partnership with UV Pure has been excellent,” Longberry says. “As a UV Pure distributor for the last 20 years, Flag City has received great technical support and fantastic systems in a timely fashion.”

Learn more about UV Pure’s Crossfire Technology.

Contact us to discuss your UV disinfection needs.

For UV Pure sales and service in Ohio, contact Flag City Water Systems.

Contact information:
1705 Romick Parkway
Findlay, Ohio 45840
419-423-8082
info@flagcitywater.com
www.flagcitywater.com