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  • Results 1 to 9 of 9

    Thread: Warning: Aqua Ultraviolet UV Light Melted Right Through Housing Causing Leak

    1. #1
      PaulJoe's Avatar
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      Warning: Aqua Ultraviolet UV Light Melted Right Through Housing Causing Leak

      I have two Aqua Ultraviolet 57 Watt Classic UV Sterilizers for my 6000 gallon koi pond. They have been in place for close to three years. Yesterday I replaced the bulbs as I do every 9-12 months. Early this morning everything was fine; but around an hour later I happened to notice water running down my garage driveway and quickly learned that one of the sterilizers had a complete meltdown (explosion?) that resulted in a large hole through the PVC body. I suspect that there was a defect with the bulb. The bulb is intact but the two white wires that run on the outside length of the bulb were melted. Not sure if this was the cause or just the effect. I immediately called Aqua Ultraviolet but the main receptionist put me through to voicemail. I left a message but haven't heard back.

      Luckily I was home and caught the problem quickly. If I was away from my home for even a few hours, my entire pond would have been drained. Needless to say, I'm now very worried about the reliability of Aqua Ultraviolet equipment. I attached photos so you can see what occurred. Has anyone else had a similar issue?
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      Last edited by PaulJoe; 07-28-2021 at 02:13 PM.

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      I had a body spring a leak on my 57W. They sent me out a brand new housing, I just had to pay the shipping.

    3. #3
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      I think that's why I was always told to install a UV with it mounted horizontally and below the plumbing feeding it... like
      the lower one. I wonder if the upper one for some reason was dry and the bulb heated up the housing?
      --Steve



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      What I believe occurred , is that the upper unit was air locked , and all or most of the flow passed through only the lower unit . When the units are opened to change the bulbs , and then the pump is then turned back on , air could possibly rise and get trapped in the upper unit . With the upper unit mounted the way it is , there is no way to bleed off any trapped air . If You want to keep them both mounted horizontally, redo the top unit so that the union’s are facing up just like the lower unit , that way they will both have water flow even if the flow is uneven .
      Turning the entire assembly vertical with the inlets at the bottom would also be good .
      Their multi bulb units , although all running the bulbs in series , all have a single inlet and single outlet , and that forces water evenly through the entire unit .

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      Quote Originally Posted by catfish whiskers View Post
      What I believe occurred , is that the upper unit was air locked , and all or most of the flow passed through only the lower unit . When the units are opened to change the bulbs , and then the pump is then turned back on , air could possibly rise and get trapped in the upper unit . With the upper unit mounted the way it is , there is no way to bleed off any trapped air . If You want to keep them both mounted horizontally, redo the top unit so that the union’s are facing up just like the lower unit , that way they will both have water flow even if the flow is uneven .
      Turning the entire assembly vertical with the inlets at the bottom would also be good .
      Their multi bulb units , although all running the bulbs in series , all have a single inlet and single outlet , and that forces water evenly through the entire unit .
      I have a pair of brand new bulbs that just went into my new to me pair of 57 watt Aqua Ultraviolet UV lights in parallel. I spoke with their tech support before installing them and he said it was critical that the water come from the top down. Mine are horizontal on the ground and the exit is on the side of the electrical connector. Maybe you should try to re plumb it when you get a replacement. I'm on day 3 of running and my water is almost clear now so they are working well.

      I'll keep you posted on how mine do over time. Here in WA the pond store that sold me the UV bulbs said to pull it out of the system during the winter so mine will only see action for 6-7 months of the year.

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      I have the exact same unit- 57 w , but in white, and have had no issues going on 3 years now. Mine is installed horizontal and located under a small deck off the house. It is about 12 inches from the cement foundation, but if it ever caught fire, I'd be in big trouble ! The deck is only 18 inches or so off the ground, so if a flame ever came up from the unit, I guess it could ignite the deck, which is attached to the house.

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      Time to replumb!

      Quote Originally Posted by catfish whiskers View Post
      What I believe occurred , is that the upper unit was air locked , and all or most of the flow passed through only the lower unit . When the units are opened to change the bulbs , and then the pump is then turned back on , air could possibly rise and get trapped in the upper unit . With the upper unit mounted the way it is , there is no way to bleed off any trapped air . If You want to keep them both mounted horizontally, redo the top unit so that the union’s are facing up just like the lower unit , that way they will both have water flow even if the flow is uneven .
      Turning the entire assembly vertical with the inlets at the bottom would also be good .
      Their multi bulb units , although all running the bulbs in series , all have a single inlet and single outlet , and that forces water evenly through the entire unit .
      I want to thank all my koi pond experts for helping diagnose the issue I have with the Aqua UV Classic - 57 Watt Clarifier/Sterilizer unit. Yes indeed, the initial installation is the culprit. That top unit is mounted incorrectly, which resulted in an air lock that created the UV equivalent of the China Syndrome. I'm surprised I got away with this flawed design for almost three years. I am going to immediately replumb the UV lights to ensure that both units are installed with the water flow coming from the top. I will send "after photos" when I complete the retrofitting.

    8. #8
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      Quote Originally Posted by icu2 View Post
      I think that's why I was always told to install a UV with it mounted horizontally and below the plumbing feeding it... like
      the lower one. I wonder if the upper one for some reason was dry and the bulb heated up the housing?
      Spot On!

    9. #9
      pondfishguy is offline Senior Member
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      Always turn off the light when you turn off the flow as well. I’ve seen several overheat the water and deform the housing as well with multiple different brands. Recently I’m starting to also see the housings embrittle, thin out and start leaking after several years of 24/7 use.Since they’re only about 80 bucks, I just throw them out and do a like for like replacement.Still much cheaper than the branded units.

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