Best placement for a UV sterilizer?

[ac7av]

I need mental help. I can not make a decision about where to install my UV sterilizers in the series of the components used for filtering and processing the water in my tank. I’ve read that you should put it before the skimmer. It would be much easer to put it after the return pump to the tank. If I put it before the skimmer, there would most likely be air entering the chamber of the sterilizer, and I would think this would refract the light and make the sterilizer less effective then it could be. I suppose I could just mount it as a stand alone unit powered by a separate pump but its seems like a waste of power since I already have water flowing threw the overflow. What kind of set up do you use and why did you do what you did?

 

[1fishkeeper]

I have mine set up on its own pump. That way its not going through the overflow. With it being ran with its own pump you can set the flow for it. The slower the better. It will have the water in more contact with the UV so that mean better time to kill all the bad things. But having plumbed into the overflow it will have water going through it to fast for it to work 100%. But that is just my thinking on it.

 

[akunochi]

You could T off of your return pump plumbingto a manifold with individual ball valves. 1 for a UV sterilizer and other for reactors. That way you can control the flow....

 

[ac7av]

I have 2 units running 36 watt uv lights each that I want to install. They are rated, or it says on the paperwork that they recommend 800 – 1000 gph but you know how over rated that is. I have a total of about 1000 – 1100 gph flow into the sump system. If I split my line that will give me more or less, 400 gph each. I do have a third tap for the sump going into the charcoal canister that requires 200 – 300. I’m pretty sure I don’t want to use ball valves. I don’t know maybe its just me but they seem so hard to turn after a while, I just feel like I was going to break the handles off or worse break the plumbing connection off trying to turn the two I had that were on my return. What is the best placement in the system? After the overflow and before the sump or after the sump in the return line?

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Though I am not a fan of UV sterilizers, they work best with the cleanest water. Means last place after fuge, filters, skimmer and the like, right before the return.