How to replace the UV Lamp in a Galaxy or Blackcomb UV System

Overview What will I need? Steps

Overview

After the lamp life has expired or if there is a lamp failure, the UV lamp needs to be replaced.

Guide Suits: 

  • All Galaxy UV Systems
  • All Luminor Blackcomb UV Systems
  • Davey Microlene UV System models UV24, UV57, UV80 and UV151.
  • Puretec Radfire UV System models RI-6K, RI-10K, RI17K, RI-10K-HW and RI-17K-HW

We recommend wearing cotton gloves when replacing the lamp, and only touching the ceramic ends. Any smudges on the clear glass lamp tend to turn black when the lamp is turned on, reducing it's disinfection effectiveness.

Each time the lamp is replaced, we recommend either cleaning or replacing the Quartz sleeve, which allows the UV light to shine through into the water. Familiarise yourself with Quartz replacement guide to decide whether to purchase a spare Quartz sleeve and replace it at the same time as the lamp.

The controller will notify you when it is time to replace the UV lamp:

What will I need?

Tools

  • Phillips Head Screwdriver
  • Cotton Gloves (recommended)
     

Materials

Steps

  • Obtain the correct UV lamp for your system. This is shown on the silver label on the cylindrical stainless steel UV chamber. Alternatively, you can also find the replacement part code on the controller maintenance parts screen, if it is a Series 5 controller version with a colour screen.
  • Close the inlet water supply valve and the outlet valve if available. Important Note: Ensure you don't drain the water out of the cylindrical stainless steel UV chamber, as this water will keep the UV lamp cool, when turning the new UV lamp back on.
  • Unplug the controller from the powerpoint
  • Unscrew the ground screw, and remove wire from the chamber
  • Push the lamp cable into the cylindrical stainless steel UV chamber, and twist it a quarter-turn anticlockwise to release the lamp cable.
  • Disconnect old lamp from the lamp cable
  • Remove old lamp from UV chamber
  • Install new uv lamp in chamber, and connect it to the lamp cable.
  • Push down the lamp cable and twist a quarter-turn clockwise to secure the lamp cable.
  • Re-attach ground screw to chamber using the Phillips head screwdriver
  • Plug the controller back into the power point and turn on
  • Reset lamp countdown timer on controller ballast.
  • Re-open the water supply valves

Congratulations on replacing your UV lamp!

 

Tips on ensuring your system is operating correctly: 

Ensure there is 5 micron filter before the UV system - For UV disinfection to be effective, 5 micron (or finer) prefiltration is required before the UV system. This prevents 'shadowing' where clumps of bacteria pass through the UV system. When shadowing occurs, some of the bacteria on the outside of the clump are deactivated, but many remain active which can cause sickness and disease. Remember, the human eye typically can't see individual particles smaller than 30 microns in size, so the water may appear clean while still being a danger to health.
 

Change the pre-filters every 6-12 months - Most UV system setups have 1-3 prefilters removing contaminants in the water and ensuring the UV disinfection stage works effectively. We recommend changing all prefilters every 6-12 months to prevent bacterial buildup within the cartridges. However, the most important one to replace is the last filter before the UV. This ensures that clumps of biofilm do not build up and break off the downstream side of the filter and pass through the UV system without being disinfected.