HQUA-OWS-6 Ultraviolet Water Purifier Filter for Kitchen Water Purification,6GPM 110V 25W Model HQUA-UV-6GPM + 1 Extra UV Tube

This is a long-term review of this product and the associated accessories and service from the seller. My application is unusual, so I am also illustrating another example of the applicability of this equipment to special purposes.I purchased two different bundles of this product in 2018, and I have made two additional purchases of accessories in the ensuing years. I have always found this seller to be very responsive to questions and concerns, and this is true even today. Several recent reviews criticize the seller for not making replacement UV lamps available. I recently asked the seller (using Amazon's "contact the seller" function) about this, and was directed to currently available listings for replacement lamps. It turns out that these same listings can be uncovered simply by searching on Amazon for "HQUA". The seller stated that Amazon has blocked them from updating their product listing to change the product ID for the spare lamps!My application for this equipment is unusual, but hearing about my experiences should be helpful to all. I installed the OWS-6 unit into an evaporative cooler that is located on the roof of my house. (See photo.)As background, after several years of normal operation of that cooler, it developed a severe infestation of black mold, and simply cleaning and disinfecting the cooler was not effective in getting rid of it. I desperately needed to eliminate that mold to protect my family, and I decided that continuous sterilizing of the water in the cooler with ultraviolet radiation would probably do the job. However, IF that scheme did NOT work, I did not later want to be in the position of wondering whether using a larger sterilizing unit would have worked instead, so I decided to use the largest unit that I could reasonably physically fit into the cooler. This turned out to be the OWS-6. This is probably severe overkill for this application, but it certainly worked, and I am very happy about that!In subsequent years, neighbors have complained about getting algae growth in their coolers. I haven't had that problem! It is really a pleasure to see the amazingly clean water in the cooler at the end of the season, compared to what it looked like before I installed the UV sterilizer (even before the mold problem appeared).My first purchase was in February 2018. I chose this particular equipment then, not only because of its excellent price, but also because the seller was obviously serious about the continued support of customers. I say that because my original purchase was a bundle (no longer offered) that consisted of the stainless steel housing, 3 lamps, 2 Quartz tubes, and 2 ballasts. Clearly the seller was aware of the practical need for spare parts! The seller also guaranteed that if any parts were missing or broken, double that amount of replacement parts would be shipped quickly, at no charge. They still say that, as it turns out.When I first saw the unit, I was immediately struck by the high quality of the welding on the stainless steel cylinder. I also noted that the “HQUA" label applied to the cylinder was crooked, which just served to confirm to me that the manufacturer was emphasizing the correct things, in my view!One of the important aspects of my system that you can see in the photo is the use of two short brass street elbows at each of the water connections on the cooler. I didn't want to use long runs of metal tubing inside the cooler, and I figured that if the UV radiation from the lamp was subjected to at least two successive 90 degree reflections from brass surfaces, that the residual radiation would be small enough so that there would be no deterioration of the standard vinyl tubing used inside the cooler. That estimate turned out to be correct.Note that questions about the minimum operating pressure of the system are completely put to rest by the successful operation of this system. The system operates at essentially zero pressure; a small pump sends water from a reservoir through the sterilizing tube and then to the top of evaporative media pads, where it falls through the pads and (the portion that has not evaporated) back into the reservoir. An inlet valve and float system keeps the reservoir filled. The double street elbows mentioned above did restrict the water flow a bit, but I solved that simply by moving up to the next larger standard size cooler pump.Also, questions about intermittent operation of the system have also been resolved. The UV lamp is controlled so that it operates only when there is water flow in the system. The cooler is turned on and off at least once per day (if used at all) during the cooling season. As I stated in the answer to one of the questions about the product, in the first 3 seasons, the lamp was started 533 times and the total hours of operation were 4070. The lamp seemed to be still going strong at that point, but I decided to retire it, at least temporarily.It seems like most of the negative reviews are related to leaks and the breaking of the quartz tube that surrounds the UV lamp. To me, these problems are closely related to the large number of questions about the use of pipe dope and/or teflon tape on the screw threads of the ends of the lamp housing. My product manual from 2018 says to “use teflon tape if you need it”. Well, the very important fact is, YOU DON'T NEED IT (and you shouldn't use it!). The writer of the manual was obviously trying to be helpful, but I don't think it worked out well.The thinking that you need to seal the threads at the ends of the housing demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of how the system is meant to work. The silicone O-Rings that surround the quartz tubing and that are compressed between the threaded ends of the housing and the end caps are fully capable of and are intended to seal the water into the housing. As such, these are very important parts of the system, and they need to be installed correctly. If you are getting a leak there, that leak needs to be fixed and not covered up by using tape on the threads of the cap.The silicone O-Rings will not leak if they are clean and if they are correctly installed on to a clean quartz tube and clean stainless steel housing and clean end caps. They do not need to be tightened very much before sealing either. Because these O-Rings have an inner diameter that is actually a cylindrical surface, it is difficult to slide them along the quartz tube. But that is exactly what needs to be done: using gloved hands, carefully work the O-Rings to the correct positions along the tube. Don't think that the rings can be slid large distances by cranking down on the threads -- that is a recipe for breaking the quartz tube.Here is what Scrubjay said in his 5 star review of June 21, 2018, which bears repeating here:“Installation tip: the O-rings do not have a round cross section, but rather are beveled. They have a tendency to roll when sliding them onto the quartz tube,so may end up twisted. Inspect the O-rings carefully to make sure they are seated properly against the beveled opening in the housing and not twisted before screwing on the end caps. Don't assume everything will line up properly when you screw the end caps on.”Also, don't think that these rings can be replaced by conventional O-Rings from the hardware store -- those will deteriorate quickly in the UV radiation from the lamp. While these silicone O-Rings are much more resistant to the UV radiation, they are not completely immune from it. Thus, after a long period of operation, they tend to get stuck to the quartz tube. If that occurs, it is easy enough to carefully slice them off with a razor blade, and then you can clean the quartz tube and evaluate if you want to reuse or replace it.The bottom line is that it is extremely important that these O-Rings be made readily available by the seller, so that customers can continue to service their systems. The seller used to offer a set of 6 rings as product ID B07Q5R3JHP, but while the listing still exists, it says that the set is no longer available. When I contacted the seller recently about this I was told that they could be supplied in 1 week (I'm not sure exactly how), but I was also told that 4 O-rings are supplied with each spare quartz tube, and that the seller considers this to be an adequate number of spare O-rings. We might disagree a bit about the O-rings, but the seller continues to be responsive to customer concerns. Perhaps if several customers ask about purchasing O-rings, they will bring back that or a similar product listing.Some negative reviews complain about the ballast failing. It is true, electronics sometimes fail. That is why I thought it was a good idea to obtain a spare ballast with my original purchase. However, those failures are often random, and I happen to be still using the first ballast that I installed in the cooler.

This uv sanitizer is a great piece of equipment for an off grid small well. Also we had an issue with a bulb which was our fault and Irene, from the HQUA CO. Took care of it and answered my questions in a very quick response time. I would highly recommend their products and will buy again. Thanks very much

High quality, simple install. Only con is that one of the MNPT connections is on the same side as where the light plugs in. Not enough room to put an elbow on, has to be a straight connection.

We've been using these filters for years. We've spent most of the last decade living with one foot off-the-grid, and most of our adult lives pulling water from wells.Having a UV Filter is important to us because the other affordable filters don't kill or remove Viruses... UV does.Over all these years we never had a single problem with our HQUA filters. Recently though, ours developed a pin-hole led in the housing.I called and left a message one evening, and sent an email to cover my bases.After hours, the USA rep called me back. I directed him to my email because it has pictures.He was sincere and polite. He offered to send a new body out right away. A few days later an entire replacement unit showed up from Amazon. Obviously we will continue to use their products. They are durable, dependable, and affordable for that level of protection. And their Customer Service reflects similar values when it comes to their customers. Not an easy find nowadays.Side note: Just a rew weeks earlier, our current water company had a well go down, and the water had to be boiled. This lasted about a week. We never had to boil drinking water because our HQUA Filters killed everything that could hurt us.

I've been attempting to use this for a few months before writing a review. The junk connections are truly incomprehensible. Both ends of this metal tube have a huge opening for the UV light to fit into, however, they are only sealed by a cheap tiny o-ring that changes it's sealing property based on the temperature. I'm constantly tightening and adjusting to stop new sprung leaks that occur with temperature changes. To make matters worse, the o-rings are installed ON THE GLASS tube, making it extremely dangerous and prone to breaking when tightening the metal covers around the glass. I do construction and know my way around plumbing, and this is truly one of the WORST DESIGNS of any product I've used. If you purchase this, DO NOT mount in a place where you can't see it. It has to be monitored constantly to watch for new leaks.

The UV light will not activate when temps are below 55 degrees. I would only turn it on when i was running the pump but anything lower than 55 and the light wont turn on. This appeared to be ballast related. If left powered on permanently, it seems to have no issues. To get around this issue i had to wrap a heating pad around the ballast to warm it up for 10 minutes before using. Keeps our water fresh and clean like its supposed too.