UV Water Filtration for lake water purification
 

Looking for information on UV whole house systems for the purification of Lake Winni water.
Has anyone been using this method successfully for obtaining purified water for cooking and drinking from the lake? Would appreciate any info you can provide.

We had a UV system installed by Island Support that basically makes the water pass through 2 sediment filters, a 5 micron and a 50 micron which removes the smallest of particulate matter. It then passes through the UV light filter to kill all bacteria. We then added an activated carbon filter under the sink for taste. Water is clean, bacteria free and tastes great!

Dan

UV Filter
 

I bought a sytem and installed it this spring from these guys. http://www.purewaterproducts.com/

I have the whole house system and it works great. It has a sediment filter, then a carbon, then a UV chamber that is supposed to kill any bacteria.

I have had itchy eyes for years whenever I swim in the lake. When we bought this house and used the lake water for showers the itchy eyes was an issue. Now that we have this system installed I have no problems at all. The water tastes great and we use it just like it was the well water from home. Total cost for the sysem was only $840.00. (I installed it myself)

Check it out I believe it is well worth the money.

If the NH-lakes region was located in Massachusetts, all the waterfront towns would have had town water installed by the year 1985, thirty years ago. Town water, and a home-owner, private septic system is very common for single family homes and apartments on Cape Cod.

In the New Hampshire lakes region, many waterfront homes get their water from the lake, and Live Free or Die......cough, cough, cough.:laugh::eek::laugh:

On Meredith Neck, the town water only goes as far as the intersection of Pleasant St, Meredith Neck Rd, and Barnard Ridge Rd, which coincidentally is the same point where the road surface on the Meredith Neck Rd, a State of NH-owned road, goes all potholes and broken down asphalt for the next six miles. So, there's no town water, and a broke down, falling apart asphalt road surface ...... a Republican Road ..... and a Republican water system .... Live Free or Die!

We have an older American Ultraviolet system on Welch Island much like what ishoot308 and Broken Glass reported. Sediment filters, activated charcoal filter and a UV purifier. The water passes yearly testing at the Laconia Water Dept and we use it just like the well water at home.

The stainless steel system is over 25 years old and still works fine. The UV lamps do need to be replaced on a regular basis.

http://ultraviolet.com/

I think I need to install the FLL filter.:eek:

Works Great, Some Extra Steps
 

We've had a UV system for over 10 years, and we're very happy with it. We also use a point-of-use carbon filter at the kitchen sink to eliminate that lakey taste in the spring.

There are some extra steps when opening and closing, and you have to buy a new lamp every 12-months of use.

We had our water tested a couple of years ago and it was fine: no microorganisms, radon, or organic chemicals.

NH wells can have radon, but it dissipates in the lake, so that's not a concern.

I think the UV approach is a good alternative to drilling a well at a seasonal home.

Just make sure it is the Republican water system. :rolleye2:

What are the maintenance issues?
 

I know the UV bulb needs replacement about 1/yr. How about the filters? Primary and secondary? How deep is your water intake?

I change the filters about every 3 months. This of course depends on use, for most of the season there are only 2 of us for about 5 nights a week.

We have a submersible pump quite a ways out in about 12' of water. The pump is in a frame with the intake maybe 18" off the bottom.

Thank You
 

Thank you to all for the info!!

I did it!
 

I hope you are right! I called them today and ordered this system. I have my plumber on standby because I am very poor at plumbing. When it is in place I will have the water tested and if it is acceptable I will order an ice maker for the refrigerator.

Whoopee! No more manual ice cubes at cocktail hour!

Just an fyi. Consider one of these portable icemakers. They are cheaper and make more ice. I have this one and it makes 5 times the ice my 4 yo fridge makes. About 25 lbs per day. I just make xtra ziplock bagfulls to have some ready and when its time for heavy drinking I start making more and refill my glass right from it.

I have two very similar to that, that I use outside at my tiki bar. I just cover them with a plastic trash bag when not in use or when its going to rain and so far they have lasted a few years. They work awesome!!

Dan

$100-$150 is a lot to pay for an ice machine, but it is a lot cheaper than the UV system
- but I am not on an island and on city water and can easily get a bag of ice if more is needed

Interestingly enough, I first saw one of these at a forum members island Tiki bar. No need for a bag on his because the bar can be fully closed up to the weather.:D

I tried one of the portable ice machines, it was crap. We finally installed a small commercial Scotsman on our screen porch. It worked great, we had tons of ice.

We found that with a big blue cartridge filter (replaced a few times a season) and a Trojan UV our water was perfect. We did put an inline before the ice machine and used the factory one in the fridge as well, but did not get into extra filtration under the sink.

This was on an island, drawing lake water.

Cyanobacteria
 

Does any of these UV systems address or claim to remove cyanobacteria? Just curious.

Yes it Works!
 

After reading this post on the Forum I bought the system and had it installed about two weeks ago. Last Friday I took a sample to the Laconia Water Department and they told me it is acceptable for drinking water.

Coffee
 

Had my first cup of Winnipesaukee water coffee this morning. Very tasty! It might be better than Dunkin' Donuts!

Yes I am sipping a cup right now. For late in the day the Winni ice cubes go well with bourbon. :liplick: