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When and Where to Use UV Filters in a Pond
Author: Terry Newhaven
If you have ever battled green or pea soup colored water in your pond, then an ultraviolet pond filter may offer the best chance to help a pond get clean and clear. The science behind them is simple. The UV filter uses an ultraviolet light to kill floating and suspended algae and bacteria as it passes underneath it. Besides its ease of use, the best thing about a UV pond filter is that it works in conjunction with already existing pond filters. Once the algae is killed, it clumps up together, where it is filtered out of the water by the main pond filter. A UV filter can completely clean up a green pond in as little as 3 to 5 days.
In an ideal filtration system, there is a pre-filter that filters out silt and debris before the water enters pond pump intake. After the water passes through the pump, it is pushed through the pump hose and into the inlet of the UV sterilizer. This is where the algae is killed and clumps up. The water then discharged out of the sterilizer and it flows into the original filter, be it a gravity flow or pressurized filter where the dead algae is filtered out and the cleansed water is returned to the pond. Never place the uv filter inline after the main pond filter. Passing water through the uv sterilizer without additional filtration could cause harm to the beneficial bacteria that is harbored inside of the bio filter and would also cause dead algae to be returned to the pond fueling additional algae growth and compromising water quality.
So as a series of steps it goes: pre-filter --> pond pump --> UV filter --> pond filter --> back to pond. It's fine if a pre-filter isn't available just understand that larger pieces of debris could make it into the system which could cause clogging at which point manual removal would be necessary. It is also important to note that a uv clarifier will not help a pond that is suffering from problems related to string/ filamentous algae.
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