If medical instruments are disinfected using the contact method, then bactericidal lamps are used to clean the air and rooms. To perform the main function of this type of equipment, an air flow is sufficient, the particles of which fall under the influence of ultraviolet radiation. Everything in the air, including dust and microorganisms, is neutralized. This is especially true for medical, children's, institutions, institutions, catering, where there are high requirements for the cleanliness of rooms and work surfaces.
Where can be applied
TUV bactericidal lamps can be used not only in home or industrial conditions for purifying water or air. In medical institutions, represented by dispensaries, treatment rooms and massage rooms, operating rooms, wards of postoperative rehabilitation, as well as in public and private pools, lamps of different types are used. For example, mixed can be used to disinfect air in the presence of people, and in their absence. The operating mode is manually adjusted, the interval between switching on is at least 3 hours. In nursing homes, hospices, child care facilities, such devices are also used to strengthen immunity (especially in the cold season), because ultraviolet light helps to produce vitamin D in human skin, prevents the onset and development of rickets, strengthens ligaments and bones. To do this, the device is turned on for a time, not more than 20 minutes, and reapplied after 2-3 hours. This is especially true for people living in countries and regions with low air temperatures and few sunny days. Sunbathing for newborns and babies under the age of 1-2 years is important, but if it is not possible to use the natural method of obtaining ultraviolet radiation, then a UV bactericidal lamp will help.
Many who have suffered or are susceptible to ENT diseases will probably remember that with tonsillitis, sinusitis, and a runny nose they were prescribed ultraviolet radiation in the physiotherapy room. The main requirement that patients are presented with during such procedures is not to look at the bright light burning inside the device. This warning is intended to protect curious patients from accidental burns to the mucous membranes of the eyes.
Principle of operation
Bactericidal lamps have almost the same device with fluorescent ones: it is a glass tube sealed on both sides, inside which is argon, neon or krypton (or a mixture of them). The difference is this: phosphorus, mixed with other substances, emits ultraviolet light instead of absorbing it. If earlier such devices were used at industrial and strategic facilities of large scale, then at present they can be installed in houses and apartments.
What does the lamp do?
UV bactericidal lamp allows cleaning the room and water, spending a minimum of resources. The material for the walls of the tube is a special uviole glass that transmits UV waves. The bactericidal quartz lamp is made of quartz glass, capable of transmitting the full spectrum of radiation generated by mercury. For this reason, such a device is more dangerous for contact with microorganisms: when you turn on quartz lamps in the room, you can not stay. At the end of the procedure, the room is ventilated.
Kinds
Bactericidal lamps are subject to classification on several grounds:
- Mobility - stationary and mobile.
- Type of construction - open and closed.
- Place of installation - floor, wall, ceiling, table.
- Power - weak, medium, high power.
Each type is used depending on what needs to be decontaminated. Most of the assortment available on the market is occupied by lamps designed to sterilize indoor air. Consumers make a choice in favor of a certain model based on the size of the room and the frequency of disinfecting procedures. The operation of a closed bactericidal lamp allows hygienic procedures without subsequent ventilation of the room, which is mandatory when operating quartz analogues.
Domestic use
A bactericidal lamp for the home is used to disinfect water or air. In the first case, the device is installed in the water supply units: water passing through the irradiated area is cleaned of harmful impurities and dangerous microorganisms. To purify the air, the ultraviolet bactericidal lamp is selected depending on factors such as the presence of small children and animals in the house, time of year, room area, etc.
Main characteristics
Regular use of the device will make it possible to secure children's rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms, bathrooms, living rooms, etc. Among the characteristics considered, the following are distinguished:
- Guaranteed service life (in hours). So, Philips TUV bactericidal lamps have a safety factor of more than 8000 hours.
- Dimensions
- Power consumption
- The current strength inside the lamp.
- The magnitude of the bactericidal flow - a bactericidal lamp 30w has an indicator of more than 5 watts.
- Reduced bactericidal flow during the warranty period.
- Mass and others.
What microorganisms are used against bactericidal emitters
The main purpose is cleaning and disinfection. It is noted that ultraviolet radiation acts directly on the DNA of microorganisms in the form of bacteria and viruses, which destroys them from the inside. A bactericidal lamp for the home, even of relatively low power, can effectively affect mold, slowing its growth and destroying new cells.
These devices have proven themselves with respect to the following types of microorganisms:
- Tuberculosis, diphtheria, intestinal, cholera bacillus.
- Staphylococci.
- Streptococcus
- Fungal infections.
- Viruses.
The nuances of functioning
These devices are highly sensitive to voltage drops. An increase in the voltage in the network reduces the service life, and a decrease of up to 20% leads to the termination of the lamps. If the voltage increases by 20%, then the duration of the work is reduced by half. The magnitude of the flux of UV radiation is associated with the duration of use and the number of times the lamp is turned on - at high values of these indicators, the ability to emit decreases.
In addition to the duration of operation and the operating mode, air temperature and circulation of air flows also affect the functioning of the lamps. Closed-type devices practically do not change the radiation power when the ambient temperature changes. Open type lamps cannot boast of such stability: at a room temperature below 10 degrees, they do not turn on at all. This is due to the fact that with decreasing temperature, the level of atomization of the electrodes increases, thereby reducing the life of the device.
Open type lamps
Bactericidal lamps of the open type are most often stationary, that is, installed on a certain permanent place, and are used to disinfect air. The UV waves emitted by them are scattered throughout the room, but it is not recommended to stay indoors during their operation, since such radiation has a negative effect on the retina. Depending on the installation location, the devices are also divided into wall and ceiling. When working with open type mobile lamps, it is necessary to use protective ammunition in the form of glasses, gloves and face masks - in order to avoid getting burns.
Lamps of the closed type
Closed-type ultraviolet lamps are called recirculators due to the characteristics of their work. Air is drawn into the emitting device, where it is disinfected by ultraviolet radiation and, after purification, is discharged to the outside. Thanks to this, closed-type lamps can be installed in any room, regardless of the presence of people or animals. Recirculators are installed in the immediate vicinity above the heating devices, so that the air flow goes in the right direction, warmed and cleaned.
How to install and maintain properly
A height of 2 meters from the floor surface is a standard arrangement of wall recirculators. When several devices are working simultaneously, they are placed at an equal distance from each other around the entire perimeter of the room.
To increase the service life of any equipment requires care. All devices equally poorly tolerate dust and moisture. Therefore, bactericidal lamps are shown to carefully monitor the condition of not only the electrical network, but also the external working conditions. In accordance with the established schedule, the technical staff carries out activities to clean dust from flasks and lamp monitors. In no case can dust be wiped on the devices connected to the network - this is equally dangerous for the device and for the technician. A favorite method of dishonest supermarket owners is to kill the shelf life of the goods on the packaging, in the case of bactericidal equipment, it will not lead to anything good. To maintain objective control over the life of the following methods are used:
- Electric meters showing the total number of hours worked.
- Radiometers that record a decrease in the production of ultraviolet radiation.
In accordance with the instructions for use, the correct direction of the radiation flux is set before turning on the lamp. Due to the high sensitivity to voltage indicators, the operation of stabilizers should be monitored.
Any manipulations with the lamps are only appropriate if they are completely disconnected from the power supply. To remove dust, use soft sponges without water. In each institution where such devices operate, a special journal of the bactericidal lamp is kept, this allows you to keep track of the duration of operation and the load of devices. As the set number of hours is reached, the lamps must be replaced immediately.
Safety requirements
When working with open type mobile lamps, it is necessary to use protective ammunition in the form of glasses, gloves and face masks - in order to avoid getting burns. You should always ensure that the flow of ultraviolet radiation does not directly hit a person or any other living creature. It is dangerous for the skin (can cause melanoma) and the eye (up to loss of vision). If, for any reason, the presence of a person at the time of operation of the devices is necessary, the lamps are closed with opaque reflective screens directing the emitted flow upward to the ceiling. The smallest appearance of dust on the surface of devices or screens reduces the time and quality of work, so you need to carefully monitor the cleanliness in the irradiated room.
After use, mobile irradiators are stored in a separate place, covered with dense covers. If for some reason the lamp is damaged or broken, you should immediately leave the danger zone so as not to breathe in mercury vapor.
When you turn on the open-type lamps, a light sign with a warning inscription turns on, this will keep the curious at a distance while the bactericidal treatment of the room is in progress.
When the device is operating, it is not recommended to exceed the norm for the on-time, since the release of ozone is dangerous to human health, especially suffering from diseases of the respiratory system.
How to choose
The main parameter is the size of the irradiated area and the purpose of the room. Operating units and maternity wards require a high-power lamp to ensure flawless disinfection.
For rooms with less stringent requirements for the level of disinfection, lamps with lower bactericidal flow rates are chosen. If powerful bactericidal irradiators are installed in crowded places, for the operation of such devices a large area is needed.
For use in domestic conditions, a lamp with a bactericidal lamp of Russian production was developed. It is compact in size and convenient in design. The device successively changes the inclusion of bactericidal and fluorescent lamps, there is the possibility of automatic or manual switching. Convenient mountings allow you to install the device in any suitable place.