UV lights

[Kh7722]

Hey all,

I hear of some guys using uv lights in their tanks for raw sap and concentrate to help fight bacterial growth. Does anyone have any actual experience with this? And does it work that well?
Also what kind of lights are they and a ballpark price on them
Thanks
Kevin

[bill m]

I have used both in line uv and one suspended over my sap tank. Yes, they work but they both have limitations. In line the feed has to be slow enough to have good contact time. Suspended over the tank only kills bacteria near the surface and on the sides of the tank as the sap level is going down. Does not penetrate the full depth of the tank. I find good cleaning practice works better. All of my tanks at the sugar house get washed with hot (about 160 degrees ) water as soon as they are empty.

[tlcfj6082]

Wow UV lights, now there's thinking outside of the box. Great Idea.

[maple flats]

I used a UV light on my infeed line a few years but found it only helped a little because the UV unit did not handle the flow very well. Basically a UV light needs a sap depth of about 1/4" max over the UV bulb to kill any micro organisms and even then it needs enough time to be effective. There are units made for much higher flows but mine was only good for about 4-5 gal/minute and my flow exceeded that.