UV Sterilizer - cleaning?

[beachsidereefer]

HI Everyone,

so after about a month my quartz tube has a lot of white scale built up... which I'm assuming is calcium?

what is the best an safest way to clean it without damaging the quartz tube?

Thanks!

 

[fishroomlady]

vinegar and water soak

 

[vtecintegra]

I use CLR. If you pull the tube you've got to be super careful with it. The lip is easily chipped.

 

[YippeeKiYea]

what Is the frequency of cleaning these units (coralife turbo-twist 9w)

 

[beachsidereefer]

Vinegar just doesn't seem to be cutting it. I'll try the CLR stuff

 

[Eric B]

You can also clean it with a 10% muratic acid solution and water and it will clean it for sure. That's what I clean all my aquarium stuff in nowadays and it's cheaper than anything else and can be purchased at Home Depot. Just remember to use it outside and add acid to the water.

 

[vtecintegra]

I'd probably use muriatic acid also for stuff if I had a home depot. For now I'm stuck with vinegar and CLR. I no longer run the uv 24/7 on the main tank, only on my quarantine when I have fish in it. I'd say every three months of cleaning the uv tube would probably be about right. As soon as deposits start forming on the tube I imagine the effectiveness goes way down. I let mine go 8 months one time and the tube was completely coated with calcium buildup.

 

[stunreefer]

Be really, really careful with CLR and make sure to remove all residue prior to putting back into to use. That could wreak havoc on a system.

FWIW I use [straight] vinegar for light build-ups and muriatic acid for heavier loads, generally every six months.

 

[Hallowhead]

Do y'all clean the actual housing as well?

 

[Reef.]

Is that normal after only a month?

 

[javajaws]

Semi related question - is muriatic acid safe to use around silicone (aquarium glass)?

 

[landlubber]

I might be over-cautious but i'm doing everything in my power to avoid introducing CLR (or any other "cleaning product") into my sensitive reef system.
A citric acid bath, or as previously mentioned muratic acid work well and don't have the detrimental effect if exposed to your system.
Either can be ordered online and the only downside is a week of waiting and the cost of course