Intellichem and UV protection

[snagytx81]

Hello,

Does anybody know anything about how much UV protection is required for the Chlorine Storage Tank and the tank that holds the probes? My pool builder installed my entire system in full sun. I would suspect that Pentair used UV resistant material, but I don't know what to say.

Anybody has any information about this?

Thank you

 

[JoyfulNoise]

I would build some kind of shade enclosure for the flow cell at least. The sun and heat are going to mess with the probes and over time the UV is going to destroy the plastic parts. Most of their equipment can handle full sun because the plastics used are fiber reinforced and UV resistant. But the IC flow cell is not.

 

[snagytx81]

I'm mainly concerned of the chlorine storage tank, I don't think that my test is really "scientific" but after 2 days of full sun, and max 84F temps, the FAS-DPD test showed 1/2 of the original chlorine strength.

I used the 10ml(sample chlorine) in 1L, then 10ml from the prev bottle into another 1L bottle and I got 3FC in the storage tank and 7FC in the source chlorine bottle(which was kept in full share and low-er temps). If the Storage Tank is UV resistant I should have had similar FC result - since the age of the chlorine is the same just the storage is different. Or UV resistant is for structural protection, not for content protection.

I'm looking into building some shade, for the Flow Cell, maybe from something like a canopy cover with 95% UV blockage - but for the storage tank it would be more complex - since I need a frame.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

If the tank was in full sin and the air temp was 84F it's a good bet that the LC in the tank was quite a bit warmer. The tank is going to block the LC unless it's somehow clear material. But the heat is going to degrade the LC very quickly. As long as you're not too far away, the LC pump should be able to handle the tank being a distance away if you can relocate it to a shady spot. Otherwise, people have actually buried LC tanks to keep them cooler and out of the sun.

 

[snagytx81]

The chlorine storage tank is not really clear, but it's transparent, see attached image. So I guess I should be more concerned about the temp than UV.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Yeah. That would likely block most UV. Many clear or semi-transparent polymer materials block UV. It’s heat that’s going to be an issue