How to diagnose a Ionic - UV filtering system

The bulb could just be old and needing replacement.

Without knowing how long its been working that's about all I can suggest, as the fluorescent tube works on the same principles as a normal tube, same voltage etc...

Maybe the starter is faulty? either way the tube and starter are cheap enough to replace and try...

John.

Thanks for the reply.

It's about five (?) years old.

L J

Oh well 5 years is a reasonable life if its been used a lot...

I would just replace the tube with another germicidal tube and the starter as well if its of the old bimetallic / neon type

Remember that you can see if these tubes are working by quickly looking to see if they are emitting a blueish light...

NOTE - don't stare or look longer than a second or two or you could get 'arc eye' from the UV light!!

My mom is visiting and my discretionary time isn't!

Ill wait until next week and get into the guts of it with a VTVM and see "Wot is Wot". I'll back to you.

Thanks

I have heard that 'water is the enemy' and people remove the innards, wipe them with a damp cloth and then put the innards back damp/wet, and this leads to early runination.

These things typically have a voltage multiplier diode/reistor/capacitor netwok to produce the low current very high voltage and once some parts of this fail they are hard to fix, being sealed up. You may be able to build one up after seeing if the initial AC high voltage before multiplying is intact from these sources.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voltage_multiplier

http://www.powerlabs.org/cascade.htm

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&q=%22voltage+multiplier%22+%2BCockroft-Walton

I figured that the ionization system needs a high voltage PS. The links you provided bore that out.

I've some jobs to finish this week. Then I'll open up the unit some, expose the electronics and see if I can trace the power to where it stops.

Perhaps there the fault will be apparent.

Thanks for the support and the links

L J

Hi LJ, I thought you said it was the UV lamp, but now re-reading it you are saying it doesn't power up at all? no leds /lamps etc...

If its the high voltage filter, they usually operate at about 7 kV d.c. but even if that failled as well as the UV tube you should still have some lights lit up when you switch it on...

I'm just wondering if you've got a supply problem, a wire broken off etc... maybe a fuse gone...

The 7 kV generator wouldn't cause a fuse to go as it is current limited to microamps, the UV tube wouldn't cause a complete failure, unless the ballast had shorted out or something...

Are you sure its not just a 'trip' to tell you to clean out the filters or something???

John.

Most UV bulbs should be replaced annually or biannually if they are in frequent use, so I would replace that first. Then go after the ballast if it still doesn't function.

As far as looking directly at the UV light, dont do it. These bulbs typically emit in the visible spectrum too, and a brief glance at a diffusely reflecting surface [where the light impinges] is probably the best, safest way to verify if the light is operating.

Sounds like a power supply problem, internal fuse or circuit breaker. Check the power cord for continuity. Then check all of the safety interlocks for continuity. Also check for the proper seating of open-able panels to access the filters and check the seating of the main filter plate assembly. That's a good start.

First I'm not familiar with the operation of the "Ozone Guard" so the following might just be moot.

The lamp wiring may be intergrated with the ion generator. If the ion generator for the charged collector failed...I don't have a simple fix. I hope this helps.

Make sure the micro switches haven't failed. Check the continuity of the switches in the closed and open position to see if the switches haven't failed. Make sure the switches are adjusted so that when the grille/s is in position the switches make contact.

If this thing has been running for 5 years steady, I would say check the lamp first. UV lamps are fluorescent lamps without phosphor's coating to generate visible (white) light.

Lamp manufacturers rate lamp life at about 20,000 hours of operation based on about 6 switching cycles per day. The less switching cycles, the longer lamp life. In five years the lamp would have been lit for over 40,000 hours. If the ballast (transformer that runs the lamp) is electronic it should have lasted 100,000 hours. If it's magnetic 30 to 40,000 hours.

The check is simple and so is the fix. Start with a replacement lamp then the ballast.

But first make sure you have input and output voltage to the ballast and to the lamp. You can do this with a low cost pen voltage tester available also anywhere they sell electrical equipment.

A safe way to look at UV light is to use a digital camera.