Well if your answer is yes, then this Viqua IHS 12-D4 Ultraviolet Disinfection system is perfect for your family. And in this blog, I'll explain how to install it plus include our helpful video to follow along! Whether you're a do-it-yourself homeowner or plumber, you'll learn how to quickly and easily install the mini rack system.
To start, you need to know where it gets installed.
And if you don't know how to solder, no sweat! I'll show you how to do a totally solderless installation.
Alll of the information that we are explaining in this blog also applies to the Viqua IHS12-D4, IHS22-D4 and the IHS22-E4
First you need to know that your water has to be fairly clear, so that at least 75% of the ultraviolet light can pass through. The UVT needs to be 75% or higher, the manganese content needs to be 0.05 parts per million or less, and tannins .01 parts per million or less. This ultraviolet disinfection system gets installed after your other water filtration equipment.
You need to find a place that's protected from the weather and isn't going to freeze in the winter time. Or of course, you can drain this system in the winter time if it's a three seasons cottage or cabin. You'll also need a standard 110 volt electrical outlet to plug it in.
Next, you need to find a suitable mounting location. So trace your plumbing and before the water splits into hot and cold, that's where the system's going to be installed after any other water filtration equipment that you have. It comes totally assembled on the black metal bracket which makes it really easy to install. So if you've got a plywood wall, you can just use lag bolts and attach it to the specfic wall.
If your wall just has studs you can simply take a piece of 2x4 wood that's cut to the right length. And make sure you catch two studs. Nail this to the 2x4 or use screws and then mount this whole system onto that 2x4. *Tip Keep towels on hand to clean up because there will be some water spillage!
Wha’ts next? Now you have to shut off the water in your home. You’ll likely have a ball valve you can use to shut the water off. After you shut off the water I recommend going to a nearby sink and just turning the tap on and letting the remaining water run out to release all of the pressure.
Then you can cut that pipe. Whether your existing plumbing is copper, or plastic, or pex pipe it actually makes no difference. This is going to be a totally solder free installation.
You can use a heater hose, like the kind used to connect up to your hot water tank. On one end it's got a shark bite type quick connect fitting. And again, that can be used for converting over from your plastic pipe pex or from copper pipe.
After that, install a shut off valve because you're going to want to be able to isolate this to shut off the water before the U.V. system is installed. If you've already got an existing shutoff valve nearby, you can still maintain that if you like. And then from there, you can go to a nipple, a small piece of pipe that's threaded into the ultraviolet disinfection system.
Now, on all of your threaded fittings, you want to make sure they make a watertight seal. And to do that, you're going to use two different methods of sealing. First use Teflon tape. Put the Teflon tape onto the pipe, by holding it with your thumb and wrapping the Teflon tape onto the pipe, and then you go around the pipe 4x. Then, you thread that whole piece into the side of the ultraviolet disinfection system. That's going to be the line in.
On the outlet side of the U.V. system, there's a three quarter inch male fitting. So the first thing you're going to do, is attach a ball valve for a shut off. The reason you're going to put that in that spot is because when you cut the pipe, all the water in the whole house drains back out through. You have to realize that ultraviolet light isn't compatible with pex pipe. In other words, the light shining on the pex pipe will eventually deteriorate it. Put 16 inches of copper before switching over to pex. That means that the light wouldn't be strong enough after shining those 16 inches to affect the pex at all.
Put the controller in the middle of the system. And then the electrical cord gets plugged into the side of the controller but don't plug it into your gfci yet.Grab the quartz sleeve and the O- ring and place the O-ring on onto the end of the quartz sleeve and then place it directly into the top of the U.V, you want to make sure that's centered within the UV. You'll see there's a spring at the bottom that's catching it is needed. And then you grab the gray collar, after any other water filtration equipment that you have. and screw it in until it stops.
Next, grab the UV lamp again using your gloves, and Insert lamp into the quartz sleeve and thread into sleeve bolt until hard stop.
Now, with the controller you will see two ends, one connects with the lamp and the other one with the jumper, all on the top of the system. Slide it down until you hear the snap.
Next, you'll see two wires up here for the ground. So you pull off the two coverings and connect the green ground wire and red strain relief wire to the chamber using the grounding screw.
Then you plug it in, but, you need to make sure you plug it into a circuit that's protected with a ground fault circuit interrupter. And I definitely suggest you plug it into a surge suppressor. That way you protect the controller from all those power fluctuations.
Now, you can open up the inlet valve halfway. That way the system will slowly fill up with water and you can check it for leaks. If there's no leaks, you can open it up all the way.
And once you're sure there aren't any leaks, you can open up the outlet valve again, open it slowly to feed water to the whole house, go to a faucet somewhere that has a good flow, like a bathtub or a laundry sink. Open that up and you can release the air.
Once you get a nice flow of water, you are ready to go!
This video explains and illustrates the entire process step by step for you:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-5vXUQKBgI
And check more about the product and the replacements:
