Bacteria Removal

A common hazard of household water is contamination by potentially harmful bacteria and other micro-organisms. Short term gastrointestinal disorders and illnesses such as gastro-enteritis, giardiasis, typhoid, dysentery, cholera, and hepatitis have been linked to water contaminated by microorganisms. The micro-organisms which find their way into a water supply can come from a variety of sources including sewage, animal wastes, or dead and decaying animals. Public water systems are required by state and federal governments to provide biologically safe water. However, the safety of a privately-owned, individual water supply, such as a backyard well, rests in the hands of its owner.

How can an individual tell if household water is contaminated with bacteria?

Bacteria in water cannot be seen, tasted, or smelled and many health-related symptoms are not immediate. Therefore, the only way to reliably determine if water is contaminated is by a laboratory test. Testing a water supply for a specific disease-causing organism can be expensive. Handling and culturing disease organisms requires special training and equipment. Instead, water supplies are usually tested for the presence of coliform bacteria. These bacteria are always present in the digestive systems of humans and animals, and can be found in their wastes. Coliform bacteria are also present in soil and in plant material. Most of these bacteria do not cause disease. They are simply an indicator that the water supply is contaminated and that disease-causing bacteria may be present.

The test for the presence of coliform bacteria is relatively inexpensive and easy to perform. The standard test is called total coliform. The Federal goal for total coliform in public drinking water is zero. Water samples that contain any coliform bacteria are generally reported as "total coliform positive." Federal regulations now require that public drinking water found to be "total coliform positive" must be analyzed with a fecal coliform or E.coli test. These fecal bacteria originate only in human and animal waste. It is unacceptable for fecal bacteria to be present in any concentration in a water supply. Culligan of Missoula can come to your home and do the test for you.

The Culligan Solution

The Culligan Sunburst Series

The Culligan Sunburst "SB Series"  has been designed to treat 1,7,10,15,20,30 and 50 gallon per minute  (gpm) flow rates.

The Sunburst "SBH Series" incorporates a stainless steel enclosure and treats 7,10,15,15 and 20 gpm flow rates.

The Sunburst "SB-DOH Series" meets the requirements of many of the nation's health agencies. These systems come standard with several built in safety features including: UV monitoring, flow control, automatic shut-off valve, two-minute warm-up delay, quartz cleaning, remote audible and visual alarms and spare parts. These systems provide high UV does exceeding 40,000 microwatts at end of lamp life.

All systems come with biological test results called bioassays. Tested systems are available from 1 to 600 gpm.

Sunburst Series PDF Spec. Sheet

How Ultraviolet Disinfection System Works

As water flows past the UV lamp(s) in a UV disinfection system, microorganisms are exposed to Ultraviolet light energy at a 253.7nm wave length. Ultraviolet light alters the DNA material in cells so that bacteria, viruses, molds, algae and other microorganisms can no longer reproduce. The microorganisms are considered dead, and the risk of disease from them is eliminated. The process of UV Disinfection is accomplished without adding any harmful chemicals to your drinking water and does not distort the taste of your water on effect its pH value. UV Disinfection has an effective kill rate of 99.9% of most living microorganisms such as bacteria & viruses

 

Note: customers requiring the removal of sodium, chlorides, and total dissolved solids will need a reverse osmosis system