How to use a UVC germicidal lamp SAFELY.
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- Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
- It's become very clear that a lot of people have been buying UVC germicidal lamps from online sellers without really understanding how to use them or that they can cause serious skin and eye damage just by exposure. Here's a simple guide to using them safely.
To sterilise a room place the lamp in a holder that will ensure that as much light as possible falls on the surfaces to be sanitised. If you put it in a table or ceiling lamp with a shade it may block most of the useful output. These lamps usually produce a lot of ozone (active oxygen) which will permeate everything and smells a bit like bleach.
Turn on the light and leave the room immediately. Make sure no humans or pets can enter the room while the lamp is lit.
Leave the lamp running for 30 minutes or more depending on the size of the room.
Enter the room and turn the lamp off immediately. Then leave the room for another 30 minutes to let the level of ozone reduce. The smell of the ozone may linger for days at a low level.
Remove the lamp and re-box. It's VERY important that the lamp and the box it's in are clearly marked to show that it is dangerous to be exposed to or look at. Store it in a safe place where kids can't find it.
The ability to sterilise a room is dependant on the volume of the room, obstructions between the light and surfaces, the power of the lamp and time. These lamps can't guarantee to protect against infection, but can help in some instances.
If you do expose your skin for long enough you will get an irritating rash or burn like sunburn. Treat as sunburn unless it's very severe.
If anyone looks at the lamp for too long with unprotected eyes the surface of the eye will be damaged and lead to an effect called arc flash, arc eye, welders flash or corneal keratitis which is often experienced by welders. After a length of time you will feel like you have sand in your eyes. It will heal up after a few days, but if in doubt seek medical attention and explain what happened.
Wearing glasses may offer some protection to your eyes, but shouldn't be a reason to expose yourself to the light.
Ignore the misleading pictures and videos from sellers who imply that you can use these lamps to sanitise your dogs fur, show pictures of the lamp next to babies or have videos of people holding the lamps. If they are actual UVC lamps then all those things pose a serious risk.
If you want to make a sterilising enclosure then you could use a cupboard or box with one of these lamps mounted inside it. UVC can't pass through ordinary glass although you can still see the blue light also emitted by these lamps. A professional unit would have a safety switch on the door that would cut the lamp off when the door is opened. If no switch is used then everyone MUST be aware not to open the cabinet when the lamp is on.
The only maintenance required for these lamps is to occasionally clean greasy fingerprints off them with an alcohol wipe. They should last a long time in intermittent use.
If you enjoy these videos you can help support the channel with a dollar for coffee, cookies and random gadgets for disassembly at:-
www.bigclive.co...
This also keeps the channel independent of UA-cam's advertising algorithms allowing it to be a bit more dangerous and naughty.
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Back in the 80's I found a military surplus UV lamp. I plugged it in and started using it. I was fascinated by the glows it was giving things, even window glass had a green glow to it. I played with it for about 30 minutes. The following day I woke up with itchy eyes, then I went to go outside into the daylight. The daylight was painful even with my eyes closed. I could not go outside for two weeks and it took about ten years for my eyes to fully heal.
That's the dangerous thing about these UVC lamps - They give such a beautiful and mysterious glow, it's hard not to look at them.
Even on this video you can see they ghostly aqua discharge, and the deep violet tinges around the edge of the glass.
They're like light bulb psirens.
10 YEARS! Bloody hell.
It's negligence that these UVC source lights were and are available without clear and concise warnings printed on them.
@@simontay4851 I read that with the voice of DiodeGoneWild.
@@Gengh13 i did too 😅🤣
That superstar Indian 👍
Been there done that with the welding flash burn. 35 years ago and ever since cannot read reflective road signs clearly as there is a drop shadow of the speed down and right of the actual speed.
Not worth the need to weld up a crack in an engine header during a race when the hood was locked up and I didn't have the key.
I'm a decent welder and can weld by feel, but even a quick look to spark the bead can give you a bad result for life.
Not to mention that the sand in the eyes feeling is something you definitely want to avoid even if you manage to not suffer the lifetime problems
I agree about how little it takes. I was in a really tight spot trying to weld a split in a Side by Sides lower control arm. Only looked long enough to make sure I struck a good arc, but now even weak lightbulbs can give me headaches and I probably shouldn't drive at night. I've always made sure my hood was down since then.
Newer cars can read speed signs and display the legal speed for that portion of road on your dashboard
I remember my Uncle copping a welding flash, and from memory he had to wear sunglasses, because his eyes were very sensitive to light. This was over 30 years ago but I do remember him telling us.
@@verliebt3465 I know Google Maps at least in the US in many places can now do the same thing on your phone screen, and will even tell you roughly how fast you are going based on GPS, and other data.
Yeah I got welding flash in a welding workshop as a young man and I wasn't even welding. The welding booths had curtains, but they still allowed some light to escape, and walking past them over the course of a day built up my exposure until the pain began and I had to leave work early and take a couple of days off to recover. That first night was agony, it feels like your eyes are full of sand along with a blinding headache.
UVC is best used in sealed environments to prevent contact with anything you don't plan to kill.
Such as inside an HVAC system's duct work.
Personally, for UV stress testing outside use plastics, I'd vent it outside and air intake would also be from outside, to better emulate the elements. A safety interlock on the cabinet door as well, just in case I'd have an acute burst of intracranial flatulence.
I'll happily experiment with anything, even x-ray and gamma radiation sources, but with paranoid safety measures that any lab worker would find exceptional. Not a dedicated lab, shield oneself from a brain fart or get to find out whose religion, if any is right.
@@wayneneva1 Correct.
Hehe, I work for one of those companies - engineering manager
Yea
i saw that young guy on that channel "Blueprint" make up a "LIGHT-BOX" out of a box with tinfoil covering the whole inside with a lid on top to put in what you want sterilized. oh & the UVC lamp of course inside too.. you can make better ones with mirrors instead of tinfoil/alu-foil inside the box!!
Thank you!!! So glad you made this video especially in these times everybody's buying these but probably don't understand what they're getting
After the first vid I bought a whole stack of the UVC bulbs, always follow your instruction when I use them and never had a problem.
@@utubebad
You don't want to run out in the midst of the Zombie Apocalypse. Also, I think the first video was a good year or so away. Nobody cared then. Now he's a good guy to look up when the rest of society has fallen down. 😀
It's not the virus it's the panic ridden hoarders and profiteers that will kill humanity.
Sad times.
@@thebrowns5337 Firstly dear moppet, the first vid was last year. 2nd'ly, I bought them for multiple light sockets throughout the house.
@@utubebad I don't think "hoarding" is a proper term since I "use" them throughout the home weekly. I keep them in the room in which they are used. But thanks for projecting without having all the information aboard.
I'm thinking about getting some UVC LED strips and make a sealed box for disinfecting my phone when I get home. But if it takes 30 min to do so, it's probably better to just get some isopropanol for it. I'm guessing it could be good for wet areas tho to fight mold?
I’m glad you made this informational video. I have the exact same bulb, 25 watt, everyone in the house knows what it does. I have it on a timer in the kitchen, is comes on at midnight and off one hour later, by the morning the ozone has completely depleted. An empty dishwasher is fine as a sterilising cabinet; don’t turn the machine on, just the bulb on a timer.
These are built into our virology and microbiology labs. They turn on automatically at 2 AM and turn off an hour later. The labs are all tile and stainless steel. The UV radiation will yellow and damage plastics, cause finished wooden surfaces to crack and generally destroy anyting but tile and stainless steel. These are really not suitable for normal living spaces, even when used judiciously.
Good to know!
Sounds like my kind of lamp!..... kidding, No need to destroy things over a virus 🦠
We use them in Grow rooms to sterilize them
Interesting, i was literally checking on here, again, just before i was about to buy one. I think i may not now, even though i work in a supermarket and mum works at a hospital, i think to use this round the house may just be gettign a little bit paranoid if, as you say, itll destroy stuff around the house. I did sort of have an idea that the UV lights gotta not just kill the "Bugs" but the "good stuff" as well. Dont really feel like having to replace everything in the house cause ive burnt the fuck outta everything.
@@thehodge168
It's not like that the main issue is that it's cancerous the human skin and you kind of left that part out
I bought one of these when my brother caught scabies (despite being a shut in). He plugged in the light while it was delivered without me or my mother, who I'd warned extensively about the dangers from watching your videos and my own research (he was being obstinate about even being infested and unwilling to listen to anything to remove them from the areas he was staying or from himself). Thankfully he plugged it in, turned it on and walked straight out, closing the door behind him; but it gave me quite a scare when I returned.
Amazon doesn't ship warnings on the light at all and we ended up writing "DANGER: CANCER LAMP" on the box after that.
Really did clear up the scabies in half the time though, couldn't get reinfested from the bedding or carpet in his hoarder pit (also helped to put on the insecticide every four days rather than the recommended week to disrupt their egg laying cycle).
I do intend to use the cancer lamp to sterilize rooms in our home if one of us becomes infected, though.
yeah mine says CANCEROUS, DO NOT USE on it :P
So the light really does kill germs? Was snatching in the room damaged after he turned it on and left?
Thanksssssss!! i was wondering if this can kill scabies mites. I need this ASAP :)
Many HVAC manufacturers have UV light options. They typically mount over the evaporator(?) coils to kill any mold / bacteria that wants to grow on the wet coils or drain pans. Third party units are available online.
Just ensure that you only use them with evaporators which have no plastic parts by the lamp mount, as the UV light will destroy the plastic in around a year. most common plastic thing is a condensate tray, and if that starts to leak you have issues. At least the front of the evaporator by the lamp will be clean, but you probably want them to be all sides of the evaporator, or with a V type one each side and in the middle, so that all the fin surface gets illuminated. Will destroy any sort of anti corrosion coating on the cols though, so do not bother getting them blue coated if installing this, and for a retrofit clean the coils thoroughly first, so they are see through.
Here in Belgium we call it "lasogen" in Dutch, translated to "welder-eyes" , back in the 90's when i worked as a welder, i experienced this many times. And had it more times from other welders near by me at the construction site, then from my own welding.
You don't feel it right way, but at night,it's like smoke or sand in your eyes. After the first times experiencing this, i had make sure to always have eyedrops with Lidocaine available at home to relieve the pain. After that when i noticed it at night, i discovered that the simplest solution was to lay down with closed eyes, and a cold tissue and get to sleep. At the morning the pain was completely gone if nothing happened.
True medical advice.
Not sure if it's the same in the UK, but in the US, it's fairly common to find these inside central HVAC systems both in homes and in commercial applications. They're tucked away deep inside the evaporator coil, well away from exposure to people. I'll soon be building myself a mega-air-scrubber fan for my little studio apartment; basically a "carpet dryer" type snail fan inside a box with a 20x20 HEPA-grade HVAC filter, a UVC lamp inside, AND a commercial ozone generator (on a separate timer to run for an hour or two while I'm at work).
Found out some air purifiers use them.
These lamps are incredibly useful, but it blows me away how unscrupulous some of these sellers on eBay can be. “UV lamp proven to kill coronavirus 100%. 100% safe for pets and family.“ I wonder if I would get away with posting something like “irradiated graphite dust from Chernobyl. Proven to kill coronavirus 100%”
Worse still are the ones selling near-UV disco lights as germicidal.
@@bigclivedotcom I disagree that it's worse to sell near-UV lamps as germicidal lamps. If you decide to install a UVC lamp in the living room as an additional light source and leave it running all the time, since the seller says it's safe and the relatively dim blue light doesn't bother you too much, permanent eye and skin damage to multiple people and pets is inevitable.
Trying to use a near-UV light as a germicide just has the same effect as not using a germicidal lamp at all, like most people do. Still wrong, but not worse.
Technically, the virus stops if the host dies, so ...
@@bigclivedotcom maybe they're just planning to make the virus rave itself to death?
Report them. I am an eBay seller and every time I see someone with false claiming listings I report them. eBay does not allow this and if a seller is found to be a repeat offender they will be removed. Same with price gouging on certain items like toilet paper, hand sanitizer, bleach etc. eBay will remove those sellers.
Also, if you ever get packages delivered and they used media mail for anything other than media report the seller. Because sellers like that abuse the system USPS has had to increase prices across the board because they are losing money.
Please, always report sellers who make false claims. They make us all look bad.
Usually in fish farming business, people would put them into a large test tube like jacket and seal. Then entire jacket drop inside a srainless steel water pipe which runs almost no water pressure.
Some manufacturers will use a stainless steel frame and reflectors, with 2 piece of glass below, again water run with almost no pressure in between the 2 glasses.
It is not a good idea to let it shine like a ordinary fluorescence light, because all lights do provides shadow, unless the room had no fixtures, a living room obviously is not.
Last but not least, this thing eat paint, wood and plastics! It will turn all plastics we know crunchy within days, steel and copper rust in hours! Therefore the insulation of wires, sockets had to be ceramics, old fashion tar fiberic, glass, stainless steel that kind of material.
Yes, the ones used to sterilise water you will replace the lamp every year as it ages, and the whole fitting will last around 3 years before it gets brittle, and you then replace it. When doing the replacement use some PVC screw together couplers, so that the next replacement you simply undo the 2 couplers and remove the lamp unit and a half meter of pipe, because the UV reflected down it makes the pipe brittle.
The water coming out though is going to be almost sterile though, and definitely the first bit of that pipe will not have a biofilm growing on it, though it is likely to be white and chalky, as the plastic has been degraded leaving the inert fillers behind.
I think any "normal" glass covering will eliminate benefit. Has to be a special quartz glass(bulb is made of) to keep from filtering out the effective UV spectrum.
In some areas this is becoming a pretty common feature in the discharge line between the settling tanks and drain field in septic systems.
..
My apologies, I'm having a hard time figuring out your wording...can't understand what you are trying to say.
@@footstepsinchina299 I concurr - the ones I dealt with were indeed shrouded by a crystal 'glass' tube and further by a steel tube.
When using this lamp, you may also want to remove any precious artwork from your walls, and any French-polished furniture.
ua-cam.com/video/cSzqKFFo3Uw/v-deo.html Check out my simple DIY disinfectant box.
Unless you have a room kitted out with UVC-proof materials, you better not even think about using a lamp like this to sterilize a room. UVC damages or destroys a lot of materials.
What a gift for mother-in-law.
I followed the advice in this video but something that I didn't know would become a problem is corrosion of steel items in the vicinity. My beautiful chrome desk that I've had for almost 20 years rusted over time due to repeated use of this lamp. The exhaust part of my PC case also rusted and there are spots of green corrosion on the motherboard too. Ozone is very corrosive so just keep that in mind too when using a uvc light to disinfect a room.
I remember your previous video on the safety about these lamps, but it's good to make another one at this time.
the only problem is, how does it afect the objects in the room? you know, some materials don't react very well to UV light
Anything that isn't UV stable will be damaged or discoloured.
This high energy UV, and the ozone it produces, are highly destructive to most things that can be destroyed. Plastics will become brittle, paint will flake, and metal will rust.
It literally shreds the double-bonds in carbon based molecules. So any natural or synthetic compounds that contain carbon will rapidly breakdown - anything organic alive or dead (animals, plants, paper, wood, paints, rubber, varnish), plastics. And the Ozone produced by UV-C will rapidly oxidise anything that can be oxidised. Ozone is an unstable molecule and will breakdown into normal Dioxygen molecules.
bleaches fabric turns plastic brittle, breaks down oil-based products in general.. etc etc, 1 day exposed to these lamps carries the effect of 10 years laying out in the sun
yes, that was exactly my point
Something you should have mentioned is that a UVC lamp that has been turned on for a while not only leaves the (lovely, in my opinion) smell of ozone, but also the smell of pure death in a room and on any surface that used to have bacteria or other forms of life on it before. It's way worse than the smell of ozone and usually completely overpowers it. My ozone generator uses corona discharges (no, not that kind of corona) to generate ozone and leaves the smell you get outside just after a thunderstorm in summer, which is quite nice in my opinion. Don't expect that smell from a UVC lamp.
Please dear friend. I need brand name of your ozone generator to get that fresh rainsmell please
@@DF2023-ws8qr Sorry, no brand name. I've built the ozone generator myself. It's actually pretty easy to do -- you just need a glass tube, preferably quartz glass but borosilicate works well enough, with something conductive inside and a bare wire wrapped around it. Connect both electrodes to a high voltage high frequency power supply, like a CCT driver for example and Bob's your aunty. If you see a faint purple glow all around the tube when it's turned on you got yourself a working ozone generator. Be careful though. A small CCT driver won't kill you (probably) but ozone is kinda toxic and the whole contraption is a real fire hazard.
Oh , no sabia. Moltes gràcies!!!!!! Jo estic molt agraït. No sabia. Moltes gràcies. Una salutació molt especial desde Manresa ,Barcelona , Catalunya
Pleasez. What do you use UVC for? I use to kill bad smell of my bed. And clothes.
No sabia que ozono es venenoso. !!!!!!! Muchas gracias. ☺️☺️☺️🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌺🌿🌿🇪🇭🌿🌿🌿🌿
i have sun burnt my arms by welding in the past but i didnt get the ozone smell that i now know from a ceramic plate ozone generator. once you know it, it really is unmistakable. got it for an old house, so big thanks to big clive for covering that!
THANK YOU FOR VIDEO...my wife bought similar item on Amazon and it came with no instructions, warning or anything. There was no switch to turn it on, only works by remote control. I put in the battery on the remote and turned it on, it worked. I looked for instructions but all the box said was Ultraviolet Germicidal Lamp, so I googled it and found your video. I was exposed to the light for approx. 1 minute, one my kids ran up to see the new lamp mommy bought and they looked at for a few seconds. As soon as your video loaded and you explained the dangers, I unplugged it immediately. All was good until about 5 am the next morning, my eyes are watering, burning and bright red. My kid woke up screaming and crying. We are off to seek medical attention.
Why and how are these products being sold on Amazon with no warnings, and of course the sellers page does not exist.....don't believe me, go search it yourself.
I still use this outdoor at night. It keeps the moss of the fence. Moss still grows in the shadows its pretty cool.
I love using UVC lamps. I use a 22 watt to sanitize the shower. I plan to make it a dual lamp setup for even more power.
I saw some numpty on the internet that had fitted a germicidal lamp into one of those camping showers, calling it a "DIY decontamination chamber". I really hope they intended to use it to sanitise the outside of packages and not as a kind of cyberpunk iron maiden.
I've built myself a 110W sterilizer which I move from room to room to disinfect it. I steer WAY clear of the thing, and avoid all eye contact with it, even though i wear glasses when going near it.
I sell these lights in my healthstore. They are great. Very effective. I personally use them across multiple applications. They are relatively safe when following directions. They should be used on surfaces not on skin. Thanks for educating folks. Great video!
It is very necessary to learn the overall instruction before using UVC light. Knowing how it works would fully protect us from the avoidable damages.
As a 14 year old, I got a UV-C germicidal lamp just for fun. I got it a few months ago, and I've had no problem with my eyes or whatever so far, even though I got no safety. What I do is try to point it away from me and only have them on for a very limited amount of time, instead of playing around with it for like 10 minutes straight. What I'm using is a single tube light that is 8W, 220V.
Just as long as you realise the hazard it's OK. If you do accidentally overexpose your eyes it will be an uncomfortable experience later on, but just encourage more caution in the future
Can cause cataracts to the eyes. This might not be known until sometime later at an eye exam.
@@whatif2336 Ah, alright. Also I have glasses so could they possibly protect me? I heard the radiation cannot pass through lots of plastic or glass material.
@@Shonade_Malik if “playing around” with it why not just get a black light bulb?
It is safe and no risks. I’m no authority on it. Please be safe.
Seems like these may make more sense in an enclosure of some sort, rather than whole room use. (Unless the room is completely emptied before use, the light spread would have a limited effect with things being shaded or in shadow.) This is because you'd want maximal exposure to the surface intended for sterilization. Like in some ventilation/filtration box to kill germs, in a container to sterilize exposed objects placed therein, or perhaps in an enclosure with clear tubing passing through to sterilize water going through the tubing.
If not too late, get a extension with a light bulb plug and a switch on and off on it (Amazone had those, not sure about now). I CONVERTED A CLOSET like that and "sanitize"my mask and other PPE stuff for the time being after being in grocery store etc. And yes dont look at it or be close to it. My setup is design to avoid any form of injury. When i turn it on, i dont need to see it. Better than noting. The bulb i have is form Amazone as well (all sold out last time i check) and it smell ozone, so not a fake.
i just bought a load of agar , and some petri dishes. after hearing you wonder on the effectiveness of a UVC lamp at distance, and can it clean a carpet. i want to find out. i remember doing this sort of thing at school some 35 years ago, how hard can it be? make a load of dishes. half for control half for testing. stick a swab somewhere grubby, wipe plates, put test ones round a room for a while. remove, seal, incubate somewhere warm for a day, then get a magnifying glass out. no doubt it will all be an abject failure, but the journey will be amusing.
UVC lights are great but remember the Warning, don’t look at the light even for a few seconds, leave the room while it’s on and allow the Ozone to dissipate for about 45 minutes before you can start using the room again
Thanks for this i got a lamp recently with chinese instructions and it shames me how naive i am on the dangers of this lamp. luckily i did a little research before i switched it on.
Should go grab the bottle steriliser out of the garage, and put things in it. Has a nice UV blocking glass front door on it, and shiny crinkly heavy aluminium interior to spread the light all over. Also has a 20W UVC lamp in it.
A safety switch(normaly off switch) should be wired to the box lid. Also remote triggered sockets maybe a solution for home use(rf or wifi).
Will using such lamps for 30m damage things in the room - electronics, plastics, textiles, furnitere, papers, books &c ? In your first vid, you mentioned a bit of damage to the plastic of the lamp-socket; so how will the light effect things in the room?
Ah, sand burn. Had that once after doing some welding. Not nice at all. I was young and recovered in a day or so. Don't want to do that ever again.
I'm going to try and grow a plant under this light and see what happens..... Thanks clive for showing what this was called as I had forgotten the name as I remember using these lamps in Fishponds when we used to install them.
You mention in the video description that UVC cannot pass through ordinary glass, but should you block out the window(s), regardless of how far away your neighbours are? Would curtains be enough? If not, does any sunlight coming in impinge the effectiveness of these lamps? Thank you for the video.
The only concern about windows is the visible blue light making your house look like a grow house.
How dangerous is indirect exposure to the UVC light emitted from the one of these? For example, if I’m in the next room - no line of sight - but I can see the glow of the light bouncing off the hallway wall...? Also - if one were planning to build a large sterilization box for one of these (ie: 4’ x 3’ x 3’ (l x w x h), what would be the best surface for lining the inside of the box? Aluminum foil? Also - would it be a good idea to build in an exhaust tube and fan to get rid of the ozone as it’s produced?
Given the danger it might be best setting it up with a timer
OMG dude! I've been doing research for the past week on this stuff, including looking at your content and this couldn't have come at a better time. Thank you so much. Also, if a ballast doesn't show a starter in the diagram (a cheap $6 from Amazon), do I still need to put it on there? I'm building an air purifier. I'm a mechanical engineer, not electrical.
If it's an electronic ballast and has two wires to each end of the tube it doesn't need a separate starter.
Thank you! If this is successful, I would share the drawings/assembly instructions on how to build this so that people could use this for themselves or build them to donate. It's meant to be portable, and completely cover your face, and purify any inhaled air. I chose ozone-free tubes.
This was a Public Service Announcement by BigClive.
Just to clarify for everyone: UVC lamps which produce ozone emit UV radiation less than 220 nm more common with 185 nm lamps. If you have a lamp that is greater than 220 nm, like 250 nm lamp then it is impossible to produce ozone.
The shorter Ultraviolet-V (UV-V at 185 nanometers) wavelength of UVV light actually generates ozone. This occurs because UVV light reacts with oxygen to break it into atomic oxygen, a highly unstable atom that combines with oxygen to form O3 (Ozone).
Ironically, UV light in the 240-315nm wavelength will break this third oxygen atom attachment above and convert it back to oxygen. The peak ozone destruction occurs at the 254nm wavelength. So, a UV-C lamp at the 253.7nm wavelength will actually destroy Ozone!
Then what smell comes from 254 nm lamps?
I literally watched his first video on these hours before this was uploaded!
The ad that played before this video was for a UV sterilizer wand, I shit you not.
I have this exact UVC lamp. It is normally in my workshop on a timer, however I have moved it temporarily to my kitchen. It is timed to go off at 3am for 30 minutes and turns itself off again (door closed and windows ajar). Because it is hard to notice there is an amber lamp that goes on at the same time to act as a warning
I was hoping to set up a system whereby I could keep the UV rays to the top 1foot of a room. Exhaled breath, being hotter, rises, so most of it will go there and be zapped by the UV. But I've learnt from you that there'd be an ozone issue... What do people think? How about these HEPA air filters, how do they avoid the ozone problem?
(roll on 222nm Far-UVC technology, I say!)
I sent back 2 UVC led corn lights. The seller gave me a refund and let me keep the lights. Guess nobody’s are sure if there good or not save buying an expensive UVC light meter. I stick with the smelly O3 lights and some high power O3 generators, followed by 2000 watts of ventilation. Wife is a nurse so I need to be proactive.
The little USB one is rather neat, though the shape of it makes it look like it was designed for ladies of the night for sterilising their bits... :P
IDIOT
Don't do that, it'll smell of burnt pork and feel like there's sand in it
Wasn't there a thing on youtube that you can't post comments unless you are x years old?
On of these mutated the mould growing in my shower cubicle - it has now evolved, become sentient, and plans to take over the world.
Cataracts on demand.
Quick and easy cancer
the l;amp degrades plastics and basically everything in a room beware
Thanks Clive, much appreciated.
uv street lights for ultimate corona killing power!
(and everything else)
Well i guess that's one way to enforce a curfew. If your out past dark you get sunburns and arc flash burned eyes lol
medium rare city
We should donate one to donald trump.
It will give him a more richer orange color while protecting him from covid
Russian-bot 01101010 given how it is put together the current pandemic Corona virus is likely to be very resistant to UVC ~10x as resistant as common flu variants (and about 100x as tough as your cells.) given that you should probably go with gamma radiation just to be certain.
Just don’t get angry after the gamma ray treatment. People might not like you’re angry.
Hey i have that exact lamp, been using it for weeks through this whole thing. I use it to sterilize all my pocket items, keys, phone, wallet. Sometimes my non-organic groceries too.
I'm never in the same room when its on and i have a fan in the window to vent the O3. I run it for 5 minutes (The lamps like 1 foot away, uv-c lamps are a "the closer it is the more damaging it is to DNA/RNA" thing) flip all items around to the other side and run for another 5 minutes.
UV-C is no joke, think like a tanning bed on steroids that also generates slightly toxic O3. I always warn anyone why wants to get one to do, your, research! lol
Here is a nice UV-C box setup: www.instructables.com/id/COVID-19-UV-C-Sterilizer-Box/
The phone may get damaged by it, surely you will see degradation over time. Just wipe it with some alc from time to time, that works just perfectly. Don't know about your wallet... It should also degrade quite a bit but I don't know the practical consequences of that.
I have to wonder what "non-organic groceries" you are getting. Is it bad enough that people are trying to eat sand now?
@@myxfit Non organic would be canned, form fill and seal packs, stuff in bottles and polypack boxes. Basically anything that has been either cooked in the container, or filled aseptically. you want to sterilise the outside of the packaging where it has been handled.
The foil also serves to protect the plastic box, cardboard and tape.
Also important would be protecting the flex and using a ceramic lamp holder.
Do these UVC lamps damage house plants?
Yes.... anything organic will be affected
@@Xclub40X Thank you... that's something to be aware of.
@@ZilinaSK also, make sure you know thoroughly what you are dealing with. These lamps are no joke, and there are several ways these things can seriously mess with your day.
The UVC light is obviously a major concern.
Secondly is o3 (ozone) gas. Whatever area you are running this lamp in, make sure it is well ventilated and that you can isolate the lamp from outside of the room you are sterilising. Also factor in that ozone can warp and destroy many kinds of products, so make sure you either shield pr move these things prior to UVC exposure.
If in doubt, read up, do research and follow manufacturers and safety guidelines.
@@Xclub40X I appreciate your detailed reply.
I've done a little homework I'll think I'll give buying one of these lamps a miss.
My daughter is severely allergic to dust mites and using one of these lamps looked promising... but there are two many health concerns with using such a lamp so I won't bother.
Thanks
@@ZilinaSK these lamps are ok of you turn them on and off from outside of the room you are in. . . An extension cord is a good idea plugged into a socket outlet in dome other location, then close the door behind you. . . Before you turn that thing on, make sure you open a window or all windows and get two of those pedestal fans to circulate the air in the room
Only run that lamp for about 15-25 minutes, then kill the power. Leave the room to air out for about 45 minutes to an hour and tou should be good.
Please do a video of the little light you have there?
It takes 1 minute to kill Germs, if you use it in a room, place it in multiple areas of room to get around shadows. Leave the room before turning it on!!!! Use a remote to turn it on!!! Open windows to air out as well.
Sliced raw potatoes over the eyes will take away the pain. Don't know how or why it works but it does. Welders flash sucks, feels like hot sand in the eyes.
Do the potatoes have to be in contact with your eyeballs, or just your eyelids?
Thanks, I purchased one of these after watching your first video. We had a mold problem in our home, this took care of it, then I put it away. Now my daughter who lives with me now needed a way to sterilize her C-PAP breathing device. I took a only yellow bucket with a lid and cut a hole large enough for the switch from an old desk lamp socket to fit through and installed the lamp inside the bucket. Now she puts her stuff inside the bucket closed the lid and turns on the light. We are thinking perhaps 15 minutes should be enough to clean her equipment?
could you please put a link where you bought your lamp? thanks
@@cake3020 I got mine off Ebay I have no idea which seller I used back then but here is a link to one just like the one I got. Be aware this can damage your eyes if you are in the room with it without UV blocking glasses and can give you some painful sunburn if you are not very careful, I have mine mounted in a translucent bucket now so my daughter can place here CPAP hoses and mask in the bucket, close the lid and turn of the light for some time.. www.ebay.com/itm/E27-UV-Germicidal-Lamp-LED-UVC-Bulb-Home-Ozone-Disinfection-Light-Corn-25W-110V/353407826578?_trkparms=aid%3D1110006%26algo%3DHOMESPLICE.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D231410%26meid%3De7e2d8123b8c4e6a9806bd5d5bd0a615%26pid%3D101195%26rk%3D6%26rkt%3D12%26mehot%3Dpf%26sd%3D154265642580%26itm%3D353407826578%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D0%26pg%3D2047675%26algv%3DSimplAMLv5PairwiseWebWithBBEV2bDarwoXgbV1%26brand%3DUnbranded&_trksid=p2047675.c101195.m1851
@@JerryEricsson thankyou! there are so many of these that are fake that I can't decide which one to buy!
Plants also should not be present in the room while this works.
I agree. Notify the plants to remove themselves for the entire duration of the cleaning.
@@akaiappears Tumbleweed leaves the chat
Flash burns, only had one but we had some liquid in pouches specifically for them.
Bought one after your recommendations in your review video. When testing it strangely enough, all bulbs in the house dimmed at first and in less than an hour they were all blown off !
B.t.w . . . why does this video has sound only, but no picture ?
Hello brother im to bought 4 sterlization products in high quality with a good price for more info www.livethesmartlife.com
You know, I think I might want to get one of these for my HVAC.
Most HVAC companies that put these in state you have to have the fan running constantly to get it to work properly, and in the summer that can mean higher humidity in the house.
I might get one of these, or an Ozone generator but this is simple to use, but I guess the price most likely has gone up on these things because of you know what!
Nothing gets hurt, they got DAMAGED. Imagine how serious it is.
fantastic information at the right time!
I thought this might be a good idea to disinfect rooms but on reflection (and a few videos like this) I'm thinking I will give it a miss and take my chances...
I assume the same thing applies (to a lesser degree) to the small 10 volt UVC discharge lamps you featured a while ago
leaving the lamp at one place won't work, the effect of light decreases with the distance it travel. So leaving the light in the room will only kill the virus on surface and air near to it, that's all.
Same mechanism attracts primer .This is transistor applied LED ,but I don't know my IPR use of three types of transistor used or not .
Very good 👍👍👍
That looks like the type of lamp used in hairdressers' ultraviolet sterilisers.
Cheers Clive, good useful info. X
Once i turned on a 125w merury vapor without outer envelope. Next day i woke up i couldn't open my eyes. And when i managed to open my eyes everything was blurry for the next few days.
Do the LED versions also produce ozone? I did have an idea for an inline steriliser for an HVAC system, but obviously continuous ozone production in an HVAC system would be a bad idea.
I dont think it was mentioned but i have read that you should also remove plants from the room before useing these.
Also a question for you Clive . I live in Ukraine and the tap water is only for washing up , laundry and bathing , if you try drinking it even after boiling you will spend the next 24 hours in your apartment as you dont want to be far from a toilet . As i have said , even boiling does not kill the bugs in the water here . I wonder if one of these or the types you can use in fish tanks would work to decontaminate the water so it is safe to drink. I know that if you have a filter system and then boil the water its o.k to drink
You do get UVC water sterilisers that pump it through a quartz sleeve around a UVC tube.
Oh Dios mío. No sabia els problema de agua contaminada en UCRANIA. Soy de Barcelona Catalonia
Gracias por comentar la situación grave del agua de la casa en Ucrania
One trick you can do with germicide bulbs is instantly turn any beer into Corona. Corona gets it's characteristic flavor from UV exposure. I always joked about using one of these on Cinco De Mayo to magically turn people beer into Corona.
I guess Cinco De Mayo isn't going to be very festive this year... Bummer.
Put them in a litte safe with a note for a future finder. 🖒
You said you can use the small one in the fridge? Is it worth it getting one for that alone?
It does a great job of removing fridge odours.
Paint the inside of a jar with some phosphor and put the uv lamp inside the jar. Make some weird hybrid lamp
The problem with using such a lamp in a home is shadows. You sterilize everywhere the light shines brightly enough (over distance, eventually not enough energy hits to damage anything), but everywhere that is in shadow gets zero treatment.
I know of a gas sterilization method, but the gas is so violently explosive, I wouldn't want to interact with it from anywhere less than a hundred meters from a small flask of it. It's so nasty, it's used in sterilizing hospital instruments *and* in thermobaric bombs. So, thanks but no thanks.
For UVC, I'll stick with sealed cabinets, which are vented outside. And a safety interlock on the cabinet door to ensure power is disconnected before the door can open, just in case of intracranial flatulence.
For sterilizing surfaces, a quarter cup of household bleach to a gallon of water works, it's even an alternative to nastier stuff in BSL-4 labs.
at 2:46 those usb rechargable uv lamps actually work? right now I'm building a sterilizing cabinet and just using a small 5w 120v bulb from an air purifier. Would the usb lamp make more sense to use?
It could be useful for portable applications. But your existing setup sounds OK.
@@bigclivedotcom thank you man. I watched your other video with the cheap UV detectors and ordered something similar to reference the UV exposure and see if the 5w bulb even does anything. Thanks again!!
This is exactly what I love about you , you know when to have a laugh but you also know when you need to be serious. Like in this case
In high school shop class we had safety glasses that were stored in a steel cabinet. When the door was closed, one of these lamps illuminated and disinfected the glasses between uses.
Crap, I just remembered that my school did the same thing!
Our Auto Shop class did, as well.
I'm looking at working with a local VR arcade to set up a similar system(once everything settles down and they can re-open). I'm feeling like I might end up discouraging the owner from going with this particular plan, though, as it's likely to damage the headset as much as disinfect it.
@@ClokworkGremlin you should figure out if the lenses of the headset can block UVC. If not you could set up some way to cover them. It should be fine.
@@ClokworkGremlin Bro this sounds like a bunch of BS, as a pc technician, I never heard of PCBs, plastics, or LCDs being damaged by direct UV (A,B,C) exposure (you do have screens in them VR head things right ?) Our skin is sensitive to UV B,C radiation (AFAIR, type A can't penetrate the skin?) Because it penetrates deeper than the visible layer (something to do with wavelenghts i think, im not a dermatologist) and into the cellular levels (basically, alter your DNA in a cell, that is called cancer.)
I dont think VR headsets are biological beings and maybe one side effect I can think of IN THE LONG RUN (2+ years) is that maybe you will see some plastic color fading. LCDs should be protected (you can never actually touch the liquid crystals, you always touch a plexiglass like barrier that protects it) and hence should be fine, especially if not directly exposed if you are worried about pixel burning.
My neighbor who is a nurse stated they need to get UVC lights to sterilize masks, because they have to re-use them, due to a lack of supply in Canadian hospitals.
Safer to use heat, bake them in an oven, they will last longer too as UVC will degrade the plastic. Decent temperature controlled ovens are heavier but not very hard to find..
@@jaro6985 The masks I believe are not autoclavable. The rubber straps breakdown as does the adhesives that hold the masks together.
@@StreuB1 autoclave is not necessary, 60-70C is enough, I'm sure mask can easily handle 100C steam as well (microwave or stovetop). Google CDC decontamination instructions.
You can use 70% alcohol to rinse for 5 min and then let dry. I use a large glass jar with a screw-top lid. The alcohol won't degrade the plastic components of the mask.
@@lohphat TECH INGREDIENTS demonstrated that method for mask cleaning last month
Would something like this accelerate physical UV damage to stuff like plastic? Do you think that could be an issue? It sounds like something that could be easy to test. I know that whatever those plastic organizer bins are made of are susceptible to sunlight damage, but that was over the course of a couple years.
You see those little lumps of resin at the end of the lamp separating the tubes ? They used to be clear but the UV has broken them down.
Yes it probably would, one thing you can notice is even with CFL lights is that the plastic housing can get very yellowed due to the uv degrading of said plastic
I guess I'm pretty off topic but do anyone know a good website to stream new tv shows online?
@@Goetterdaemmerung86 on CFLs I believe that it is the heat from the lamp that yellows the plastic as the glass in CFLs block uv light.
In fact plastic lamp sockets that hold incandescent or halogen bulbs you can often also see yellowing even tho those lamps make very little uv and a lot of heat.
I'd say it can so it's best not to use it in a place with plastic parts you care about. Although I do wonder because UV light and hydrogen peroxide is how you whiten yellowed plastic. With the ozone this gives off it might actually bleach the plastic.
At any rate, I have one running on a timer in a bathroom with bad ventilation. If I notice the plastic outlet covers going yellow I'll give an update
Edit: I've had this running for a month and haven't noticed any yellowing on the plastic.
I got a pair of these (20 watt) lamps and I managed to get a minor case of welder's flash (watery eyes and blurred vision for 24-48 hours) from probably just about a minutes worth of *indirect* exposure. Also had dry peeling skin a few days later. If you need me to spell it out for you: these things take *much* less exposure than you actually think to cause damage. I now use an RF remote to turn them on and off after I have already left the room. This is *not* overkill.
@timemachine_194 And I on the other end just found a *working* (!) 11W one in the bin at the supermarket and tested it by looking directly at it, then switching it on and litterally a split second afterwards turning it back off while moving away from it as quickly as I could.
It "only" gave me mild eyestrain a bit like what you get for watching a screen for extended periods of time or not having enough sleep.
Next day it felt like nothing ever happened.
Now that I know it's working fine I use a RF remote control as well to turn it on and off from outside the room with the door closed.
And to tell if it's indeed off before opening the door I carefully listen for the click of the relay of my remote control outlet.
Even though glass is supposed to block UV radiation I still got mild eyestrain for looking through the window of the room where the germicidal lamp was from outside the house.
Try an unshielded 400 watt mercury lamp. Good times.
I put in two in my bathroom on a timer. 30 min each day while im not home.
No mold and the toilet doesn't even get a ring.
I inadvertently killed a houseplant using mine...
Recommendations: Use a remote control or timer, raw the blinds, move all living things, and buy a non-ozone generating bulb unless you are trying to eliminate odors too.
The UV only kills whatever the light directly shines on, so consider having the light on for 5-10 minutes, move the light to a different position so the shadows are cast in different places, and repeat.
Depending how your wiring is done you could use your distribution board as a switch and test your gcfis while you're at it.
This happened to me too :( didn't thought it was going to affect plants that much but alas they kill plants too if they are close to the lamp.
Also these lamp will degrade and yellowing plastic very fast if you use it frequently and put it near a plastic surface, I don't think you should use it in wardrobe because both the UVC and the ozone will attack the fabric and degrade them
Also don't leave it exposing on your phone too long unless you want your phone to fall apart, wipe your phone throughly with alcohol is enough
@Taylor with the UVC lamp I have... I couldn't smell any ozone from it even after exposing a closed room for 1 hours even though ozone is very potent so I'd say that it's very little, could be depending on the quality of the glass and varies between manufacturer though
Also I did verified that the lamp does produce UVC, just put your hand near it for 10s and you'll smell a very odd, burning meat smell from the skin oil on your hands
@@pierreuntel1970 It's also particularly adept at destroying certain elastics. Had to replace half my boxers after the mistake of leaving that drawer open.
@@AtlasReburdened oops!
@@dshe8637 Tell me about it. It only took the nice ones.
@Taylor The "No Ozone" lamps seem to be missing specific design to make ozone, but still make it in smaller quantities. It would be impossible to make a bulb that emitted those wavelengths and didn't make ozone at all.
Here I am, 3am and I'm watching a video on UV lamps. Of course Clive makes it interesting.
@nizar ragtaoui I don't see how that relates at all.
@nizar ragtaoui that doesn't look like a legit website
I use mine with a remote on off switch through a power outlet switch and it's nicely avoided.
I was looking first to see if anyone suggested something similar before I left a comment.
For got $8 in Walmart I bought a smart plug that can safely switch 10 amps. If I recall correctly for about $17 one that can switch 20 amps was available. Brand name Merkury kept near the smart light bulbs, Google Home devices etc.
Plug in the UV light and then safely leave the room. "Hey Google turn on Lamp".
I do the same & usually have it set for 2 ~ 3 hours as the workshop is quite large 8m x 12m
I can tell you that the Geckos and Tokeis are virtually impervious as I have occasionally had it stay on for 12 hours (power cuts stopping the auto switch working) and have heard no reduction in sounds from them
How about a timer?
@@SometimeWoodworker Regardless if the power goes off causing the exposure time to be longer than expected why do you have your pets in there at all exposing them to harmful levels of UV light? Incoming cancer I'm going to guess....
Anthony Goodley I don’t let my pet into the room while the light is on and for 30 minutes after. I’m not sure exactly what you are referring to unless it’s the Geckos and Tokeys and they are definitely not pets they are pests and if I could get rid of them I would, but where I live that’s not possible unless I can get the neighbours to catch them for their dinner
I remember as a kid watching my dad weld from a few meters away, for a duration of 2-3 hours. Boy oh boy did that hurt. Spent the whole night sleepless crying my ass out with the pain of pine needles in my eyes. Lesson learned the hard way with UV stuff. Thanks for this video, helps shed some light to those who don't know!
I just asked Clive to do this on his video from 2 years ago! Thank you sir!
Also: if you use the lamp to sterilise a room beware of shadows! Preferably move the lamp 2 or 3 times in the room to make sure most of the surfaces were exposed to the UV light.
Do you think it's fine if you put in the place of the traditional bulb in a chandelier ?
@@psirvent8 If the chandelier doesn’t cover the bulb then that’s ok but most will.
Note, not all UVC lamps make ozone- the main sterilising wavelength produced by them (256nm) is not energetic enough to produce ozone (240nm or below)
The lamp glass is either designed to filter out the lower wavelengths and thus he ozone- free.
Or to not, and allow it to be used as an ozone generator to sterilise water amongst other things.
So, if possible, try to get an ozone- free lamp if you can.
Why is it better to have an ozone-free lamp?
@@Dr_LucozadeNo need to air out the room after treatment.
Clive, If you buy a UV light on Ebay is there any way to determine if you are getting the proper UV light that you ordered, i.e UVA, UVB, or UVC?
Last week a bunch of NFT bros assembled a nft party and some of them went blind due to some "problem with the lights" turns out they were using this type of light for the lighting!
(Well, this is the type of mistake you cam expect from people who are willing to pay thousands for a .jpg)