UV sterilization?

[Boucher]

We have a small goldfish pond on the patio. There is a filter that in addition to the filter mechanism contains an ultraviolet light to prevent algae growth. Would this work on lathe coolant systems to prevent rancidity? If so would it have to run all the time?

[Mcgyver]

I tried a small aquarium UV light for my ongoing central coolant project. Plastic peice of crap, useless.

The next phase will be to acquire a little more beefy unit, something like would used on a residential drinking water supply.

The coolant I am currently using, Rustlik 5050 is opaque so the UV light loses a lot of its effectiveness. Still, I think brute force, cubic inches, should work....with a powerful enough light and fairly high volume circulation of a small tank I'm hoping the bugs get zapped.

proper management of the coolant needs filtration of returning coolant, air bubbler, oil skimmer and then there are other niceties; having it on casters with a drain underneath, one centralized pump, hinged lid ....all which adds up the idea of one central tank doing all of this

Coolant I used before that was translucent; Tri-Cool synthetic. It would work far better with the UV light but it is awful stuff, leave a sort of stickiness all over the machines and anywhere that it sprays that will only clean with water. I've also had a bad experience with how rapidly it goes rancid. Here's two pics, one Dec 22nd and one Feb 13, not even two months. The straw that broke the camel's back. This is in a brand new tank I made and used the cheesy UV light and bubbler. Their engineering dept/cust service/whatever dept didn't return my calls on why this happened

[MichaelP]

We have a small goldfish pond on the patio. There is a filter that in addition to the filter mechanism contains an ultraviolet light to prevent algae growth. Would this work on lathe coolant systems to prevent rancidity? If so would it have to run all the time?

You may want to check my post #9 in this thread: http://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net/showthread.php?t=51225

[frankie]

My experience with coolants goes some thing like this, when the sales guy is pitching it he will say that his brand will not go stinky it will not rust and no one using it will have any skin reactions. I disagree on all three counts, also cleaning a coolant tank is with out a doubt the worst job in any machine shop. Cutting oil does not go stinky, but it does smoke ,does make the floor slippery, does float around in the air leaving a film on everything, when airhoses are used to clean off the work piece. The long and short of it is you can't win no matter which you choose.

[Ted Clarke]

I have had minor corrosion problems with Boelube at 15% concentration. It causes a dark staining when it gets between close fitting ferrous surfaces like my parallel sets. The lack of oxygen in the wet interfaces is probably the problem. I suspect the coolants are not checked for corrosion protection under this condition. I earlier tried the initial version of Tap Magic. It lead to corrosion under the film on exposed surfaces. Oxidation of this oil apparently made it acidic. The later version sent to me, after I complained, does not have the corrosion problem but leaves a difficult to remove gummy film if not removed. Sulfur-phos cutting oil did not have any of these problems but I was worried about health effects.

Ted

[jkilroy]

You need UV-C range to do any good, and even then the light doesn't penetrate far into the liquid. Best to circulate it through thin class tubes with a reflective tube and UV source surrounding it. It works wonders once you get it setup right.

[Jaakko Fagerlund]

Yup, you need UV-C light as said. But then you have to also enclose the light properly so you can't see it in any way. It kills bacteria, but it doesn't distinguish your eyes/skin from bacteria, so you WILL get a cancer or other damage and quickly.

[Toolguy]

I have worked in a lot of shops that had all these problems. I found a solution.
One of the main problems is way lube getting in the coolant. Most way lube has sulfur and other additives that make the coolant go bad.
My solution was to get Hangsterfer's S555 coolant and their compatible way lube. The coolant works very well on any project I've done and never goes bad. I have been using this system since 2001 in the CNC mills, surface grinder and bandsaw. There is never any bad smell. All you have to do is keep adding more to keep the correct ratio of coolant to water.
It's a good idea to have a tramp oil skimmer to get the way lube out of the coolant, but it won't go bad with oil in it, just makes a mess on the machine when you use coolant. Also, when the coolant dries on the machine it leaves an oily film that actually does prevent rust for 2 or 3 days.
I'm in the process of finding a small skimmer for a CNC mill. Then all will be well.

[JRouche]

I have a 1200 gal pond in my backyard. Its been in for a few years now and just fine. Last summer I got an algae bloom that just wouldn't clarify on its own. The pond was a dense green color with about 3" visibility.



Last week I bought and installed a UV clarifier..





http://www.amazon.com/Pondmaster-029...6243481&sr=8-4

The pond is completely clear now. In just one week!!!!

Highly recommended for anyone with pond algae. And Id even give it a go on a coolant system. JR

[CCWKen]

1200 gallon pond? Is that a typo or is that pond six feet deep?
That's about 160 cubic feet of water! I have a 1000 gallon rain-water capture tank that looks larger.