When evaluating a UVC disinfection product, it’s essential to understand that a successful UVC treatment cycle depends on three key factors…
When evaluating a UVC disinfection product, it’s essential to understand that a successful UVC treatment cycle depends on three key factors – power, proximity and time. Here’s why each is important:
1. Power – The more power a UVC disinfection device has, the more comprehensive it is at killing viruses. A more powerful device will be able to project its disinfection over a longer range, and more effectively disinfect shadowed areas of rooms.
2. Proximity – A larger room will require more power and m ore time to be comprehensively disinfected, because there is a greater distance to cover. The same is true for a room which has a greater number of objects within it.
3. Time – Time is a function of the first two factors. Only when power and proximity are understood can the length of time required be properly evaluated – and a comprehensive disinfection guaranteed.
The time in which a device can purportedly disinfect a room is often touted as the most important metric for understanding its efficacy. But the much more important factor is how the amount of time it takes is calculated.
Some devices will use a fixed amount of time for each disinfection, instead of calculating it as a function of power and proximity. This means they might be able to boast quick disinfections – but it’s unlikely that they will deliver a comprehensive bacteria and virus kill under the wide range of circumstances they will face in real-world use.
When evaluating UVC disinfection devices, look instead to products which provide a dynamic, per-disinfection evaluation of the length of time required for a given room – not those which tout the shortest times. They might be faster, but they’re likely to result in less effective disinfection.
Our own THOR UVC® offers a sophisticated calculation of required disinfection time, each time it is used. It follows a pre-treatment route around the room, scanning the room’s size in order to intelligently map the space. In addition, it analyses the amount of furniture, equipment and other objects in the space, to ensure it has a comprehensive 3D picture of what it will be disinfecting.
Based on this analysis, and its software’s understanding of its own, market-leading UVC output power, THOR UVC® then calculates the amount of time it will require to kill 99.9999% of viruses and bacteria in the space (including COVID-19).
When you are considering a UVC disinfection product for your medical facility, office, restaurant, or hotel, consider not how fast a device can function – but how it is calculating that speed.
How can I find out more about UVC disinfection and purchasing a system?
Our expert team is on hand to offer advice on the right UVC disinfection solution for your office, hotel, restaurant or commercial premises setting, and how best to deploy it.
To find out more, please email our international sales team or call us on:
UK: +44 (0) 207 193 5641
USA: +1 844 4 346736
Aus: +61 1300 665 884
