by Brianna Crandall — August 5, 2019 — Oasis International, a provider of clean drinking water solutions for over 100 years, recently announced two new products related to drinking water: the Quasar UV-C LED bottle filler and the ADA-compliant, retrofittable K-12 Bottle Filler. The Quasar bottle filler is highlighted below.
Quasar UV-C LED water bottle filler
Research and development professionals in the drinking fountain industry have long known that ultraviolet (UV) light is highly effective at inactivating harmful bacteria and other pathogens found in water, says Oasis. The challenge has been harnessing the UV light so that it is mercury-free, draws minimal energy, and becomes a cost-effective new feature that will appeal to end users. To meet this challenge, Oasis International is introducing its new Quasar bottle fillers.
Oasis Quasar bottle fillers use an energy-efficient LED to deliver UV-C light to cleanse drinking water as it comes out of the dispenser. Image courtesy Oasis
Quasar bottle fillers, for the first time ever, utilize an energy-efficient, ecologically smart light-emitting diode (LED) to deliver UV light, specifically UV-C, to cleanse drinking water as it comes out of the dispenser.
Quasar fillers are engineered to achieve a 99.99% reduction of common waterborne pathogens, including giardia, legionella, listeria, cryptosporidium, shigella, and E. coli, among others. When paired with Oasis water filters, also available with each unit, Quasar is designed to provide safe, pure, pathogen-free drinking water.
Quasar’s exclusive UV-C LED is active directly at the dispense point, offering a number of advantages. First, it disinfects not only the water but the dispense point itself — protecting its surface from accidental hand touching or other contact that might carry bacteria.
Second, the LED is always ready for action, requiring no time to “warm up” like conventional UV lamps. Not only do those traditional UV lights need time to get ready to disinfect, they get physically warm. In contrast, Quasar’s UV LEDs won’t heat the water, assuring a refreshing draw every time. Cool operation also means no fouling, no scaling, and no mineral deposits, notes the company.
UV light exists between visible light and x-ray on the electromagnetic spectrum, explains Oasis. It is divided into four subcategories: V-UV, UV-C, UV-B, and UV-A. UV-C photons are desirable for protection against pathogens because they penetrate organic cells and damage their DNA, rendering them incapable of reproduction and microbiologically dead.
Quasar’s LEDs treat water without using harmful chemicals or altering taste. Where conventional UV lamps contain mercury, a hazardous material that requires special disposal, UV-C LEDs are mercury-free and easy to dispose of at the end of service life (which is estimated at three years or more). Quasar’s LED assembly is self-contained and easy to replace.
For added protection, Quasar’s alcove is manufactured with Freshield, Oasis’s exclusive silver-based antimicrobial compound, to prevent degradation and deterioration caused by bacterial growth.
Quasar is said to mark a bold step forward from Oasis and strategic partner AquiSense Technologies, a global supplier of UV-C LED disinfection systems, in the point-of-use battle against waterborne pathogens.
To find out more about the pathogen-fighting abilities of Quasar, visit the Oasis website.
