Ultra Violet Fluorescent Tubes & Lamps
Ultraviolet fluorescent tubes and lamps are specialist products that offer an ultraviolet output to a multitude of commercial and domestic applications including fly killer units, pond and air filtration, bank note detection, printing and many more. You will find blacklights, germicidal fluorescent lights, compact fluorescent lights and incandescent light sources to replace any existing lamp or tube you require.
Blacklight Blue Fluorescent Tubes Blacklight (Insectocutor) Fluorescent Tubes Germicidal Energy Saving Blacklight Lamps Ultra Violet PLS Blacklight Blue Insectocutor U Tube Insectocutor PLS & PLL Incandescent Blacklight Blue Light Bulbs PLL and PLS Germicidal
Is UV and Fluorescent light the same?
Fluorescent lights use UV to fluoresce and output light. This can be observed when looking into the process of how fluorescent tubes illuminate: Fluorescent tubes are powered with an inert gas at low pressure that uses electricity to excite mercury vapour. The excited mercury vapour then produces short-wave ultraviolet light, this light then causes a phosphor coating to fluoresce, resulting in the visible light you see in fluorescent tubes.
As can be seen, fluorescent tubes use ultraviolet light to illuminate the areas around it. How much ultraviolet light and what type of ultraviolet light (A, B or C) is produced depends on the tube itself.
What are the different types of ultraviolet tubes?
There are a wide array of ultraviolet tubes available on the market, each with their own specific output to match the needed purpose of the user. However, the three most common types of ultraviolet tubes you will see in use are:
- Blacklight Tubes
- A fluorescent tube that is coated with a phosphor that emits UVA light.
- Blacklight Blue Tubes
- A fluorescent tube that is coated with a phosphor that emits UVA light with a dark filter coating on the tube, with the intention to filter out most of the visible light so the fluoresce effect is more pronounced.
- Germicidal Tubes
- A fluorescent tube that is coated with a phosphor that produces UVC light.
What are ultraviolet lamps used for?
Ultraviolet lamps are used in a wide variety of applications for both commercial and residential areas. Due to this, different types of ultraviolet lamps have been developed to accommodate the required needs.
A common application for ultraviolet tubes is for use in a fly killer or bug zapper unit. These units use a blacklight tube, which appears somewhat bright to us, but blindingly attractive to insects such as moths or flies due their ability to see ultraviolet light. As a result, insects go towards fly killer units thanks to this tube.
Ultraviolet lamps are also used for decorative applications, this can be observed in blacklight blue tubes. You will see these used in bars, nightclubs, music festivals and other lively events to create a dramatic, distinctive lighting effect. Another use for blacklight blue tubes is verification for works of art or money due to the tube's ability to fluoresce existing ultraviolet on a subject.
Lastly, ultraviolet lamps are also used for killing off viruses, bacteria and other microorganisms in applications such as a pond filtering unit or an air purification unit. This is accomplished with a lamp that produces UVC light, this being, a germicidal tube.
