How Long Does UV Dye Last?
UV dyes are uniquely designed for use in bodies of water of all sizes. The concentration of color will depend on the type of dye used. One Bright Dyes tablet will provide a solid visual in 60 gallons of water. One pint can provide strong visuals in 10,00 gallons of water for liquid concentrates, and for powder, one pound can give a strong visual in 120,000 gallons of water. To find a leak, it can take anywhere between 5 minutes and 45 minutes depending on the size of the water and the location.
While UV dyes are designed to provide long-lasting, vivid color to ensure you can easily detect the leak, once a leak is detected, you want the UV dye to fade as quickly as possible. Once used, UV dyes are designed to dissipate rapidly in the sun, but they last long enough to spot issues, track water flow, and get answers efficiently.
If you desire to remove the dye sooner, the color of all dyes will disappear if the solution is mixed with chlorine. By adding approximately 4 grams of 12% bleach for every gram of product in the solution, you can quickly fade the color and restore the natural color of the water. Adding additional water will also dilute dye concentration and reduce coloration or even eliminate color altogether. The dissolution rate will depend entirely on the volume of water added and the level of concentration of the dye.
Most UV tracing dyes, like the ones from Kingscote Chemicals, are safe for the environment, non-toxic, biodegradable, and meet EPA standards. Kingscote Chemicals offers the only complete line of water tracer dye products certified by the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) Standard 60 for use in and around potable water at recommended levels.
New tracing UV dyes are designed to last indefinitely when stored properly in the recommended method.