John Heckman, channel marketing manager, OASIS
Purification at the final point of dispense has been the holy grail of drinking water dispensing, but it has proven to be expensive and elusive. Launched late in 2019, OASIS began fitting free-standing and wall-mounted bottle fillers with the germ-obliterating power of UV-C light in an energy efficient, ecologically smart LED.
QUASAR®-equipped bottle filters achieve 99.99% reduction of common waterborne pathogens lingering in a facility’s pipes – including Legionella, Giardia, Listeria, Cryptosporidium, Shigella and E. coli, among others – taking aim at these disease-causing pipe dwellers literally as the water flows from the dispense point, and before the guest enjoys the newly purified water.
The science of QUASAR® was inspired by a particularly vexing bacterium. Since 2000, the rate of reported cases of Legionnaires’ disease had increased by 550%. This pneumonia-like disease is so serious that it kills one in 10 people who get it (and an astonishing one in four if the infected person has a compromised immune system).
“With Legionella already in most water systems, treating the water at the point-of-dispense is the best defense against infection,” said Lou Busick, vice president of innovation at OASIS International. “Until now, there hasn’t been a way to do that. QUASAR® is the best possible solution for environments with vulnerable populations – and anywhere sanitation is crucial.”
“UV-C LEDs changed the game in how we approach creating healthy water systems,” said Tu Dile, OASIS engineering manager. “By designing a bottle filler that can disinfect water right at the point-of-dispense, we practically eliminate the possibility of contamination.”
Using UV light to disinfect water is not a new technology, but previous systems were slow, expensive, short-lived and required dangerous materials such as mercury. The UV-C LEDs in QUASAR® provide sterilizing UV light with a small footprint, long life, low energy consumption and without dangerous chemicals.
Because QUASAR’s exclusive UV-C LED is active directly at the dispense point, it has several additional advantages. First, it not only disinfects the water but the dispense point itself, thus protecting its surface from errant finger pokes or other contact that might carry bacteria. Second, UV-C LEDs will not heat the water, assuring a refreshing draw every time. Cool operation also means no fouling, no scaling and no mineral deposits.
The QUASAR® point-of-dispense bottle filter was awarded the IUVA 2020 Emerging Technology Award. Since then, more than 1,000 units have been sold across North America. They’ve been successfully installed and are operating in hundreds of locations, including schools, universities, healthcare facilities and office buildings. And while no customer wants to openly admit it is addressing a potential pathogen problem, the QUASAR® equipped units continue to operate safely and reliably during the current pandemic.
The UV module itself also recently received NSF 55 Class B Certification for disinfection performance.
To learn more about the pathogen-fighting abilities of QUASAR®, contact OASIS at 800.646.2747 or info@oasiscoolers.com.
