An Ultra-Violet (UV) light emits light at a specific frequency, usually 365-400nm (nanometers). To you and me, that means faster than most lights. The NUVO-Glo™ UV Lighting System operates at a frequency of 365nm, which is the optimal light speed to activate the fluorescent particles in the NUVO-Glo™ aggregates and the glow-in-the-dark Mosaics.
According to thoughtco.com, a UV light causes fluorescent materials to glow or light up brightly because the fluorescent materials will absorb the UV light and re-admit it simultaneously. In this process, a small amount of the energy from the light is lost, and that is why the purplish or invisible light emitted by most UV light is not reflected. The fluorescent object will show the visible light, which makes the material appear to glow.
In the case of glow-in-the-dark (phosphorescent) materials, they can use any light source that the material is exposed to and store some of the energy. The release of this stored energy is what causes the glow-in-the-dark materials to glow. Different glow materials have different energy release and storage rates. That is why some glow materials are very bright in the dark and stay lit for more extended periods and others not as bright and barely visible after only a few minutes.
To sum up glow-in-the-dark and fluorescent luminescence, glow absorbs and stores energy from any light source (but UV works better and faster) and then releases that stored energy making the material glow in the dark. Fluorescence is basically a reflector and only works with UV light. It does not save or store energy; it merely reflects it in the form of a bright shine.
So how does a UV light work in the NUVO-Glo™ UV Lighting System? When the light is on, the visible beam spread is between 110–120 degrees. (see Fig. 1) The beam has an additional invisible light spread between 140–150 degrees. This additional invisible light spread will light up the aggregate and mosaics in the NUVO-Glo™ UV Lighting System with similar intensity in the areas where the visible light hits surfaces.
Fig. 1 – NUVO-Glo™ UV Light Spread
Distance is also something that must be considered when using a UV light in a pool. For example, if the brightness level is relatively constant at 5 feet, then at 10 feet, there will be a 75% decrease of the original brightness. At 20 feet, you will only see about 1/16 of the initial intensity. However, the invisible UV light continues to illuminate fluorescent and phosphorescent objects up to 40 feet. The UV light also bounces off the surface of the water and back down and refracts around the inside of the pool. So even though you do not see the light hitting the NUVO-Glo™ Aggregates that are installed on the wall behind the light, you can look closely and see the aggregates. If you have NUVO-Glo™ Mosaics installed on the wall by the lights, they will still light up well.
It is amazing all the ways a simple UV light can be used. UV light can be used to give you a tan, sterilize your cell phone, annihilate viruses (in 2020), clean your pool, and in our case, entertainment and fun. The NUVO-Glo™ UV Lighting System combines a safe pool lighting system with aggregates and mosaics that turn an average pool into a WOW! Pool.
