There are plenty of UV bulbs waiting in the supply chain. These could be used to make germicidal chambers. Grandma and Grandpa could throw a package in there, let the light shine on it for a while, and poof, no coronavirus. Beats having to wipe down every box from Amazon or food delivery with bleach if you're immunocompromised.
The problem is, all these UV bulbs come in odd sizes:
- E17
- F5, 1' tube
- G23
And they also take low voltages. Even if you get an E26 (standard) to E17 adapter, the bulb will blow the moment you plug it in. Most of these little germicidal bulbs only handle 3, 3.5 watts. What voltage their expecting, I haven't found documented. Presumably the lamps they go into already step down the voltage appropriately.
This seems like it should be a trivial solve. Home Depot carries a page of E17 bulbs. What lighting fixtures do they carry that those will go in? Ikea also has their own E17 bulb. Which lamp does it fit? I'm striking out on finding documentation for this.
I can't begin to guess how many germicidal bulbs are sitting in the supply chain, waiting to be put into service. Once the concept is proven in a DIY Sterilization Chamber for incoming packages, I'd like to take it further. I'd love to fasten a battery powered candelabra atop a roomba and let it bump around any grocery store that will have it overnight, taking a second pass at sterilizing all the surfaces that don't get wiped down or mopped at the end of the day: The cereal boxes that people touched and then put back on the shelves, and everything else like that.
Safety note: Do not expose yourself to a powered germicidal bulb. There's a reason these things are usually enclosed in ductwork, air purifiers, etc.. Hard UV light is bad for you, m'kay? If you're reading this and wanting to build your own, great. Just, enclose the light or set it loose on a roomba when no one is around, ok?
Best Answer
Okay, so you're keen on UV bulbs but don't really have any background in lighting tech. That's fine.
E17 is a type of Edison screw-in base used with incandescent bulbs (and LED conversions). It is the third most popular after E27 (standard lightbulb) and E10 (Candelabra). Many fixtures will apply effectively 120V to an E17 Edison base.
However, the E17 germicidal light bulbs require a very special controlled current and voltage. You must drive them to specification. They will burn out if hooked to voltages intended for E17 incandescent bulbs.
F5 is not a bulb. It is a very particular size of fluorescent tube.
G23 also is not a bulb and is a very particular size of fluorescent tube.
With both fluorescents, it is not enough to read the spec sheet and drive them at specification current. Fluorescents are not as simple as that. The preheat filaments need to be warmed, and then an arc must be struck down the filaments. Commercial off-the-shelf units which do this are readily available; they are called ballasts. One should not reinvent the wheel.
Note that F5 and G23 tubes use a physical form-factor similar to other (lighting) fluorescent tubes (which have different names). The compatibility of the form-factor does not mean the ballasts are compatible. You must consult the ballast data sheet for which tubes it does support.
Your best bet may be to find a fixture that takes a visible-light fluorescent of the same form-factor, then change out the ballast to make it compatible with the germicidal fluorescents.