How the Orca ionisation system works
The Orca copper silver ionisation system involves the generation of copper and silver ions in water:
- Water flows through the turbine of a flow sensor.
- This sends a signal to the Orca control unit. This then passes a low DC current between two copper and two silver electrodes located in an electrode chamber (called ‘Pod’).
- The current causes the release of copper and silver ions into the flowing water.
- Being electrically charged the copper and silver ions seek opposite polarity and find this in Legionella bacteria as well as in biofilm.
- The copper and silver ions attach, through electrostatic bonds, to negatively charged sites on bacterial cell walls.
- This distorts and weakens the cell wall allowing penetration of the silver ions.
- The silver ions attack the cell by binding at specific sites to DNA, RNA, cellular protein and respiratory enzymes. Consequently, this denies all life support systems to the cell, causing death.
- The copper and the silver ions need to work together. Without the copper ions the silver ions cannot penetrate the cell wall of the target organisms.
ProEconomy have been analysing water since 1993 and have built up substantial data on results. Furthermore, this data shows that where silver and copper ion concentrations at outlets are between 0.02 and 0.08 mg/l and at between 0.2 and 0.4 mg/l respectively we can control Legionella and Pseudomonas.
