Whether a small cottage UV or a bank of 100 UV lights sanitizing New York City water, all UV lamps need regular servicing. The UV lamp itself needs replacing once every 12 months of lit/burn time. (This is the manufacturer's requirement, and is regardless of one gallon or 100,000 gallons passing through it!) That is, 365 days of lamp life. The reason for this is that the UV lamp is mercury gas and it slowly burns at a lower intensity over its life until, at about 365 days, it may not be at the intensity needed to confidently sterilize your water.
In a part-time cottage or seasonal home, simply shutting off the water valve before the UV and unplugging it, will allow you to maximize the use of the UV when you need it. You will need to remember to start it up each time you're in residence and track carefully when it's in use, as when it totals 365 days, then it will need replacement and servicing.
Do not let anyone simply replace the lamp. All UVs are two part systems: UV lamp and quartz sleeve or tube that the UV is housed. The quartz tube needs to be thoroughly cleaned and inspected and new o-rings installed. A new UV lamp inside a filthy quartz sleeve is pointless and a waste of money. Some systems require the sleeves cleaned more than once per year.
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