Getting Serious for KyJinn

[NennaMeerkat]

Originally Posted by Lankyrob

Not sure about other reptiles shops but the one i use sells Solarglo bulbs and if the bulb blows (not shatters just stops working) within six months of point of sale they replace for free as solarglo refunds them. Have had two so far that blew within 24 hours but no problems with the current ones at all.

Yeah I had to replace a bulb already from the get go. Came home and didn't work right out of the box. Had to take it back. Also found out that if the bulb gets the lamp to hot it will auto shut off until it cools down. Had to up the size of my lamp to up the size of the wattage it could hold. Hopefully now my lamp won't be auto shutting off as often. It couldn't be good for the bulb to be constantly turning off and on during the day.

[infernalis]

Originally Posted by Fliehigh

Keep an eye on your little guy, there has been some issues with the Power Suns lately. All of the MVB (Mercury Vapour Bulbs, which give off heat and UV) started having their glass blown in Asia and the bulbs either don't give off enough UV or too much UV. The Mega Ray and the Power Sun are the two best MVB's on the market but both are having issues. Even the Solar Glo (which use to be an ok bulb) is having issues.

Watch for a change in appetite and watch his eyes. If either one changes replace the bulb.

Fliehigh

Sadly, even Phillips lighting (a Dutch company) obtains the glass from Asia.

I used to be a "fire setter" (calibration of the torches that fuse the glass) and I can honestly say that when the company got their glass from Corning, the bulbs were far sturdier.

Once the import glass came in, the glass was more fragile and had a lower quartz content, so the bulbs would occasionally be brittle and fall apart in the machines.

Compounding insult to injury, the finished product would sometimes explode in the socket during seasoning (Initial burn in)

The company lost a lot of vendor orders including a contract with home depot to carry the Phillips lamps, because the factory was producing rubbish.

[NennaMeerkat]

Originally Posted by infernalis

Sadly, even Phillips lighting (a Dutch company) obtains the glass from Asia.

I used to be a "fire setter" (calibration of the torches that fuse the glass) and I can honestly say that when the company got their glass from Corning, the bulbs were far sturdier.

Once the import glass came in, the glass was more fragile and had a lower quartz content, so the bulbs would occasionally be brittle and fall apart in the machines.

Compounding insult to injury, the finished product would sometimes explode in the socket during seasoning (Initial burn in)

The company lost a lot of vendor orders including a contract with home depot to carry the Phillips lamps, because the factory was producing rubbish.

Gotta love the Asians making stuff cheaply and pricey at the same time right? If it ain't dangerous in one way they can make it dangerous if 50 other ways you wouldn't have thought of.

No real insult meant BTW.

[Fliehigh]

What most people don't realize about the MVB bulbs is that they are supposed to be burnt in for at 10 hours prior to using them over your VIV as well. This is for two reasons:1) to burn off any residue from the manufacturing process and 2) to stabalize the UVB output.

The greatest chance for the bulb to have a break or small explosion is during the first few hours and of course if you touch or move the light while it has been powered.

With the bulb shutting down on you, it is usually due to either the dome not being rated for the AMP's your bulb draws or the MVB heating up. all the MVB bulbs have saftey switches built in to them that shuts them down when they are too hot. To test this if you turn it off, and then switch it back on, the bulb shoud take a minimum of 5 mintues before it re-lights.

Fliehigh