help, just got MVB but...

[jscott]

i just got my 2 MVBs in the mail. problem is i just screwed them in and realiazed how far they stick out. do they have to be kept perfectly level or can they "fall over" alittle bit?

if they do have to be perfectly level, what kind of device can i mount untop of my wire mesh to stand it up?

125watt solar-glo.

 

[jscott]

also, i just realized that none of my bulbs screw in exactly level to the hoods circumference. is that slight tilt going to cause something to blow? i dont understand how i would be able to make a bulb so perfectly level unless it had an actual level on it :? .

 

[jscott]

ok, on further tinkering, i found that one of my hoods can hang over one of my cages if i can find some sort of reliable chain or rope.

hanging the other one isnt an option, id need a stand or something and i dont have the $ right now. do you think i could wad up 3 aluminum foil balls then cut notches in the tops of each one, then stick the aluminum balls at even intervals around the rim of the hood? they should be able to take the heat right? i mean, aluminum gets up to a few hundred degrees in the oven, and under the hood itll be a few inches away from the bulb. the air temp around the bulb shouldnt get hot enough to effect the aluminum right?

 

[jargonchipmunk]

mechanically, your idea is sound. another idea I've seen used on planted tanks before in place of the normal light legs is to cut a wire coat hanger into four bits and shape each bit into a mini-stand with a bend where the light edge sits. You might get creative and do something like that. The coat hanger will definitely take the heat.

 

[fresnowitte]

No it needs to be perfectly level in order to work properly. If at an angle even the slightest it will burn out prematurely.

You can use a deep dome instead of the standard I believe. (someone will chime in on that). I happened to use the regular dome fixture with mine. Therefore I can not sit my light on the top. Which is okay because I don't use a top.

They sell lamp stands for the dome fixtures. Myself the reptile supply suppliers already get more than enough money from me. So we mounted some sticks to our shelving to clamp the lamp to.

 

[jscott]

i like that coat hanger idea. it sounds time consuming but cheap and permanent.

thanks for the idea.

barbara, stylin' cage 8) .

i got Buddys set like that now. all i need to do is that coathanger stand thing. or something similar.

 

[jscott]

ok ive got a new problem. i was sitting here typing and the MVB i just got yesterday went out. it worked fine alday yesterday and all of a sudden now it went out.

i touched the hood and ceramic part and found that it was hot! waaay hotter than it got yesterday. so i unplugged it. im hoping when i plug it back in in ten minutes that it will work.

this morning before i turned his light on for the day, i took the hood off the chain and set it down UPSIDE DOWN to readjust the length of the chain. i didnt want to set it down normal because the bulb sticks out about 2 inches and the whole hood is kinda heavy for that.

so did i kill it but turning it upside down, even though it had been off all night long and totally cool?

jeeze these things are so touchy!...

*EDIT*

ok so i just plugged it in and it turned on :mrgreen: .

so i guess the question is, what would make it heat up like that? it was on for a good 6 hours yesterday with no problems. i touched it several times and wasnt that hot. today, i plug it in and after maybe an hour it just goes off.

anyone wanna take a whack at this?

 

[Loganator]

Hi jscott,

Yeah, those MVB's are finicky. Setting it down upside down should not have hurt it. It's probably just hot and needs to cool before it will come back on. I have tried 4 different brands of MVB's in the last 8 months trying to find the best one. Yes, It has been expensive, but I want the best for our beardie. They really are quite different from brand to brand. Some are much touchier than others. One brand wouldn't turn on if the ambient temp in the room was too cool. Bummer in the winter if you don't keep your house really warm. DO NOT get the PowersunUV. Some folks have had no problems with this one, but I found it puts out way more UV (and alot of heat) than others and poor Izzy kept his eyes shut most of the time when it was on. I raised it and that helped.

I have finally settled on the T-Rex ActiveUV MVB and as a matter of fact, this one is much heftier it seems. Not as fragile. BUT this one also does not keep the temps quite as high as the others.

So, for me it was trial and error. Not cheap, but those others had good return policies and I sent them back for refunds.

P.S. I hang mine over the tank with a chain screwed into the ceiling, just like a dining room light would hang over a table. Not convenient if I want to move the tank, but for the time being it works!

Debbie

BTW - They have a "break-in" time, when the UV and heat output flucuates. They become stable after approx. 100 hours depending on the brand. Read the instructions that came with it. One of mine said this break-in time was 50 hours.

 

[jscott]

cool, thanks for the info. right now hes not under his either. hes hanging out in the shade. i checked the temps and all are withing comfortable range.

im about to post some pics of his viv right now.

thanks again :wink: .

 

[akingsley9000]

Hey Jscott -

Just make sure that the domes that you are using have a ceramic base (sometimes they are plastic, which can melt) that the bulbs screw into and also make sure that they are rated high enough to take the wattage of the MVB.

When i switched to MVBs i found it took a couple of days for them to get used to them

 

[fresnowitte]

Jason the MVB's will do this on occasion when they get to hot. They have a built in safety mechanism that shuts them down when they reach temps to high for the bulb to handle. It will only shut down long enough to cool down and then it will come back on....this is a good thing. :wink:

 

[GoFast]

yes they will shut down as a safety measure if they get too hot. the thing to think about though is why is it getting too hot?? you may want to make sure your socket is rated high enough.

 

[fresnowitte]

yes they will shut down as a safety measure if they get too hot. the thing to think about though is why is it getting too hot?? you may want to make sure your socket is rated high enough.

Because we live in California the Sunshine State. :wink: So in the hours between 3 and 5 pm it is our hottest hours of the day and they are known to do this here.

 

[jscott]

thanks everyone. yea, both my fixtures are rated to +150watts.

maybe the other day i had the central air on and didnt notice the cooler room temp.

at any rate, it didnt turn off anymore today. it might have been like Barbara said and that today was the first time i had it plugged in during mid-day.

 

[Amoore311]

I hung my MVB from the ceiling over my guy's cage. It was the only way I could get the bulb 12" from his basking spot realistically.