Is your halogen on a dimmer?

[Oxymiocysu]

I got a couple Philips Halogen PAR38 72w flood lights and tested them on a Flukers 8.5" 150w max dimmable dome. The fixture states not to use a light higher than 75w with the dimmer function, so these bulbs are compatible with the fixture. They work fine, no flickering or anything. But I noticed they make a very quiet humming or ringing sound when dimmed that isn't present when the bulb is receiving full power.

Tl;dr - halogen bulbs make quiet humming/ringing sound when dimmed.

Is this normal or should I be concerned? Is it harmful to a bearded dragons hearing?

 

[Rubble1212]

I don’t think it’s an issue during the day when they are awake I’d be more concerned with it at night which in this case won’t be a problem. My timers make a small clicking kind of noise during the day and it’s never bothered my guy’s? But maybe it has and really they’re really annoyed by them lol. Another reason why I wish we could speak dragon language.

 

[Oxymiocysu]

I don’t think it’s an issue during the day when they are awake I’d be more concerned with it at night which in this case won’t be a problem. My timers make a small clicking kind of noise during the day and it’s never bothered my guy’s? But maybe it has and really they’re really annoyed by them lol. Another reason why I wish we could speak dragon language.

My timers also make a ticking sound, but it probably can't be heard within her enclosure. My concern is that the sound the halogen makes when dimmed is kinda high pitched and prolonged exposure might affect her. I just don't know how likely it is. Do you use a halogen on a dimmer, and if so do you notice any sounds coming from it?

 

[Rubble1212]

No I don’t use as dimmer through trial and error I just find a bulb that produces proper temperatures even with room temperature fluctuates. Right now I’m using br30&br40 bulbs for basking, they produce a really wide basking spot no risks of hot spots and find they heat the viv better than a halogen. Unless I use a really low watt halogen my basking spot is way too hot unless you dim it then it’s to dim. In my experience halogen bulbs are best used high up to ensure a nice wide beam. Most halogen’s are 25-30 degree beam angle and unless you raise them up higher the basking area isn’t big enough to fit the whole body of our dragons. Most of the BR(bulge reflector) floods have at least a 80 degree beam angle and make a really big basking spot. Just my preference through a lot of trial and error I could start my own light bulb store lol .

 

[Oxymiocysu]

No I don’t use as dimmer through trial and error I just find a bulb that produces proper temperatures even with room temperature fluctuates. Right now I’m using br30&br40 bulbs for basking, they produce a really wide basking spot no risks of hot spots and find they heat the viv better than a halogen. Unless I use a really low watt halogen my basking spot is way too hot unless you dim it then it’s to dim. In my experience halogen bulbs are best used high up to ensure a nice wide beam. Most halogen’s are 25-30 degree beam angle and unless you raise them up higher the basking area isn’t big enough to fit the whole body of our dragons. Most of the BR(bulge reflector) floods have at least a 80 degree beam angle and make a really big basking spot. Just my preference through a lot of trial and error I could start my own light bulb store lol .

Haha, with the trial and error you mention I bet you could! Would you link me to those bulbs, or something like them, so I can check them out? I'm not concerned with her basking platform being too dim, her whole enclosure is super bright thanks to the huge coverage of her UVB and I could always add extra lighting if need be. The problem I have with heat bulbs is that they get too hot for her, and I can't raise them up any higher because her enclosure is wood and the fixture is mounted on the inside. Hence the new halogen and dimmer.

I'm hoping someone who has their halogen on a dimmer/has experience with such could chime in here. I did shoot a message to the Philips support team to see if they could provide input on the matter too. I'll report back with what they say when they reply if anyone else searches for this issue on the forum.

 

[Oxymiocysu]

After doing extensive research on lights making sound when dimmed, it seems to be fairly normal. Often it's caused by the fact that the lightbulb, when dimmed, is essentially being rapidly turned off/on. The speed is so quick that we don't notice it though. It can usually be corrected by using high quality/trusted brands or changing the wattage of the fixture/bulb. Philips is a generally high quality brand, and Flukers is at least decent. I could experiment trying different bulbs, and may depending on the findings of the following question below.

What I can't find is if the sound can affect bearded dragon hearing after extended exposure. My thought as to why it could is mainly the fact it's a constant pitch and volume. In humans prolonged exposure to certain pitches can cause headaches, stress, etc, and prolonged exposure to a constant volume with little fluctuations (like the noise from an ac, ceiling fan, etc) can cause hearing loss.

This thread might now move in the direction of bearded dragon health instead of lighting, as the major issue is now hearing focused. I would make a post under the health forum but it might be helpful to keep all this information together.

I'm sure there are a few people here who know about bearded dragon hearing. It's not a commonly discussed topic though, so I'm not sure who to tag. I've noticed you guys have responded to some threads about hearing, so maybe you'd have some input on the matter? @KarrieRee @Claudiusx @CooperDragon

 

[Rubble1212]

Amazon.com

Here’s what I’ve been using lately. Mine are in a melamine enclosure and holds heat really well and from about 12 inches up from basking area the temperatures are 100 give or take.

 

[CooperDragon]

I don't know if the buzzing would cause an issue for the dragon. From what I've seen, they don't seem to react much to sounds. The buzzing can get pretty annoying to us though. It's probably best to limit the buzzing as much as possible though. I've noticed that it varies between bulbs. I've used the Philips version of the PAR38 flood and don't remember if it was buzzing much, but it burnt out quickly so I didn't go back to that brand. I do remember the ZooMed Repti Basking spot making a pretty loud buzz. The GE PAR38 tends to work pretty quietly, and the Westinghouse BR40 (incandescent) dims pretty well (and quietly too). I usually only noticed the sound when the bulbs were being ramped up or down (at the beginning or end of the day). I have the height set so that they don't dim much and run close to or at full power for most of the day and the dimmer kicks in if the heat ramps up too much for some reason.

 

[Bunsy44]

I don't know if the buzzing would cause an issue for the dragon. From what I've seen, they don't seem to react much to sounds. The buzzing can get pretty annoying to us though. It's probably best to limit the buzzing as much as possible though. I've noticed that it varies between bulbs. I've used the Philips version of the PAR38 flood and don't remember if it was buzzing much, but it burnt out quickly so I didn't go back to that brand. I do remember the ZooMed Repti Basking spot making a pretty loud buzz. The GE PAR38 tends to work pretty quietly, and the Westinghouse BR40 (incandescent) dims pretty well (and quietly too). I usually only noticed the sound when the bulbs were being ramped up or down (at the beginning or end of the day). I have the height set so that they don't dim much and run close to or at full power for most of the day and the dimmer kicks in if the heat ramps up too much for some reason.

How many watts is your PAR38 bulb? Is a flood light or a spotlight better? Also, the bulbs come in Soft White, Bright white and Warm white. Is there better one to use for a dragon?

 

[Rubble1212]

I don’t mean to speak on behalf of cooperdragon but I’m pretty sure he used a 90 watt and like he said just dimmed a little bit or run full pelt you don’t want to dim a high wattage bulb to much your better off stepping down a wattage and just slightly dim it. Soft white and warm white are the same thing and people say halogen are a bright white light but they are almost all the same kelvin rating as an incandescent. I’ve also never seen a halogen flood say bright white they always are soft white?

 

[Rubble1212]

They have bright white in LED and fluorescent

 

[CooperDragon]

I've tested everything from 60w to 90w in PAR38 size. I try to get ones that are closer to daylight 6500k rather than the "warmer" colors, but have tried a bunch of different bulbs and not seen much reaction either way from my dragon as long as the lumens are strong/bright and the heat is in the preferred range. I prefer using flood lights when I can, because they have a wider beam than a spot light. I try to make the basking zone (surface temps) at least the diameter of the length of my dragon to allow for even basking, but wider is typically better.

 

[Rubble1212]

I've tested everything from 60w to 90w in PAR38 size. I try to get ones that are closer to daylight 6500k rather than the "warmer" colors, but have tried a bunch of different bulbs and not seen much reaction either way from my dragon as long as the lumens are strong/bright and the heat is in the preferred range. I prefer using flood lights when I can, because they have a wider beam than a spot light. I try to make the basking zone (surface temps) at least the diameter of the length of my dragon to allow for even basking, but wider is typically better.

Have you found a halogen flood in 6500 kelvin range? Everything I’ve found is 2700-3000 range. Even that 90 watt GE I just got is 2750 kelvin. Let me know if you found them I’ll buy a few. Again sorry didn’t mean to respond for I was just trying to be helpful.

 

[CooperDragon]

I haven't found any either, but i'd prefer it if I saw the option. What I meant in part of my response was that the bulbs in the middle of the range tend to work just fine, so I wouldn't let that be a sticking point on its own.

 

[Rubble1212]

yeah I’ve had just as good reaction from my guy from a bulb that’s 540 lumens vs 1900 lumens both with the same kelvin rating. It almost seems like he spends more time basking with the less bright bulbs?