**Mega Ray Issues** / Megaray RECALL

[JMWolff12]

We know that the coating works, because we have had these bulbs over our own animals for months now, and also because we have shipped hundreds if not thousands out on the market. Out of all of those bulbs, as I stated earlier, we have seen a total of 6 cases where the overcoat spray did not stop the PKC symptoms.

Again, anyone experiencing problems should email or call me directly, and I will do everything I can to get you taken care of. Once I have final word on the correct glass being back in place, i will of course let you know.

John

 

[ajkry2]

You're a good man.

 

[beardie parents]

John, this has got to be very frustrating for you. I guess it's possible that some beardies are more sensitive than others, I don't know. I do know that we've had no problems with the setups we bought from you back in late March. We got the 60 watt eb setup and we love it, so far. Thanks for doing all you can to get this fixed for all, not just 'most' as some companies are doing.

 

[colorourselves]

I just put in three new bulbs yesterday from the FJ batch, this morning one of my beardos would not open his eyes. Now i have to switch back to a bulb thats a year and two months old. What bublbs are good now if mega ray and T rex arent. i dont know what to do someone please just tell me wich blulbs are still safe to use and actually provide the proper uvb

 

[vickson420]

Are these the new coated bulbs? Is he opening his eyes now with the old UVB? It may be a good idea to keep him UVB free for a few days to allow his eyes to heal and I would contact Megaray immediately and report this to them.

 

[binger]

I just put in three new bulbs yesterday from the FJ batch, this morning one of my beardos would not open his eyes. Now i have to switch back to a bulb thats a year and two months old. What bublbs are good now if mega ray and T rex arent. i dont know what to do someone please just tell me wich blulbs are still safe to use and actually provide the proper uvb

My problematic bulb was from the FJ batch as well... and it was a replacement from another bulb. I had to ditch my Megaray entirely and go to a compact fluorescent temporarily (after allowing her eyes to heal and open up again after almost a week). Unfortunately, since I didn't buy direct from Megaray, I can't seem to get any resolution on this.

I hope you have better luck with them than I did. I seriously love(d) my Megaray bulbs - best I've ever used.. until this year

 

[lilacdragon]

Hi, guys.

THIS IS IMPORTANT: If you are buying a "ReptileUV MegaRay" it is very important that you ONLY buy it from either ReptileUV (If you are in the USA) or MegaRay.co.uk (in the UK) OR that the store you buy it from has themselves bought it directly from either of these two companies.

It has come to my attention that some other companies have purchased their lamps DIRECT FROM WESTRON of CANADA, these are bulbs that have NOT been coated and MAY THEREFORE CAUSE THE SAME EYE PROBLEMS AS BEFORE.

To be coated with the safety coating, the bulbs MUST be shipped first to the ReptileUV premises, either in North Carolina or the UK, where the UVB output is checked bulb by bulb, and the lamps are individually coated with the specific plastic seal to block shorter wavelengths. This is NOT done at the Westron factory.

I have just been sent two lamps from Westron, labelled batch "CJ" which do not have this coating; they are also absolutely clear glass, so they look different from the "smoky, milky" appearance we are used to... I have not tested these yet, but this confirms to me that Westron are now onto batch numbers with a J instead of an I as the second letter.
I think we need to wait to hear from John Wolff at ReptileUV to find out if they can update us further on this situation....

Frances

 

[JMWolff12]

Hello everyone,

I cannot honestly tell you what you can or cannot accept from Westron at this time. We test and modify every bulb that we get from them, but can only speak for ourselves.

As always, anyone experiencing issues from the bulbs is welcome to call. I will do everything I can to make sure you are taken care of.

I cannot go into detail at this time, but we do hope to be back to the original glass within a few months, which would naturally block out the dangerous UV that has been causing this issue. For right now, and at last count, I have seen a total now of 9 cases where the overspray we apply has not eliminated the problem.

John

 

[cyberdrone]

Can we get a listing of SAFE UVB (Solarmeter 6.2) and UVI (Solarmeter 6.5) readings for EACH of the MVB sold by MegaRay for Bearded Dragons?
This is without the confusing X" (inches) is safe, which *could be* very inaccurate due to the way the coating is applied.
These lamps should be setup to closely match a "range" and not a distance. Each enclosure is different. Each environment that the enclosure is in, is different.

***If you dont own either of these meters, it should be your #1 to purchase priority as a reptile owner.***

IE:
60W EB:
UVI: ?-?
UVB: ?-?

100W SB:
UVI: ?-?
UVB: ?-?

160W SB:
UVI: ?-?
UVB: ?-?

 

[JMWolff12]

What you have to understand here is that anything I post for a "safe" reading right now may not hold true in 1-2 months time. Typically we look for our lamps to have a 30 to 1 ratio of UVB to UVI. For instance, if the UVI on a bulb is 5, Ideally the UVB would be 150. But because of the recent issues with the glass, and the coatings that are being applied, this is no longer true. A bulb with a reading of 5 on the UVI could easily read at a 50-70 for UVB. This is due to the fact that it was necessary for us to temporarily drop the UVB to ensure the safety of the bulbs.

What I can tell you is that anything above an 8 is really way to much, and we actually prefer the UVI to fall within a 3-6 range for most species.

I will not list off specifics for each bulb, since the range is the same for all of them. The supposedly safe range is not as accurate as we would like to believe, because these bulbs can still contain short wave radiation. That is why we chose the spray we chose. It did the best job blocking out the shortwave radiation of all the methods we tried.

I want you all to understand that I know this is frustrating. I know if I were in your shoes, I would feel like I did not know where to turn. But I can tell you this. We are spending thousands upon thousands of both dollars and man hours trying to get this problem fixed permanently, and we are close. I will always answer your phone calls and emails with sincere concern, and a willingness to help you get this fixed no matter what it takes.

I promise we will have our old standard of bulbs in place as quickly as we possibly can, and the very second I have a known date for that happy event, I will post it both here and on our website. I may not be able to be reached that day, since I will probably throw a party to celebrate, but you can call me the next business day!!



John

 

[cyberdrone]

After I posted I realized that all the bulbs would be the same in "safe" range. oops.

Is MegaRay going to offer free replacement with the "old standard of bulbs", if original bulb is from the "fixit standard of bulbs"?

I know when I purchased mine (a month or so ago, with only currently 3 days of operation due to the lengthily back-order time) I didnt read anything about the coating on the product page or that the "standard" had changed. The product page still has no information about it, and does not say back-ordered either. It also states that the UVB should be within 150-200 @ 18" and 50-75 @ 20", which based on what you just said, is inaccurate.

Honestly, I spent hundred of dollars/hours building a viv, designed specifically for a MVB. With a MegaRay 160W SB bulb in particular. Most manufacturing companies that make display cases source out a specific bulb and hardware for each project, as I did for my display case. The biggest difference is that I am displaying a living animal. Which means the products I source out and use need to match what they advertise, without fail. I dont want to worry about MBD, PKC or anything else that can go wrong just from improper UV lighting.

I know MegaRay, John in particular is VERY active on the forum(s) and keeps everyone updated. That shows great customer service and I thank you for that.

Based on statements like :..."and a willingness to help you get this fixed no matter what it takes." I just hope there is a replacement program for the people that recently purchased an MVB that you acknowledge is not what you consider a standard or not in need of being fixed.

John, this isnt meant to be a slam against MegaRay or you... but with all of the worry one goes through with the current lighting options (read: CFL, MVB) it is very stressful for the consumers too. We ALL have dollars and hours invested, but the consumer has emotional investment on top of that.

 

[cyberdrone]

I might be over reacting... but this is exactly why I would like things changed on your site and for recent purchases.

Both of the below pictures were taken 10 min ago. To me, his eyes, after only 24 of it being installed in his viv (I stated 3 days prior, but he was not under the light as I had it in a burn-in fixture) I see swollen eye lids.

this is his normal spunky self:

 

[beardie parents]

John, I just sent you an email a few minutes ago. I had a problem crop up that has me stumped. We had one ballast box quit working this afternoon. One balast works and one doesn't. We changed the balast between vivs and the non-working one works and the working one doesn't. Before I purchased this setup I wanted to make sure the ballast wouldn't quit working and all I would have to do is to replace the bulbs every year to year and half and not have to buy a new complete setup every year. Do you have a warranty on the ballast? We purchased them on April 2, 2010 (or there abouts) and received them the following Monday. They both were installed on that Tuesday, April 6th.

Thanks for your help

Lori

 

[lilacdragon]

Hi, Lori.

We changed the ballast between vivs and the non-working one works and the working one doesn't.

This sounds like an electrical difference between the two vivs, rather than a problem with the ballast.
I'm sure you've tested the bulbs themselves, and both work in one viv but not the other...
And I'm sure you've tried putting a table lamp into the mains socket of the viv that "doesn't work" to check the fuse, the socket itself, the wiring, etc....

The ballast ignites the lamp with a powerful, high-voltage pulse and if anything (dirt, oxide, damp) causes a voltage drop, the lamp won't ignite. If neither ballast work in one viv but both work in the other - and so do both the bulbs - then I'd guess it could be a problem with the ignition pulse not reaching the lamp in the "problem" viv...
So the first thing I'd try would be to examine the pins on the ballast plug and the lamp plug - ie. the points where an electrical connection could be weakened. Have any of the wires come loose? Are any of the pins bent, dirty or coated with oxide? Sometimes I gently rub over my pins with fine sandpaper to freshen up the connections.

The next thing I'd definitely try is taking the bulb out of its fixture and doing the same little freshen-up operation with the base of the bulb, and also the inside of the lamp fixture... check the little pins inside the ceramic lampholder are sticking out as far as they should, and are shiny and clean. I have several different fixtures for doing my lamp tests, and often I have "failures" due to bad connections inside the lamp holder. Most can be fixed with very careful bending of the springy bit inside with my fingers, and fine sandpaper.

Is it a dome fixture, resting on top of a mesh lid, or is the lamp an integral part of the vivarium and, for example, wired through the ceiling? In both cases, I'd also check the wiring where it joins the fixture. Heat will make the outer plastic coating on the inner electrical wires go brittle with time, and sometimes these crack or come loose.

If none of these things work.... :silent:
Is there a different sort of timer on that socket, or is it supplying more than one appliance, or anything else that could affect the electricity going through?

Best wishes
Frances

 

[beardie parents]

Thanks for those ideas, Francis. Before I got home yesterday, my husband took the bulb out of the non- working one and put it into the working one and the bulb did work. Yesterday evening before bed I changed the ballasts between vivs so the non-working ballast is in the viv where the working one was and put the working ballast into the other viv. This am the one bulb came on and the one didn't, it doesn't seem to matter where the ballast is plugged in. I have both ballasts plugged into a timer so we don't unplug them. I guess dirt could have gotten into something there as AZ is famous for our dirt. One must dust daily to keep it down sometimes it seems.

I've plugged other things into the plug and the timer seems to be working good. We put another bulb into the fixture the mega ray bulb was in and the other bulb worked.