Hello Everyone,
As I am sure you noticed I did not get the chance to write up my report this weekend, as I promised I would. I apologize for the extra delay.
I am going to start with a much abbreviated overview of what has taken place thus far. A lot of this is Information most of you already have, but in the interest of continuity, I want this report to encompass the whole situation.
In September of 2009, the company that manufactures our bulbs for us informed us that they had gotten an exceptionally clean quality of glass in compared to what we have been using for years. In October, when we received the first batch of bulbs manufactured using this new glass, our onsite testing revealed that the bulbs were spiking too high a reading when measured using a SolarMeter model 6.5. To correct this, we modified the bulbs using a frost spray, which we had been using for years to make our “Low” bulbs.
Unfortunately, as many of you have experienced, this frost spray did not stick, and actually began to flake and peel after about a week. This then exposed the animals under these bulbs to a dangerous level of UV that they would not get in nature.
When it became apparent that our current methods were not working, we sent the bulbs off for testing by Dr. Frances Baines. She informed us that the bulbs were actually allowing a low level radiation that you do not see in our atmosphere to leak through to the animals. At this point we halted all shipping until we could find a fix for the problem that we could be sure of.
Once we knew about the additional problem, we began experimenting with different ways to safely modify the bulbs. We eventually tried a solution called Aqua 222, which was water based and blocks UV. This product is a high performance, organic glass coating designed as an alternative to acid etching and cold end coatings. It is a green product, and is environmentally friendly. It is non-toxic, non-corrosive, and solvent free. Most importantly for us, it has UV inhibitive properties.
Now, we sent several bulbs modified using this spray, as well as some other options we thought might work to Dr. Baines for further testing. After she completed her tests, this is what we found. The Aqua 222 spray selectively blocks out the shortwave length radiation better than any of the other options we tried. It also got the UVI readings into an acceptable range, though it did lower the total UVB output more than expected. Because we know that a bulb with a UVI reading of 3-6 will cause your animal to produce excellent levels of D3, we opted to use the Aqua 222 solution as a temporary fix to the problem, and we firmly believe that this will NOT cause any health issues for any animal using bulbs with this modification.
UVI readings on this bulb average the range out to a 4.5, which is perfect for Vitamin D3 production. It is still very important that the bulbs be used at appropriate distances, and we will be taking measures in the future to make it more clear what those distances are. I have updated the statement that comes with all bulbs to include a note about the minimum distance NOT being the optimum distance for most species, along with several other updates to outdated information.
Now, some of our customers have noticed that shipping is not moving quite as fast as it used to. I would like to take a moment address this.
To properly apply and cure this new modification is actually somewhat time consuming. We have to first test the bulbs, and mark down the readings we get on the bulb itself. They are then sprayed, 12 at a time, and then baked in an oven at 400 degrees, to properly cure and harden. They are then retested to ensure safety, and if found to be within the acceptable range we clean off the readings, and make sure the bulb is in good working order. They are then placed to the side, and the process starts all over again on the next batch. If the bulbs are not safe after the initial coating is applied we repeat the process. Any bulb found to be unsafe after two coatings is set to the side and marked “unusable”.
As you can see, this is somewhat more time consuming then it used to be, when we were still using the older glass.
I want to stress to everyone that we do hope this will only be a temporary fix. It works for these “CLEAR, CLEAN GLASS” bulbs, but we hope to get more of the older quality back in, and be able to go back to our original bulb. However, this is the best and safest option we have found for ensuring your pets safety.
I hope this provides a clearer understanding of what has been done to ensure the safety of your pets, while also making sure we are putting out a bulb that meets our high standards. Thank you again, for your patience, understanding, and loyalty through all of this. It means the world to all of us here at ReptileUV.
John Wolff
He will be making a detailed post some time this week as to how they have fixed the problem. He apologizes for not posting on the thread lately, but that he has been directing his entire focus on testing the bulbs and getting them ready for shipping. He explained to me the long drawn out testing process that they are going through with these bulbs to assure that they are absolutely safe for our pets, which I'm sure he will explain in his post.
Nhà Cái Cá Cược Trực Tuyến Đáng Chơi Nhất 2024
