My 3rd Mega ray has just burnt out already!!! Whats happenin

[cath1024]

Hi there,
I have had 3 Mega ray 160W bulbs all within about 5 months.

Anyone know why this is happening? I cannot seem to get any answers from the store where i bought 2 of them and have yet to go back to where i bought this 3rd one only about 1 month ago!

I have a 100W one in another tank that seems to be ok for the past 2-3 months anyways ... i have them in deep dome zoo med holders that hold upto 160W 120V ... could this be the problem?

Its getting very frustrating not to mention expensive when i didnt have my receipt for the first 2.

Any advice??

Thank you

 

[GoFast]

i think i read about this somewhere. How do you have it mounted/oriented? Is it straight up and down or do you have it angled a bit? If i remember correctly when you mount the megaray on any sort of angle it tends to burn them out for some reason.

 

[cath1024]

yes i heard that somewhere bfore too .. it is hanging on a lamp stand straight up and down

Right now i put a 75w and a 50w for heat but i dont have any UVB source at the moment will he be ok until tonight when i can get out and get another mega ray?

 

[GoFast]

yes he will be ok for a day without uvb. You should be able to warranty the prematurely burnt out bulbs.

The only other thing that I could think of is: Are you moving the light ever? bumping it, maybe something is causing it to vibrate?

 

[cath1024]

Dont you need to have the receipt for the burnt out bulbs?

My beardie hasnt moved at all today since i have the reg bulbs on him ... he usually is very active and hasnt even touched his salad and he normally has half the bowl gone by now!

Do you think it is because it isnt as bright without the mega ray?

 

[LQDragons]

I think they might be getting to hot, and if your fixture is rated for 160 watts your maxing it out. I found a fixture @ Lowes that is called a brooder, it's made of thin alum. & rated for 300 watts. I think the fixture is holding in to much heat around the base of the bulb. You might want to call Bob Mac @ reptileUV and get his opinion on your situation.

 

[BEARDEDHAPPE]

If you touch the light bulb with your fingers the oil from your fingers well rub off on the light bulb. If you do that it cuts the life in half and the oil well heat up and burn out the light bulb. Try to use a cloth to put in your light bulb.

 

[gregorydragon]

Is this actually a MegaRay or some other brand of MVB? I didn't know you could buy a MegaRay in a store. Do you use a surge protector? I don't know if this is the cause, but it is a thought.

 

[cath1024]

Hi and thanks everyone for your replies ... yes it is an actual mega ray - you can buy them in 2 local reptile stores here but I am in Canada.

No the lights arnt moved at all - they are hanging on a stand and are on timers so they are never touched.

I think it makes sence about the fixture getting too hot and being maxed at 160w - the 100w has not burnt out and we have had it for about 3 months with 2 160's burning out in that time.

Maybe i will check around home depot and see if they have something that is 300 w

LQDRAGONS is the fixture you got deep dome that covers the whole bulb?

 

[LQDragons]

Hi and thanks everyone for your replies ... yes it is an actual mega ray - you can buy them in 2 local reptile stores here but I am in Canada.



Maybe i will check around home depot and see if they have something that is 300 w

LQDRAGONS is the fixture you got deep dome that covers the whole bulb?

yes , it is almost 6" deep, to the start of the socket & 10" in diamiter

 

[glitch_in_the_system]

The filaments in MVB's are kind of brittle so if you bounce or jar the bulb around the filaments could come loose. That should be easy to check just look at the bulb. Have you been loosing power alot or turning the bulb on and off frequently? Power surges? Water touching the bulb from misting?

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

I have had some trouble with the 160watts in the past, as the ballasts get really hot.
It is highly advised to have at least 2 times the rated wattage for your ceramic fixture. So, if you are using 160watts, you will need minimum rated ceramic fixture at 320 watts, if not up to 500 watts, just to ensure that it can handle that wattage.

Tracie

 

[cath1024]

Yes Tracie i think that is exactly it. I have never had this problem with my 100w bulbs.
I am fine with the 100w and if i choose to use the 160w again i will be sure to get the higher rated wattage fixture ... the ones i use are 160w max so its right at its limit.

Do you think im ok using the 160w fixture for the 100w mega ray bulbs? So far no problems but you never know.

 

[GlueStick]

We have had similiar problems at work (I work at a pet store, Precious Pets) regarding bulb burnouts and I have found that it was not the bulb but, the fixture itself. It doesn't matter what brand, type, porcelain, metal, etc but it all depends on a malfunctioning of that specific prototype. Simply this:

buy a new one and/or return the old one and make sure that the new fixture itself is able to hold that bulbs wattage =D

Once in a blue moon, we come across a bad lighting fixture.

 

[gulfbrzdawn]

LQDragons....that brooder dome fixture you are talking about at Lowes, I've seen them before and I'm trying to recall if they are ceramic based or not. Does yours have a ceramic fitting?