URGENT PLZ HELP!

[erlabella]

I just bought a new UV tube from exoterra. 36” long, 30W and 10.0 UVB. I just noticed that it has a very faint burning smell. I don’t know how to describe it but it smell very electrical?? Like someone is welding something? I’m afraid it will catch on fire or something so I turned it off. The tube I had before was a UVB tube from Trixie. Also 36” long, 30W and 12.0 UVB, but it didn’t smell. Should I discard it and get a new one or what? I’m sure this isn’t normal?

The smell comes from these:

Where the tube is plugged in and at the end of the tube.

 

[KeyBlu422]

While I don't have any experience with the exo terra one, I'd recommend getting rid of it. Paying $30-$40 would be a lot better than a house fire or your beardy facing harm.

 

[CooperDragon]

I agree that it's not worth any risk and it might be a good excuse to upgrade to a T5 fixture and bulb which will provide better output anyway.

 

[TheRamiRocketMan]

See if you can return it, it's not worth the risk. I use the exo-terra 10.0 tube and I've never smelt burning.

As a side note, I always keep a smoke detector on the roof of my enclosure. It's better to be safe then sorry when dealing with hot electrics.