heat lamp problems - burning out quickly + new problem

[ReptileLover567]

The basking bulbs for jaxom have been burning out like crazy. His light burnt out this morning, but I replaced it only two months ago. How are lights supposed to last? I've been using the exo terra 100w daylight basking spot, but I can't afford to keep buying lights every few months. Is there a longer lasting, or cheaper option. I'm a broke student. I've also heard that you can use non-reptile specific lights, from the hardware store etc. Is this true? What kind of bulb works the best? Am I doing something wrong that's causing them to burn out so quickly?

[Dakota]

75 watt incandescent bulbs are what I usually use. Wattage depends on your room temperature and distance between the bulb and surface, but you can absolutely use just "regular" bulbs. Rarely do I ever buy supplies that are made for reptiles. :-)

Halogen bulbs are also good options.

[NickBrahz]

To add onto what Dakota said, stuff that is branded specifically for reptiles is usually bloated in prices heavily, for example tongs in store for lizard feeding are a crazy $15 or so but on ebay generic tongs that do the same are $1 each, just head to a local home depot place and grab some general purpose lights in the correct wattage.

[ReptileLover567]

Thank you both! This makes my life a lot easier.

[alichamp]

It is strange though that your bulbs are blowing out so often. What setup do you have for your lighting/heating? Do you have it set up on a timer? What hours do you have it on?

Also are you sure there is not a problem with your lamp?

Yep, look for a spotlight or floodlight at the hardware store. You may consider a ceramic heat emitter as a different option that lasts well, but upfront they are quite expensive and offer heat but no light.

[TPceebee]

Could be a number of things causing this... Having it on a timer/dimmer/thermostat could be wearing the bulbs out faster. Could also be power surges? Or socket issues such as poor contact causing arcing or wrong wattage. Perhaps check that the socket can take the wattage of the bulb you're using and try using a surge protector? Switching out for a different type of bulb would be good too. Then you'll be able to identify that the problem isn't just with the type of bulbs. Halogens are better than incandescent bulbs.

I also use a regular 50W bulb. It's lasted a long time.

[splashy07]

Like said previously, could be your fixture. You should get longer life from your bulbs than that. I work at an auto parts supplier and bring home 'rough service' bulbs that are used in shops. They are 75 watt and last a very long time. In winter when I need more heat I use powersun mercury vapor lamps. They are initially expensive but are guaranteed for a year and I've had them last over two. We have had some ridiculous laws passed here that makes it almost impossible to obtain incandescent bulbs otherwise.

[ReptileLover567]

I have a new problem. It's related so I'm not sure weather to make a new thread.
I got a new light, which was a great deal at the hardware store: pack of two for around $20. They are halogen flood lights, and 90 watts. The problem is: its too hot. After being on for less than an hour, Jaxoms basking spot had already heated up to 120°f. Which is obviously too hot. He was in his hide on the cool side the whole time (he has been all day), so he wasn't hurt or burned or overheating or anything. I now have both the lights turned off because his timers would have shut them off soon anyway. I have thought of three options that I think might fix this:
- Go back to the hardware store tomorrow morning and exchange the lights for a lower wattage.
- Get a stand for the heat lamp so the light is not so close to him. This would also propably increase the longevity of the bulb.
- I also might have to get a new dome for the lamp because it's quite old and I think that could be one the things that's been causing the problems.
What are your suggestions?

[TPceebee]

You could try a number of things. Either exchange the bulbs or get the cheap socket dimmers. I would change one thing at a time to see what could be causing the problems. If you're still having issues with bulbs blowing when using halogens then try switching out the lamp.

[Gao]

Can I use a red infrared bulb as a basking lamp? My normal basking bulb just burned out today and I have a red bulb on my hand I wonder if I can use it?

[Susann]

Absolutely you can, Gao. No problem. Whatever gets you to the temperature you need.

[Gao]

Absolutely you can, Gao. No problem. Whatever gets you to the temperature you need.

Thank you Susann

[Y33T]

I just bought a heat lamp from the reptile expo a few days ago, it was working perfectly until the next morning it blew out. The fixture is 150 watt max and the bulb was 100 watt. I think I screwed it on too tight judging on how the bulb completely blew off its screw. Could it be the reason or was there something else wrong? I'm planning on plugging the fixture into one of my surge protected powerboards just to be sure.

[jdheff1982]

Hey OP, here is a setup I use:

For basking I use one 35w CHE (it's red, not white like others) attached to a thermostat. I can't say who makes the bulb, but any of the CHE's will be fine. You'll just need to figure out what wattage works. Since it will be on a thermostat, it doesn't matter how high the wattage is, it'll just reach the target temp faster with higher wattages. I used the Zilla brand thermostat. It can handle up to 500 watts. Aside from the CHE, I have another fixture I keep a LED flood light in. I have both fixtures plugged into a heavy duty Zoo Med timer. It only has one plug, so I plugged in an extension cord. Altogether, the terrarium is pulling about 40 watts. It's much more energy efficient than using other bulb setups and I still achieve 95* F+ on basking side. The CHE is about 10 inches above the basking spot and I use slate tiles under the CHE. Slate tiles help keep the basking spot hot by absorbing the heat and reflecting it back. If you're concerned about UV for the skink, you could replace the LED bulb with a compact fluorescent bulb made specifically to produce the UV or simply add another fixture. If you use a compact fluorescent bulb for UV source, it will draw much less power than a mercury vapor bulb and it shouldn't break the bank.

I am a huge fan of the LED floodlights. They are very bright and last a LONG time. Much longer than any other bulb I use. My current one might be close to a year old now and the CHE was purchased around 3 years ago and it still works perfectly. The LED's are coming down in price now. I think the LED floodlights can be had for $10 to $15 depending on where you buy it. If you have a Lowes, check out their off-brand LED bulbs. They are usually ultra cheap. The Brite-Sticks are awesome and usually come 3 to a box for a good price.

Good luck!

[jdheff1982]

I just bought a heat lamp from the reptile expo a few days ago, it was working perfectly until the next morning it blew out. The fixture is 150 watt max and the bulb was 100 watt. I think I screwed it on too tight judging on how the bulb completely blew off its screw. Could it be the reason or was there something else wrong? I'm planning on plugging the fixture into one of my surge protected powerboards just to be sure.

Unfortunately, many companies make many things for our pets; and sometimes what they make is junk. I bought a 2 bulb fixture once. Got home, screwed in both bulbs, turned it on and it blew a breaker. After that, it didn't work again and the bulbs were fried. Needless to say, I took everything back. The fixture was an off brand I was unfamiliar with and it was on sale and I was being cheap. Never again!

The thing that comes to mind about your blown bulb is maybe you did crank it on there and broke the seal between metal screw cap and bulb. However, if the bulb became overloaded with power, that could cause it to explode, too. Could have been a bad bulb from the get go.

[Scotts1au]

Cheap 30 degree spotlight globes that are a couple of bucks each are fine. I normally only use 60W in summer with a CHE on thermostat with the globe on manually with a light switch mounted to the enclosure. This stops vibration being transmitted to the globe when turned on or off which will reduce life span of a normal globe. Even with a 100W incandescent globe there is a lot of heat given off and normal bell shaped shades are bad news for accumulating heat- generally the problems will reduce by going to as small a globe as possible to do the job.

[Y33T]

[quote="jdheff1982]

Thanks. Both the bulb and fixture are from the brand "Repti Zoo". I bought an Exo-Terra intense basking light today and see how it goes. I got my mum to screw it in instead and I plugged it in a surge protected power board just to be sure.