Lighting Issue. Help Please :)

[Guest]

I just bought a brand new Solar Glo 125W bulb for my Tegu. I unplugged the fixture, took the bulb that was in it out and plugged it in....and the Solar Glo bulb will not stay on! It just flashed a few times do I unplugged it so it didnt blow or something. Anyone have any idea whats going on?

 

[Guest]

If its a mounted fixture it could just be the fixture itself. I have one thats mounted to the inside (flood light type) and it wasn't built for humidity so I had to replace it before my newer bulb would work properly.
This might be sort of a silly question but does the bulb fit properly into the fixture? I also had a small fixture for my beardie and when I got a solar glo it was too large and would shut off because it couldn't get screwed in properly or fit.

 

[Guest]

Screw the bulb into another lamp [bathroom what ever if it still does that chances are you have to send it back ...

 

[Guest]

It is a little big for the fixture I have but it still fits in there without a problem. My boyfriend said something about mercury settling in it and it would blink for like 5-15 min b4 it would work properly. I guess Ill try it again shes outside of her cage now having dinner and having her run around my room.

 

[Chuey]

If its a mercury vapor bulb, after they turn on, they have to cool off before turning back on.

As its a 125W bulb check the wires on your fixture look for burnt or browned connections. Some fixtures are only made for average 75 watt bulbs and the 125W bulbs put out considerable more heat and electricity draws. This is especially true with mercury vapor bulbs. At home we had to swap out our original fixtures that we made which were 150W rated, instead of using the 2 prong cords from home depot to build the fixture I upgraded to a three prong that was designed for power tools. Its handles the higher electricity draws of the MVB bulbs much better, now the wires don't ever overheat or burn out.

Ps don't know whats going on for sure but you should treat it as a potentially dangerous situation and can burn down your place.

For instance my fiance and myself since we only have a 100AMP fuse box we counted and converted the draw of all the circuits in our animal room to ensure that it wasn't more than what our breaker box could handle at 80% capacity. If you have a lot of animals like we do in one room, for their safety sakes so you dn't kill them in a fire, you should trace your circuit breakers trees and add up how amps you are drawing per each line going up to your house. You risk a fire otherwise when you have the lights and air conditioning on etc...etc...if they happen to be on the same circuit.

 

[Guest]

Most 110 circuits have a 20 amp breaker .. If you go over that draw the breaker pops and you have no power on that circuit . All your heaters air pumps [what ever ] stops .. If your breakers pop repeatedly reduce the load and replace the breaker... You are more likely to burn your house down with all those hot lights or light duty drop cords . than over taxing a circuit .. Still you don`t want your lights going out ..

 

[Guest]

Go to the hardware store and ask for a ceramic light fixture They come in plain pull chain and pull chain with outlet ... They are rated for 250 watts the same ones you see in every garage in the land .. The plain are the best for this application .. Ask them for a metal box for it .. cut the cord from any old high draw appliance that doesn't work any more ..Hair dryer computer electric heater ect .. Wa la High temp light fixture three dollars for the fixture two for the box EASY to assemble and mount . If you chose a cord with three wires attach the green wire to the box with a dry wall screw .

 

[Chuey]

Most 110 circuits have a 20 amp breaker .. If you go over that draw the breaker pops and you have no power on that circuit . All your heaters air pumps [what ever ] stops .. If your breakers pop repeatedly reduce the load and replace the breaker... You are more likely to burn your house down with all those hot lights or light duty drop cords . than over taxing a circuit .. Still you don`t want your lights going out ..

That's the funny thing from personal experience, if you have lots of lights aka a reptile room and/or an air conditioner on the same circuit tree I would not advise using a regular light duty cord whatsoever. I'd go with a heavier cord. Don't scavenge a cord, buy a heavy guage replacement tool cord (3 prong) from a big box store. What I found was that we had an air conditioner on a totally separate outlet as our reptile room, however it derived from the same tree. Anyhow it was one of those eco ac's that could adjust its temp. It never went on high enough to pop the circuit breaker but it would change temps, in those moments you would get a surge and there must have been some feedback but whatever the case may be, our light duty cords were being loaded with extra electricity, we found that at the connection of our fixtures they were burnt and a fire hazard. I've switched up the cords and went from a plastic fixture to a ceramic one. The easiest way to test this theory is to feel how hot the cord is near the first 12 inches closest to the light fixture. If its abnormally hot then you have a problem with old house wiring. My house was built in the 30s.

Anyhow we were lucky and avoided a house fire by a hair just becuase of our hobby and did not think about how many reptile lights we had going on one circuit.We've since broken up our reptile room and distributed the animals through the house until we have time to call an elecrician and have him put in a higher amp breaker panel .

Say for example its all going to a 20AMP

 

[Guest]

Like I said a a high draw cord from a TV or what ever . A cord is a cord and you don`t need three wires . If your house was made in the 30s then you have glass or round paper fuses . Unless you have up dated the system ..If you are cooking your plug ins then you have too heavy a fuse [A common thing to run more off one circuit] some what unsafe or the old wiring is shot [It happens] An air conditioner like a refrigerator should have its own circuit..

 

[Toby_H]

Warnings and precautions regarding electrical use are always a good idea...

As mentioned, using a "high draw" cord or large gauge wire will reduce/remove risk of the cord burning out...

Being aware of how many Watts are being drawn on a single circuit is a very good idea for any of us that are running a lot of electrical consumption...

For those of us living in an old home, it's very wise to not only learn facts about current code or current safe use practices, but also to know details about your particulars...

Safe electrical practices are quite often rather inexpensive to execute... and are exceptionally expensive to ignore...