Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Just some hints for the MV bulbs.
1. Make sure they are pointed down! They need to be on the top of the cage pointing down, not at an angle or perpendicular across the cage. I dunno why this is, but thats what it says in the instructions, so there must be a good reason!
2. Make sure you are using a ceramic socket, not a plastic one. Once again read this in the instructions, and this is a good precaution that is not very expensive, you can get ceramic sockets at lowes or home depot for a few bucks, so it shouldn't empty your wallet the way reptile brand sockets will.
3. Make sure that when you spray or mist, none of the water comes close to making contact with the bulb, this can crack and break the bulb (I heard about this, didn't listen, and now have learned it first hand, don't make the mistake I did!)
4. Last, make sure all your connections are secure, you aren't overloading a powere source, and don't continuously flip it on and off. If you are going to turn it on, make sure it will be on for a few hours, if not, use a cheap incadesent for the short period of time.

By following these guide lines I have never had a problem with my zoo med mercury vapor bulbs, and they have definetely benifited my lizards. Sorry this is so long, just had to share my advice b/c these bulbs work and are durable, reliable, and extreamily benificial when used properly. Good Luck!

Hi - in case you were directing this to the problems I have had (and you may not have been it's just that I seemed to be the only one mentioning problems ) I do everything the directions say: it sits on top of her cage, is on a timer to go off/on only once a day, no overload, 10" ceramic fixture dome, and is protected from humidifier mist (which is also on top of cage) by a plastic baffle.

This is why my frustration - I am doing everything right! ;-/ I do notice that the socket is a little "scratchy" when I screw in the bulb but it makes contact and is seated in the socket OK.

lele
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0.1 veiled - Luna
0.2 house geckos - Gaia & Tia (MIA
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Líta

lele, you might have the bulb too hot, but you said your PowerSun doesn't over heat and shut off, so I'm not sure. Anyway here's my 2 cents. In my first experiences with the PowerSun, I used to have mine sitting on my cage and it would overheat a lot and they would shut on and off a few times during the day and that caused it to burn out within 4 days or so. Not to mention it was way too hot for my cham! This happened to me twice. The second time a thing metal thing came loose and rattled around. Zoo-Med came through and gave me new bulbs. Then I put a hook in my ceiling and increased the distance between the PowerSun and the cage by hanging it. Since then I've had no problems.

But again, you sad yours doesn't overload. Mayb eyou just got a dud.

hmmm...when you said overload I was thinking of too much power at source (power strip/outlet), but now that you mention the bulb itself getting too hot IS a possibility. I have mine sitting right on the cage but it is a perfect distance to her branch and she will happily sit under it. When I first got it I had it hanging but it kept flipping sideways. it does sit right next to her basking light so maybe this is the problem. I will try hanging it again and see. Since I am not in the room all the time it is on I cannot tell how often or if there are certain circumstances. Thanks for pointing this out and I will experiment with it

thanks,
lele

>>lele, you might have the bulb too hot, but you said your PowerSun doesn't over heat and shut off, so I'm not sure. Anyway here's my 2 cents. In my first experiences with the PowerSun, I used to have mine sitting on my cage and it would overheat a lot and they would shut on and off a few times during the day and that caused it to burn out within 4 days or so. Not to mention it was way too hot for my cham! This happened to me twice. The second time a thing metal thing came loose and rattled around. Zoo-Med came through and gave me new bulbs. Then I put a hook in my ceiling and increased the distance between the PowerSun and the cage by hanging it. Since then I've had no problems.
>>
>>But again, you sad yours doesn't overload. Mayb eyou just got a dud.
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0.1 veiled - Luna
0.2 house geckos - Gaia & Tia (MIA
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Líta