Broken/burnt Bulb

Hsenfow

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I've just gone to change the basking bulb in my tortoise's enclosure, and have discovered that the bulb is completely broken and seems to have burnt a little.

I've attached pictures of both the state of the bulb + fitting, and of the packaging of the bulb, fitting and thermostat.

As you can see from the pictures, the end of the bulb has come off and is stuck in the fitting (it's all crumpled up because I was trying to unscrew it which didn't go well).
When I went to unscrew the bulb initially, it just fell almost straight out and dangled by 2 wires.

Fortunately I've got a spare lamp fitting and so have replaced it with that for the time being. I'm also currently using a CHE tonight, although I do have another bulb (same as the broken one) that I'll put in tomorrow morning.

Please could someone offer some advice on what may have caused this? Is the bulb incorrect? I've had this bulb for about 6 months and as far as I can see there's no problems with wattage (i.e, the bulb isn't too high wattage for the fitting), but I'm no electrician.

Would greatly appreciate any help on this.

Thanks.

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xMario

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I've just gone to change the basking bulb in my tortoise's enclosure, and have discovered that the bulb is completely broken and seems to have burnt a little.

I've attached pictures of both the state of the bulb + fitting, and of the packaging of the bulb, fitting and thermostat.

As you can see from the pictures, the end of the bulb has come off and is stuck in the fitting (it's all crumpled up because I was trying to unscrew it which didn't go well).
When I went to unscrew the bulb initially, it just fell almost straight out and dangled by 2 wires.

Fortunately I've got a spare lamp fitting and so have replaced it with that for the time being. I'm also currently using a CHE tonight, although I do have another bulb (same as the broken one) that I'll put in tomorrow morning.

Please could someone offer some advice on what may have caused this? Is the bulb incorrect? I've had this bulb for about 6 months and as far as I can see there's no problems with wattage (i.e, the bulb isn't too high wattage for the fitting), but I'm no electrician.

Would greatly appreciate any help on this.

Thanks.
I don't know what causes it but I had the same problem ones and the lamp fell into my enclosure luckily my tort was sleeping

I think it happened to me cause I used to much force screwing it in what caused it to break then after a few weeks a slight vibration was enough to let it drop so since then I made sure to really carefully screw them in and it has never happened since

If u are scared it could happen again simply use a mesh around the bulb to hold it if it falls

[emoji217] [emoji16]
 

Hsenfow

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Thanks for the reply.
I'm certainly going to buy some sort of mesh guard for the bulb. I can't remember how tightly I screwed the bulb in, but when I change it tomorrow morning I'll be sure to do it as gently as possible.
 

Lyn W

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It happened to one of my Komodo basking bulbs once, It was still working but I noticed it ratted inside its wide dome when I accidentally nudged it. When I looked the glass had separated from the metal screw fixing, No idea what caused it - I put it down to a faulty bulb. Not had any problems with the Arcadia bulbs.
 

Yvonne G

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It happens sometimes. I just figured the glue they used to glue the bulb inside the fixture failed. It's really no big deal. Just be sure to unplug the fixture before you take the pliers to the end of the bulb.
 

Hsenfow

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Thanks for the replies everyone.
I just wanted to make sure it wasn't a fire-hazard or anything, and you've all confirmed it just seems to be a random occurrence.
I'll continue as I am then!
 

Tom

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These things are made of very fragile thin glass. This happens sometimes. Just unplug the fixture and carefully remove the metal base from your fixture.

Your basking bulb should not be running through a thermostat. The thermostat should be connected to a CHE or a RHP to control the ambient temp in the enclosure. Your tortoise needs a basking area to warm up above ambient temp all day long.
 

DesertGirl

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I've just gone to change the basking bulb in my tortoise's enclosure, and have discovered that the bulb is completely broken and seems to have burnt a little.

I've attached pictures of both the state of the bulb + fitting, and of the packaging of the bulb, fitting and thermostat.

As you can see from the pictures, the end of the bulb has come off and is stuck in the fitting (it's all crumpled up because I was trying to unscrew it which didn't go well).
When I went to unscrew the bulb initially, it just fell almost straight out and dangled by 2 wires.

Fortunately I've got a spare lamp fitting and so have replaced it with that for the time being. I'm also currently using a CHE tonight, although I do have another bulb (same as the broken one) that I'll put in tomorrow morning.

Please could someone offer some advice on what may have caused this? Is the bulb incorrect? I've had this bulb for about 6 months and as far as I can see there's no problems with wattage (i.e, the bulb isn't too high wattage for the fitting), but I'm no electrician.

Would greatly appreciate any help on this.

Thanks.

View attachment 269002 View attachment 269003

When changing bulbs, I always apply a tiny bit of WD 40 to the screw part of the bulb. Just a little extra lubrication. With all that humidity, rust could be forming. BTW I NEVER get 6 maths outta my bulbs so you’re doing something right!!!
 

Ciri

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It happens sometimes. I just figured the glue they used to glue the bulb inside the fixture failed. It's really no big deal. Just be sure to unplug the fixture before you take the pliers to the end of the bulb.
I use a lot of heat bulbs in the winter (not for tortoises or turtles) and this does happen from time to time. I asked a handyman who does electrical work and he said that the glue fails and the bulb comes apart. Of course, if a bulb is situated above a tortoise that is understandably concerning.
 

Hsenfow

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These things are made of very fragile thin glass. This happens sometimes. Just unplug the fixture and carefully remove the metal base from your fixture.

Your basking bulb should not be running through a thermostat. The thermostat should be connected to a CHE or a RHP to control the ambient temp in the enclosure. Your tortoise needs a basking area to warm up above ambient temp all day long.

I thought this was the case - that it should be on all day with no thermostat - however I haven't done this because then I very much expect the enclosure will get too hot on warm days. Is there any way to avoid this overheating?

I will also be getting a new, much bigger enclosure soon (wood all around + glass doors) which may help any overheating, due to there being a larger area to heat up.
 

Tom

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Is there any way to avoid this overheating?

Yes. Use the correct sized bulb for your enclosure and monitor the temperatures.

I have some large closed chambers that sit in my 27C degree reptile room. I had to go all the way down to 25 watt bulbs to keep from overheating them.
 

Markw84

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Your basking bulb should not be running through a thermostat. The thermostat should be connected to a CHE or a RHP to control the ambient temp in the enclosure. Your tortoise needs a basking area to warm up above ambient temp all day long.

I have a different take on this. I do use my basking bulbs on thermostat. I believe that is exactly like they would experience in the wild during the season they are most active and growing. During the monsoons, the sun is blocked by clouds on and off throughout the day on most days. As the temperatures heat up, their skin and body temperature is therefore very warm. As bulbs get too low in wattage, there is a different heating effect when they do bask. So I like the basking area with a moderate hot area. As this heats the entire enclosure over the course of an hour, or several hours, if the ambient temp in the warmer, central part of the enclosure rises to 92° I like the thermostat to turn off the "sun". Let the cloud cover come. The overall temperature is so warm, the tortoises seem to thrive. The humidity is extremely high, and their core body temp and skin temp is in optimal ranges. When the enclosure "cools" the "sun" comes back out and the cycle repeats.

For me this is also a very important safety factor. In my unheated tortoise room the room temperature can vary from day to day. There is no way to pick a single wattage that would work without the risk of overheating. Also with the use of the very effective T5 UVB bulbs, they generate quite a bit more heat than the older T8 bulbs and will add a considerable amount of heat to your enclosure. An added need to prevent enclosure overheating.
 

Tom

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I have a different take on this. I do use my basking bulbs on thermostat. I believe that is exactly like they would experience in the wild during the season they are most active and growing. During the monsoons, the sun is blocked by clouds on and off throughout the day on most days. As the temperatures heat up, their skin and body temperature is therefore very warm. As bulbs get too low in wattage, there is a different heating effect when they do bask. So I like the basking area with a moderate hot area. As this heats the entire enclosure over the course of an hour, or several hours, if the ambient temp in the warmer, central part of the enclosure rises to 92° I like the thermostat to turn off the "sun". Let the cloud cover come. The overall temperature is so warm, the tortoises seem to thrive. The humidity is extremely high, and their core body temp and skin temp is in optimal ranges. When the enclosure "cools" the "sun" comes back out and the cycle repeats.

For me this is also a very important safety factor. In my unheated tortoise room the room temperature can vary from day to day. There is no way to pick a single wattage that would work without the risk of overheating. Also with the use of the very effective T5 UVB bulbs, they generate quite a bit more heat than the older T8 bulbs and will add a considerable amount of heat to your enclosure. An added need to prevent enclosure overheating.
I like your thinking and explanation on this.

It turns out that I sort already have this sort of thing going on. Ambient temp in my reptile room will sometimes climb into the 90s on a hot summer day when outside temps are 100+, and even my low wattage heat lamps were overheating the enclosures. I put them on thermostats to cut off when ambient hits 95-96, but the LEDs stay on for light.

I suppose we should stipulate that doing it the way you've described makes ambient lighting a necessity, so the tortoises are sitting in the dark in an indoor enclosure if the heat lamp is the only light source during the day.
 

Hsenfow

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Thanks for the replies.

I think I'll go with the method of having the basking bulb connected to a thermostat (along with a CHE for ambient temp), because my home can get very hot on warm days, so I'm not sure I can trust the basking bulb to keep things a suitable temperature.

In terms of lighting, I'll have the UV bulb going and I'll get an LED bulb too.
 

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