Approximately how long should UV bulbs last?

["W" Family]

I have an Acadia 12% T5 HO bulb that I have only had for 2 months and it is already burned out? Is this normal? It comes on for 3 hours every day. I just feel as though it should have lasted longer. The daylight bulb in the same ballast is still working but the UV bulb is not. The ends of the bulb are glowing but the center of the bulb is not it is dark.

 

[jaizei]

I have an Acadia 12% T5 HO bulb that I have only had for 2 months and it is already burned out? Is this normal? It comes on for 3 hours every day. I just feel as though it should have lasted longer. The daylight bulb in the same ballast is still working but the UV bulb is not. The ends of the bulb are glowing but the center of the bulb is not it is dark.

Normally, bulbs should last years. Could have gotten a bad bulb.

Since you have a working bulb, swap the 2 and put the daylight bulb where the UVB bulb was to make sure its the bad bulb and not something else. It's not common, but it is possible for the ballast to go bad and only affect 1 bulb.

 

[Tom]

I have an Acadia 12% T5 HO bulb that I have only had for 2 months and it is already burned out? Is this normal? It comes on for 3 hours every day. I just feel as though it should have lasted longer. The daylight bulb in the same ballast is still working but the UV bulb is not. The ends of the bulb are glowing but the center of the bulb is not it is dark.

I have a half dozen of those bulbs. All are still running and producing good UV and some of them are 3+ years old.

There is an electrical problem somewhere in in your system. Short, bad ballast, and I suppose it is possible that you got a defective bulb. I'd go back to wherever you got it and let them know.

Do some trouble shooting. Swap places with the two bulbs. This will tell you if its the bulb, or not. If its not the bulb then you know there is a short, a bad connection, or a bad ballast on the one side.

 

["W" Family]

Normally, bulbs should last years. Could have gotten a bad bulb.

Since you have a working bulb, swap the 2 and put the daylight bulb where the UVB bulb was to make sure its the bad bulb and not something else. It's not common, but it is possible for the ballast to go bad and only affect 1 bulb.

Thank you. I tried that and it is definitely the UV bulb. I just placed an order for another one. Hopefully the next one lasts longer!

 

["W" Family]

I just contacted the seller where I got the ballast and bulbs after trouble shooting and determined that it is definitely the bulb. We will see what the seller says. Thank you!

 

[Tom]

Thank you. I tried that and it is definitely the UV bulb. I just placed an order for another one. Hopefully the next one lasts longer!

There was definitely something wrong. Those bulbs last years and they are the best on the market. If it happens again, there is something wrong with the wiring or the ballast.

 

["W" Family]

Ok. Yes the ballast is a double with a UVB and daylight bulb. The daylight is working fine so I tried that bulb where the UVB was and it worked perfect so that determined it was the bulb. I will definitely keep and eye on it when replacement comes. That ballast is plugged into the timer. All other bulbs are on different plug and timers. Well that keeps me hopeful that this is not a monthly replacement as that is costly and just bad bulb hopefully.

 

[Mrs.Jennifer]

Ok. Yes the ballast is a double with a UVB and daylight bulb. The daylight is working fine so I tried that bulb where the UVB was and it worked perfect so that determined it was the bulb. I will definitely keep and eye on it when replacement comes. That ballast is plugged into the timer. All other bulbs are on different plug and timers. Well that keeps me hopeful that this is not a monthly replacement as that is costly and just bad bulb hopefully.

I had an issue with a brand new bulb of another brand. I had purchased a light fixture that included the bulb. I knew it wasn't the ultimate bulb, but I wanted the fixture. I purchased the fixture/bulb and upon receiving it, I heard a faint noise, like there was something loose inside of it. I inserted the bulb, and it came on, no problem. I hung the fixture and used my Solarmeter to check the UV level. It read the same as my previous bulb which was over a year old. I contacted the seller, and they sent me a replacement bulb. The new bulb had UV levels significantly higher than the other "new" bulb. I plan to replace it with an Arcadia bulb in the future when this one is no longer doing it's job.

The take away: In the future I will use a Solarmeter immediately to assess whether any bulb is "damaged." It seems that the shipping process had an effect on the bulb. The other bulb came on, but it did not perform properly. I would not have known that the performance was affected if I didn't have a Solarmeter.

 

["W" Family]

Todd at http://lightyourreptiles.com/ has been so helpful and is sending out a replacement. Thank you to everyone on the forum through the learning process of owning a tortoise and Todd at http://lightyourreptiles.com/ to help me get the correct Arcadia UVB bulbs for my enclosure. I am so appreciative to everyone on here for your help with all of my questions these past couple of months. Our family is so attached to our little tortoise and seeing his personality and attachment grow to us.