Arcadia T5 warm up?

[seanbaker1]

I just received an Arcadia ProT5 UVB kit via UPS. The box it came in was beat to heck, I can't believe the bulb made it without breaking.

It does light up, but at first the ends are bright and the middle is dim. After 5 minutes or so it finally gets fully bright.

Is this normal? Is there a warm up time for the Arcadia tubes? I want to make sure there was no damage during shipping.

Thanks,

Sean.

 

[seanbaker1]

It's the 4 foot model, 54 watts.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

I just received an Arcadia ProT5 UVB kit via UPS. The box it came in was beat to heck, I can't believe the bulb made it without breaking.

It does light up, but at first the ends are bright and the middle is dim. After 5 minutes or so it finally gets fully bright.

Is this normal? Is there a warm up time for the Arcadia tubes? I want to make sure there was no damage during shipping.

Thanks,

Sean.

Hello!
My Arcadia lamps light up instantly (I use only 24W). But for longer tubes such slow start can be normal - it need more mercury to evaporate and fill the tube.
Maybe, @Markw84 or @jaizei can explain what's happening. Or @Tom have seen something like that.

 

[Sarah2020]

They are instant on and off. I think the bulb is faulty due to the delivery .

 

[Tom]

I just received an Arcadia ProT5 UVB kit via UPS. The box it came in was beat to heck, I can't believe the bulb made it without breaking.

It does light up, but at first the ends are bright and the middle is dim. After 5 minutes or so it finally gets fully bright.

Is this normal? Is there a warm up time for the Arcadia tubes? I want to make sure there was no damage during shipping.

Thanks,

Sean.

I don't have any of the 46 inch ones, but none of my 34 or 22 inch ones do that. It could be that the contact points aren't fully seated, or it could be that the bulb was damaged. I'd run it by the seller and see what they say. A damaged UV tube could be dangerous for use in some cases.

 

[seanbaker1]

Thanks all. I'll contact the seller on Monday. Frustrating that you can't find these in stores anywhere nearby. Amazon doesn't even have the 48" bulb or kit.

 

[jaizei]

The downside of having a single fixture with a single bulb is that there's nothing to compare it to or swap out to test and that's usually the easiest way to troubleshoot fluorescent bulbs & fixtures.

The only times I've encountered fluorescent tubes taking that long to fully illuminate were when they were in a cold environment or the ballast was going bad.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

I think the instructions on my bulb said it would light up immediately. Check if our says that too.

 

[seanbaker1]

My daughter brought me an Arcadia 12% bulb from an LLLReptile near her house (they didn't have the fixture in stock). Only $27. Just tried it, same thing, bright on the ends, dim in the middle. So now I'll wait to contact the vendor on Monday.