Basking bulbs keep blowing!!

Bethanrs

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I’ve just blown my second heat bulb in two weeks. I use the Arcadia ceramic reflector holder (up to 150w) with the Arcadia heat floodlight 75w. I leave the lamp plugged in and use the switch on the wire to turn lamp on and off. It’s blowing when I turn it back on in the morning after being off for the night. It flashes on then nothing! What could be causing this?
 

Tom

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I’ve just blown my second heat bulb in two weeks. I use the Arcadia ceramic reflector holder (up to 150w) with the Arcadia heat floodlight 75w. I leave the lamp plugged in and use the switch on the wire to turn lamp on and off. It’s blowing when I turn it back on in the morning after being off for the night. It flashes on then nothing! What could be causing this?
Might be a bad switch or bad fixture. Sounds like a short. I don't know how reliable the electricity in your country is, so it might help to run it through a surge protector too.
 

Levi the Leopard

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I have another thought; could your bulb be getting wet at all? If water is accumulating at the base in the socket, perhaps that's contributing to a blow out.
 

Tim Carlisle

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Just a thought: ensure that your fixture can support the bulb wattage. Might also be a good idea to connect the lamp to a surge suppressor.
 

Lyn W

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Can you post a picture of it and the enclosure? Is it hanging or do you use a clamp?
Deep domes could cause bulbs to overheat, but I think the reflector dome you have is wide so probably not that. One of my old domes used to make the light flicker when I first put it on but I think that was a loose connection near the in-line switch. it would work if I jiggled it about but that's not safe, so I changed it. Do you know any electricians who could check it for you?
 

ZEROPILOT

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What type of a heat bulb?
Maybe I've missed you describing it previously?
An MVB type has a ballast. The ones I've used (I don't anymore) would sometimes turn "on" and then go off again for about 2 minutes then light back up again. And stay on for as long as it was needed that day.
Are your bulbs truly blowing I wonder? Or just heating up.
 
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