Life expectancy of Reptisun

[Bushmaster11B]

Anyone know what the life expectancy of a Reptisun 10.0 UVB ? I don't have $200 to buy a Solarmeter 6.2. Anyone know of a much cheaper and reliable UVB Meter? I have had my bulb for 2 months now. My BD is doing good and the bulb is working fantastic, I just want to buy another for future replacement.

 

[Ron G]

Most of the information I have read says to replace it every 6 months. That is what I have been doing.

 

[blazedragon]

i do believe there are several factors that determine how often to replace.. Zoomed says once a year. factors such as distance, usage, and if there is something blocking the bulbs output(screens, etc..) will decrease the life expectancy of the bulb.

i use the zoo med t5ho reptisun bulbs and the box says replace yearly, this may be different for other bulbs even the non t5 reptisun bulbs.

 

[Bushmaster11B]

I use mine 14 hours a day for the last 2 months. It is controlled by a timer. I don't know if this helps or not. Surely a bulb would not last a year. That seems a bit long.

 

[Ron G]

The bulb can last a year but the UVB part of the bulb usually runs out after about 6 months per the research. You will still get light out of the bulb but no or very little UVB. I don't take any chances and just change it every 6 months even if the bulb still lights up. I keep mine on a timer also from 6:30 to 8:00 every day.

 

[Bushmaster11B]

I think 6 months is a goo rule now. My bulb box says MBD accuses anywhere from 6-12 months without UVB, so Everyone would probably be safe changing them out every 6 months. I know Chinese glass UVB burns UVB out way faster.

 

[Germ]

The 6 month recommended replacement time is said because most are mounted above & filtered by the screen. Mine are all unfiltered, inside their enclosures, setup 8-10" from the basking spot & I change them out yearly. Been doing this for just about 12 years.

 

[Bushmaster11B]

Yeah mine is unfiltered too. 12 months it is then. I have mine at about 10- 12"... see it hanging down quite a bit?

 

[gilliesexotics]

Hi, The recommendation of 6 months is playing it safe. Without having a uvb meter to test your bulb there is no way to tell how well your bulb is performing.

The scary thing i have witnessed, you test a brand new bulb and it barely has any uvb output. What if i didn't have a uvb meter?