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I have one of those big plexiglass ramps with green stuff on it that suction cups to the side of the tank for my big ole turt and I have a uva/uvb lite and a household bulb for heat. I normally have a 60 watt bulb in for heat ....

BUT tonite the clamp lamp was slipping and hubby had to tighten it so the dome would stop falling off onto the bulb and he accidentally replaced it with a 100 watt home bulb and its been on now for about 2 hours...

I passed the aquarium where Tobi was basking and I *noticed* thank GOD, that the ramp was SMOKING!!!! Tobi was on the right side where you walk up and the smoke was coming from the side that has an "upper deck" area...and there was (is) about 5 brown burn marks on the ramp! On the green and the plexiglass part!!!!! I immediately checked the bulb...noticed hubby put in the 100 watt!!! Then turned it off and started splashing the ramp with water. Had to do that a long time for the smoking to stop!!
This could have been a FIRE! Or worse my baby could have been FRIED had she gone over to the other side about an inch!

PLEASE make sure if you use these ramps that your wattage is lower and you keep your lamp up higher!!

Never had a problem like this before, but Im sure to keep an eye on it constantly now since I know it can ALL burn!!!

Camee

freaky! i'm glad your turtle is ok! (and your house)

Yeah it WAS freaky and thanx for the well wishes! I just pray noone else EVER has this happen! scary...

Camee

WOAH!! I'm glad you caught it in time!

WHAT!?!?!?!? How much heat was that thing putting out!!!! So, a normal house hold 100 watt bulb, say about 10-12" away from the dock? Can light it on fire!?!?!? Wow, thats scary. Glad you caught it in time, and I'm happy to hear that Tobi is ok!

Wow that's scary!!! I'm suprised she kept basking with all the heat and smoking and whatnot. Sometimes those silly turtles are awfully dedicated to thier basking. But seriously, thanks for the warning, i'm going to be extra careful anytime i change the positioning or bulb in my basking light from now on. Glad to hear that everything worked out okay! Oh by the way, is the ramp ruined or are you still able to use it?

You caught it just in time!! Good thing it didnt catch fire.. or friend you turt!

Wow! Nice save, Camee!

I don't think the plexiglass would have actually caught fire since it would need a much higher temperature (like over 800 degrees) to spontaneously combust. But once that stuff does catch fire, it burns very quickly. More likely it would have continued to deform and melt. The greatest danger of course was to the turlte. I'm glad he had the sense to stay out of the heat!

Oh, yea, I hope you smacked your husband around a few times! jk

Yikes! that would have freaked me out too! Glad you got there in time.

FYI: I have a 100W Powersun MVB lamp over Sheba, but it is about 12 inches away from her & I have never had a problem with the acrylic getting too hot or whatever.

She is okay and the ramp is fine..just some burn marks on it! So still usable!

What I normally use is a 60 watt "soft light" housebulb, and it is placed about 6 inches from the basking site, which is perfect for Tobi to raise her head totally out and up AND not FRY!

But since he put the 100 watt in instead it was still close and not a "soft light" bulb either.... and YES he is going to hear about it. Havent gotten to wack him around a bit yet! (he was sleeping, now he's at work)...Just NEVER gonna let him mess around with anything BUT water again!

(Next step is MVB, cant wait) "mercury vapor bulb" with ALL the works!!! Got one in mind for 39.99!!

Camee

MVB's are awesome. I have the Powersun UV lamp (it was my 1st experience with MVB lamps), but many of the people on this board are fond of the T-rex brand because it is more powerful.

Oh my that IS scary, as that could easily happen in my set up too! Luckily, I'm the only one who cares for the turts (I mean that in a husbandry way, everyone loves them!) so I can be sure that won't happen!! SCARY. So lucky you were home!

Camee also can you link me to the mercury vapor bulb for $40? Sounds good....

Acrylic can withstand high temps without smoking, regular plastic or "Bakelite", not sure if I'm spelling that right, will react to heat at much lower temps over time. I don't think they can actually catch fire from overheating, but they could probably give off some nasty fumes....

When heated, clear plastic will also release a chemical called antimony. Not sure about turts, but antimony is poisonous to humans. I would replace the ramp and do a water change. Just my .02 cents.

wow that's pretty scary. glad no-one got hurt!

i agree with pokey, a full water change is in order!