Equipment Review and Discussion :: FAULTY PRODUCT WARNING

[scripta_elegans]

WARNING! Avoid ESU reptile brand RedHeat incandescent basking heat lamps! I have tried to give my new turtles accurate night and day cycles to enhance their psychological well being. The bulb shattered last night, sending shards of hot glass into the tank. The turtles are all fine, however I am psychologically unwell after this possibly deadly accident. I do not want this to happen to anyone else, and I am still unsure why it happened, other than possible bulb instability. I will be contacting the company, and will post what they have to say.

[AV]

sorry to hear that! I hope you're okay!

can you possibly find a pic of this product and post it?

Cheers!

[scripta_elegans]

Here's a link from the same store I purchased it from:

ESU Reptile Red Heat Basking Lamps

It was the 75 Watt one and it was screwed into this:

Fluker's Clamp-Lamp

[missibsu]

Is it possible that the bulb was spashed by water? This can cause a bulb to explode, just as if the bulb were to fall into the water...I know that has happened to some people on here as well. Either of those things happening are not just a risk to that kind of bulb, but any bulb above your set up.

[scripta_elegans]

I had the same thought, but I don't think that's possible. My red ear sliders are hatchlings, so their splashes are little, and the filter is on the other end. The lamp is about a foot away fom the water's surface? Can you give me any suggestion that will help me avoid this in the future?

[steve]

I use a ceramic heat emitter for the basking area so I don't have to worry about any shattering. Did you discover why it blew?

[marisa]

I've used that bulb in the past. The only time I've had any problems with it is when water got on it (because it gets so hot, it doesn't take much for the bulb to shatter).

[scripta_elegans]

I think water must have gotton on it. I likes the ceramic bulb suggestion, so I got one. I learned on this site that the "night" bulbs can be hard on turtle's eyes, but they love the warmth, so the ceramic bulb is great. I also have a reptisun UVA/UVB lamp, so they are still getting the needed UV light, and the night and day cycles that are normal for this climate. Thanks for the input!

[marisa]

The red heat lights aren't hard on their eyes and do not interfere with their sleep cycle. Certain black lights, however, can do damage to their eyes, and should be avoided.